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Through a stroke of genius or luck, or both, the impoverished Jews settled in the area formerly known as Society Hill. The area was center of Revolutionary social life during the period that Britain ruled the colonies. The east European Jews were not the first Jews to trod these streets, but earlier Jews were few in number. Rebecca Gratz may have attended the Dancing Assemblies in the area; and George Washington danced at the Powel House on S. 3rd Street, a city house that the Yidishe Velt, the most popular Yiddish newspaper every printed in Philadelphia, mistakenly, but with much pride identified as the “First White House” in the country (from 1904 to 1931, the Powel House was owned by Wolf Klebansky, an immigrant philanthropist and communal leader). It was here the Jews settled in number beginning in 1881. By the turn of the last century, they covered every block and the local residents - in a panic - ran to sell their properties. Approximately at the time of the Revolution, the name “Society Hill” fell out of favor and it was not used during the time the immigrants dominated the area. The name was dusted off in the 1950s, and today it is used with much pride by urban pioneers, those Philadelphians in the 1950s and 1960s who joined the counter-flow that passed the flight to the suburbs as they settled in their new homes. The area has been magnificently restored, in large part due to the efforts of these hardy pioneers. Today, brick sidewalks and cobblestone streets add a special charm to the area. South Street's mix of shops and restaurants continues a history that pre-dates the Civil War. Art galleries are found slightly north of Society Hill in Olde City. Antique shops are located on Pine Street west of the old Jewish quarter and in the city's fastest growing collectibles district around S. 6th & Bainbridge Streets. To the east at the Delaware River is the new Independence Seaport Museum. Two Jewish delis in the area are: Famous 4th Street Delicatessen, 4th & Bainbridge Streets, owned by the Auspitz family since 1923. It specializes in corned beef, roast beef, roast turkey, brisket, "old world charm," and a full line of smoked fish and award winning chocolate cookies; and PhilaDeli, 410-12 South Street, a Jewish-style deli, which serves a smorgasbord of delicious choices to the hungry traveler.
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