Assemblymember Sheldon Silver, the Lower East Side Conservancy, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and an array of Lower East Side cultural, religious and historic preservation organizations earlier this month marked the 350th anniversary of the Jewish presence in New York — and the debut of the Noshcart, the Lower East Side food basket. The Noshcart contains nationally recognized kosher foods from the Lower East Side, including Gus’s Pickles, Kossar’s Bialies, Delancey Desserts ruggelach, Economy Candy seven-layer halvah and dried fruits and nuts, G and M potato knishes, East Side Glatt salami and Streit’s moonstrip matzohs. The products are assembled in a miniature pushcart by staff of the Henry St. Settlement mailing house. Accompanying the Noshcart is the award-winning tour guide, “The Lower East Side Remembered and Revisited.” Proceeds from the Noshcart go to the Lower East Side Conservancy, which helps preserve historic landmarks on the Lower East Side, conducts unique “insider tours” of the neighborhood and assists merchants still suffering from the aftereffects of 9/11.
