The 6,021-foot bridge connecting Long Island City and Brooklyn was named after the Polish-born army engineer Colonel Thaddeus Kosciuszko. Tribune photo by Ira Cohen

By Angela Montefinise and Azi Paybarah

How Many Are There?
According to the 2000 Census, 90,345 people in Queens associate themselves with Eastern European ancestry, meaning they are from either Poland, The Czech Republic, Slovia, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, the Ukraine, or Yugoslavia. Of the entire group, Polish people are the largest in number with more than 60,000 people in Queens.

Who Are They?
One group of Eastern Europeans found in the borough are second and third generation people, who are relatives of the first wave of Eastern Europeans to arrive in the United States at the turn of the century. That first wave included immigrants primarily from Poland who were fleeing from severe religious persecution.

Another group of Eastern Europeans found in Queens are new immigrants from places like The Czech Republic, Serbia, Yugoslavia, Russia and other nations. These people are fleeing religious and political persecution in their countries and searching for a better life.

When Did They Get Here?
Eastern Europeans first arrived in New York City at the turn of the century to avoid religious persecution in their native lands.

German persecution and the rise of Communism in the 1930s also led to an increase in Eastern European immigration. Because of immigration quotas, however, thousands of Eastern Europeans who tried to enter the United States before World War II were turned down.

Polish National Hall in Maspeth. Tribune photo by Ira Cohen

After the Holocaust, the United States opened its doors to refugees through the Truman Directive of 1945, which said that the United States was to give preferential treatment to “displaced persons,” or Eastern Europeans left homeless by the war.
Approximately 137,000 Jews came to the United States, many to New York. Eastern Europeans began moving to Queens in the 1940s in search of a more suburban lifestyle.

The latest wave of Eastern European immigrants are coming now, and are from countries plagued by warfare like Yugoslavia, Kosovo, and Serbia. These people are searching for better lives in the United States.

Where Do They Live?
The second and third generation Eastern Europeans live in Bayside, Forest Hills, parts of Douglaston, Jamaica Estates, Flushing, Richmond Hill, Glendale, Maspeth, College Point, Whitestone, and Astoria. The Eastern Europeans coming to the United States now are settling in Rego Park, Forest Hills, Sunnyside, Kew Gardens Hills, Middle Village, Flushing, Jackson Heights, Woodside and Long Island City.

Where Do They Worship?
There are reform, conservative and orthodox synagogues all over Queens that serve the second and third generation Eastern European Jews.

Most Polish people are Catholic, however, and one well-known church in the Polish community is the Church of the Holy Cross in Maspeth. There, children of Polish immigrants learn English for the first time and families share the Polish tradition of hard work, and perseverance.

Where Do They Shop?
Kielbasa seekers can head to a number of Polish specialty stores in Queens, including Kabanos Polish Meat Market, at 66-94 Forest Ave., Szarlotka European Market at 65-14 Fresh Pond Rd. and Wawel Meats and Deli at 68-33 Fresh Pond Rd.

Polish stores in Maspeth include: the Syrena Market, at 61-01 56th Rd. and the W-Nassau Meat Market at 57-59 61st St.

On Main Street in Flushing there are dozens of Kosher stores and Eastern European and Jewish specialty shops, and on 108th Street in Rego Park, there are dozens of stores serving people from the former Soviet Union.

Where Do They Eat?
Executive Director Ewa Kornacka of the Polonians Organized to Minister to Our Community, Inc. said her secret spot for the best in Polish cuisine is Kormoran, located at 56-27 61st St. in Maspeth.

Other Polish restaurants in Queens can be found in Forest Hills, Middle Village, Glendale, and Rego Park.
Kosher restaurants line Main Street in Flushing, as well as Union Turnpike near 188th Street.

Zlata Praha in Astoria claims to be the only Czech restaurant in New York City, while the Bohemia Hall and Beer Garden in Astoria also serves Eastern European food.

What Do They Do For A Living?
Many of Poles to come to America found work in factories and blue-collar jobs, while second generation Poles integrated more fully into white collar and professional jobs, according to District Leader Chet Szarejko, a member of the Polish American Congress.

Early Eastern European Jews also began in factories when they first came to the United States, but also moved into white collar jobs such as medicine and law.

The Eastern Europeans moving to Queens now are often small business owners or working in blue collar or service jobs.

What’s In Their Future?
The current wave of Eastern European immigrants moving to Queens is just settling in to the borough, according to the Center For Migration Studies In New York, and is expected to expand because of situations overseas..

In the meantime, Szarejko said that Polish people in Queens are on a mission. “We’re embarked on a campaign…requesting the government to revise the visa laws to give Poles better visa situations than what they have.” Poland has been “very supportive” of the United States foreign policy, said Szarejko, and the U.S. “should support us by giving us the same visa status they give 27 other countries…They deny visas to most polish Americans,” said Szarejko.

Then And Now — Russian Roots In Queens

The Russian community in Queens is very “tight-knit,” according to one expert. Tribune photo by Ira Cohen

By Nicole Burdett

How Many Are There?
he Russian population in Queens alone is 17, 232, about 1.7 percent.
While not the largest immigrant group in the borough, when walking through a Russian area of Queens, you can see their presence especially by looking at the store fronts on 108th Street in Kew Gardens Hills.

Since 1989, the New York Association of New Americans (NYANA) has resettled close to 250,000 refugees from the former Soviet Union, 22 percent are in Queens.

Who Are They?
Many of the Russians who first came to Queens were Russian Jews that were leaving the Soviet Union to escape the Communist regime with Yiddish as their native language.

When Did They Get Here?
Immigrants from the land now known as Russia first started entering Queens in the early 1900s and began settling in Middle Village. The first Queens area that became home to the Russians was Western Queens.

There was an influx of immigrants that arrived in the time during and after World War II.

Those that arrived in the United States before WW II were very different from those that arrived after the war. The ones that came after the war, the Bukharians, were not as religious because the Soviets did not let the Bukharian population pray. Today they might attend services at a synagogue, but may not be able to read the prayers.

Where Do They Live?
The Russian population is concentrated within the Queens neighborhoods of Forest Hills, Rego Park and Kew Gardens Hills.

Where Do They Worship?
Bukharians will attend services at Orthodox synagogues and there are places all over Queens, especially in Woodside, Jamaica, and Ridgewood. There are also Russian Orthodox Churches in Elmhurst and Whitestone. One of the most famous being the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church of Whitestone, 14-55 Clintonville St.
However it is important to note that not all Russians arrived to America with deep religious affiliation. The groups that began arriving in the ’70s had been repressed so much by the Communist government that they lost their Jewish heritage.

Bukharian and Russian shops line 108th Street near 63rd Drive in Rego Park. Tribune photo by Ira Cohen

Where Do They Shop?
If you venture into Rego Park and Forest Hills, you will find a lot of Bukharian and Russian shopping. 108th Street and 63rd Drive are two main areas to find specialty items and the area is filled with small business owners. Most of the Bukharian and Russian population will shop in these areas for breads and specialty foods. One take-out shop is International T.K. Gourmet on 63rd Road.

Where Do They Eat?
According to Blumenthal it is hard to be a vegetarian and be Bukharian, although she says that there are some that are. The cuisine consists mainly of Shishkabobs that contain chicken, beef or lamb on skewers. Pilaf is very popular rice dish that contains vegetables, mainly carrots. There are different pilafs for different occasions and many times it is topped with beef or lamb.

The traditional meal that would be served in a Bukharian home is a salad, shishkabob and then pilaf, all are served separately. Desserts are traditionally fruit like grapes and melons and nut based desserts. There are two main types of bread. One is Non, which is a circular bread topped with black sesame seeds and the other is called Noni Toki, which is a matzoh-like bread. Bukharian food is influenced by the Middle East and what separates them are the herbs that are used.

Some popular restaurants are The Uzbekistan Cultural Center, 120-35 83rd Ave. in Kew Gardens; Salut, 63-42 63rd Dr. in Forest Hills; Ariel, 92-60 Queens Blvd. in Rego Park; and the Beautiful Bukhara Bakery on 108th Street in Forest Hills.

What Do They Do For A Living?
According to Blumenthal many in the Soviet Union were told to receive an education and many arrived as professionals, some actually kept their practice while others moved into allied health services.

Many were involved in textiles, shoemaking and weaving and when they arrived here many became small business owners or worked within a small business. Many have gone into the limousine, take-out and car service business. Some also took on a role within the community such as working for Russian publications.

There are two weekly newspapers and seven or eight monthly magazines, said Blumenthal. These publications are in Russian, with some pages in Bukharian and English, to keep the youth involved.
There are also theatre, music and dance groups in this community. Maqam is an example of one group that was involved in a project with Yo-Yo Ma and performed at Carnegie Hall.

What’s In Their Future?
“There is a growth in population, with many having more than two children,” said Blumenthal. “They are encouraging their children to go to school and get a university education,” she added. The Bukharian community is very “tight-knit” and they continuously try to keep it that way.

There are many children going into higher education and the practical professions of business, medical and law. Many children will find it hard to continue with the “old ways” and can struggle with their families to keep the structure the same. “There are efforts to try and maintain a connection but there will definitely be an American accent,” said Blumenthal.