Scranton, improbable Jewish venue, hosts art show and kosher food fest

Most New Yorkers don’t think much about Scranton, Pennsyvania, the once-upon-a-time railroad and coal town that famously helped shape Joe Biden’s youth. And if they think of Scranton at all, it might be as home to the fictional Dunder Mifflin paper company from NBC’s long-running hit show, “The Office,” certainly not as ground zero for Yiddishkeit.

With a Jewish community of just a few thousand in a city of 80,000, it’s definitely not the Five Towns or Riverdale — let alone Boro Park or Monsey — 2 to 2-1/2 hours west of Manhattan.

But Scranton, known as the Electric City, has three Orthodox shuls [Beth Shalom, Machzikeh Hadas, and Ohav Zedek] with an abundance of learning opportunities for adults, two Jewish day schools for young children [Beth Shalom Academy and Hebrew Day School] , a girls’ high school, a Lakewood-style yeshiva, mikvahs for both men and women, a full-fledged JCC facility, numerous communal organizations including Jewish Federation and Chaveirim — plus superb parks, hiking trails and skiing, and an historic downtown where housing is mind-blowingly affordable.

Half-and-hour away in Kingston (adjacent to Wilkes-Barre), there's an excellent small kosher grocery with an ample selection of fresh meat, plus takeout and a grab-and-go section. A sit-down fleischig restaurant is attached to the grocery, and a bagel store (with seating) is steps away.

With the opening this week of “Jewish Art: Tradition and Transformation” in Scranton’s Everhart Museum, the city will inch a bit closer to Jewish ground zero.

While in much of America proud Jewish men are tucking in their tzitzit and covering their kipot, and women are learning to mask the modest dress and hair-coverings that may reveal their religious identity, Scranton is pulling out all the stops to host both the art exhibition and a four-day kosher food festival in Nay Aug Park, where the museum is located.

An opening gala at Everhart Museum was set for Wednesday, July 17, with the show running through Oct. 20. The museum is open daily 11 am to 5 pm (and although it’s normally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, it will remain open every day during the food fest). Admission is $10, $5 seniors; children 12 and under are free.

The food fest, organized by the Jewish Discovery Center/Pocono Kosher, will run from Sunday, July 28, through Wednesday, July 31, rain or shine.

Concessions at the free-admission food event will be open daily from 11:30 am to 6 pm, selling deli items such as thinly shaved corned beef, hot pastrami on rye, hand-rolled stuffed cabbage, Coney Island potato knishes, falafel, fire-roasted shawarma, crispy schnitzel, all-beef hot-dogs, spicy-Moroccan burgers, and BBQ beef tips.

A bakery tent will serve warm chocolate babka, apple-strudel and funnel-cakes. Credit cards will be accepted.

Visitors can stay at the city’s former Lackawanna Rail Road station [video] which has been converted to a Radisson Hotel, or at the Hilton Hotel across the street; both are within the eruv and a 15-minute walk to shul.

An option — especially if coming with a large group — is renting an airbnb.

Yoel Weiss came to Scranton from Brooklyn ­and began buying and fixing large homes in the city’s Hill district, where the Jewish community is centered and where he lives, renting them through airbnb. His properties include the city’s unique Woolworth mansion.

“I lived in Boro Park all my life. It’s such a big community and everybody minds their own busienss,” Weiss says. “This is a small community ­— literally, everybody knows everybody. And for the price you pay rent in another place you can own a house three or four times the size.”

He describes the vibe in Scranton as “calm, relaxed ­— there’s no traffic and no parking tickets [or very inexpensive ones], it’s just an amazing feeling. Everybody who comes to Scranton and stays over is blown away.”

Weiss will discuss Scranton with anyone who wants to learn more about his adopted hometown.

Beyond art and food, Scranton offers a variety of family-friendly activities. Among them are

•Steamtown National Historic Site

•Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum

•Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour

•Electric City Trolley Station and Museum

•Houdini Museum (with limited hours)

•Electric City Aquarium & Reptile Den (for young children)

•A self-guided Dunder Mifflin tour

•Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel (even if you're not staying there, you can view the magnificent main space and a few of the side corridors and bar area, some adorned with historic photos)

•and just walking around the streets of Downtown and the Hill district (perhaps dropping into the city’s castle-like public library and the children’s library next door).

Featured in the Everhart Museum show will be work by Siegmund Forst, Hendel Futerfas, Yisrael Gelman, Sam Griffin, Steve Marcus, Zalmy Mochkin, Professor Moses, Yitzchok Moully, Michoel Muchnik, Rivka Nehorai, Brian Shapiro, Elke Sudin, and Rachel Udkoff.

The museum explains that since “Judaism is often viewed through the veil of tragedy and mystery, this exhibition seeks to [lift] these veils to reveal a deeply meaningful and accessible connection.”

Updated July 21, 2023. to clarify references to Scranton schools.