Bagels & lox, caviar, herring, babka and rugelach?these Jewish classics are what the NYC-appetizing icon, Russ & Daughters, does best. For over 106 years, Russ & Daughters have been owned and run by four generations of the Russ family. Russ & Daughters has not only established itself as a quintessential Jewish culinary experience, but also an NYC touchstone.

Win an exclusive chance to have an interactive experience with both the famous institution and one of the current owners herself! Bring up to nine of your closest friends on a private tour of the "Russ & Daughters: An Appetizing History" at the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS), guided by the fourth generation owner, Niki Russ Federman, and Executive Director of AJHS, Annie Polland. After the tour, you and your friends get to engage in conversation with Niki and Annie in AJHS's beautiful Emma Lazarus sitting room! Noshes by Russ & Daughters will be provided, and each guest goes home with a copy of the book Russ & Daughters: The House that Herring Built.

This is a unique experience, not available for purchase.

Offered Dates for Exhibit and Conversation in Emma Lazarus Parlor Room: Mutually agreed upon date until August 2020

Offered Dates for Conversation in Emma Lazarus Parlor Room: Mutually agreed upon date until March 18, 2021

Niki Russ Federman Bio: Niki Russ Federman was pretty much born in a herring barrel, with a sharp knife in her hand and a penchant for caviar. Educated at Amherst College, Niki worked in a variety of professions - from the art world to international development - before realizing that her appetite was fulfilled by continuing her family's 106-year-old culinary legacy at Russ & Daughters. Russ & Daughters is a New York culinary and cultural icon, known for the highest quality appetizing foods: smoked fish, caviar, bagels, bialys, babka, and other traditional baked goods. The home of bagels and lox since 1914, Russ & Daughters has been continuously owned and operated by four generations of the Russ family. Today, along with her cousin Josh Russ Tupper, she is the 4th generation to own and run Russ & Daughters, Russ & Daughters Cafe, Russ & Daughters at the Jewish Museum, and Russ & Daughters at the Brooklyn. Niki appears frequently in a variety of media, including The New York Times, NPR, Food Network, The New Yorker, Martha Stewart, Travel Channel, and Vogue.
She is also one of the subjects of The Sturgeon Queens, a PBS documentary about Russ & Daughters. Niki is a board member of the Lower East Side Partnership and Chair of the Friends of the Educational Alliance. She is fluent in several languages, but alas, Yiddish is not one of them. Niki was named one of Crain's New York Business' "40 Under 40" and Eater's "New Guard of Power in NYC Dining."

Annie Polland Bio: Dr. Annie Polland is a public historian, author and Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society. Previously, she served as the Vice President for Programs & Education at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, where she oversaw exhibits and interpretation. She is the co-author, with Daniel Soyer, of Emerging Metropolis: New York Jews in the Age of Immigration, winner of the 2012 National Jewish Book Award. She received her Ph.D. in History from Columbia University, and served as Vice President of Education at the Museum at Eldridge Street, where she wrote Landmark of the Spirit (Yale University).