The Jewish Conservancy’s Laurie Tobias Cohen guiding a tour

he neighborhood recently lost Ruby the green grocer, a permanent feature on Grand near Clinton, where the prices of produce seemed stuck in time, somewhere around 1965. Now this emotional, if not outright historic, landmark, will be taken over by the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy, which plans to open its new Visitors Center there.

A month ago, United Jewish Council Executive Director Joel Kaplan announced the creation of the new facility, slated to open this summer. It should be a great boost to the Conservancy, providing it with a high-traffic location to disseminate information about their touring services, and about the local, vibrant Jewish community. It will also be the "jumping off point" for the center’s educational curriculum.

Since its inception in 1998, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has been supporting the Conservancy’s efforts to expanded the number and variety of their tours. Now State Senator Daniel Squadron lent his help in creating the visitors center, along with a $50 thousand donation from Michael Pertain, a retired city guidance counselor. The new facility will be named the Kling/Niman Visitors Center, in honor of Pertain’s family.

LESJC Executive Director Laurie Tobias Cohen said she was excited about the new center, especially since her organization has just launched an expanded program of "Insider Tours" of the Lower East Side, 90 minute mini-tours of sacred and noteworthy Jewish sites in the neighborhood, most Thursdays and Sundays, through December.

Jewish Conservancy’s Kling/Neiman Visitors Center, 400 Grand Street, 212.374.4100, www.nycjewishtours.org