Jim Kaplan writes (March 25, 2011):

1. HELL’S KITCHEN—The audio of my March 12 tour, Hell’s Kitchen: A Political History of the New York Irish, can now be heard in its entirety on the Culturenow.org website. I and several others who took the tour (approximately 60 people) consider it to be one of my finest. For those few of you who may not wish to listen to the full three and a half hour audio you can Google “Tammany’s Last Stand” to access my 10,000 word companion article, which covers most but not all of the tour. [Note: The article is here.]

2.ISRAEL AND AMERICAN JEWS—On May 15, in honor of Israeli Independence Day, I will be giving a new tour on the history of the Jews in New York and America and how they were instrumental in the creation of the State of Israel. This tour will cover some of the same material as my prior Arrival Day tours, but will describe much more extensively the importance of the immigration of Jews from Russia, the political alliance of the Jews and Irish politicians on the Lower East Side and the Black/Jewish alliance in Harlem. It will also discuss the direct link between American Jews and the creation of the State of Israel, and my theory that the modern State of Israel would not exist today were it not for a failed haberdashery store in Kansas City, Missouri. The tour is sponsored by the Temple of Universal Judaism/Congregation D’At Elohim, of which I have been a member for more than 32 years. To sign up, visit the Temple’s website or call 212 427-1918.

3. JULY 4 ALL NIGHT TOUR (2 A.M. to 6 A.M.)—For the 15th consecutive year, I will again be giving my highly acclaimed all night walking tour of Lower Manhattan sponsored by the Fraunces Tavern Museum (the audio of which for last year can also be heard on the Culture Now website). On the tour as in prior years I will extensively discuss Thomas Paine (and visit Thomas Paine Park), give the July 4th history of the City of New York in City Hall Park (including my daughter Olivia’s classic oration on Nathan Hale), and will provide my now famous discourse on General Horatio Gates and the critically important Battle of Saratoga in front of his unmarked grave in Trinity Church graveyard. This year my pre-tour lecture at the Fraunces Tavern Museum will be at 6:30 on June 16, and I will be speaking on July 4th on its importance in the City’s history and will provide a part of the July 4th history of the City of New York.

4. BROOKLYN NAVY YARD—I have in development a possible revival of the Brooklyn Navy Yard tour which I used to give for the 92nd Street Y 15 years ago. This tour, which would be given in late August (around V-J day) under the auspices of Culture Now, would present my unique view of how the Brooklyn Navy Yard and people closely connected to it were instrumental in forging the nation’s relations with Japan, both in opening Japan to the West and later in defeating Japan in the Second World War, in the rise of the two most important Presidents of the 20th century, and in works of major writers in the 19th and 20th centuries. My ability to do this tour is dependent on obtaining permission from the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Any thoughts, comments or suggestions would be appreciated.