I was driving home in Manhattan, and saw a guy in a raincoat and hat walking across the street with a younger woman. At first I thought it was a man with his aide, but no - it was Woody Allen and Soon Yi. Glad I didn't run them over. Only in New York.
My sister and I found ourselves being “bageled” (when one Jewish person subtly lets another Jewish person know that they too are Jewish) in a ride-share by the young woman who was already in the car. We decided to embrace the “bagel” and began playing Jewish geography. My sister asked where the woman was from, and they realized they knew a number of people in common from the young woman’s native Minnesota. The car driver was shocked, and could not believe that two strangers in his car found people in common so easily. I next asked what this woman did for a living, and we realized that we were both Jewish communal professionals. We realized that we were currently working on projects together, and had been in regular email contact, but had never put a face to a name. The driver was absolutely astounded. “How is it possible that there are two co-workers who have never met in my car??” he exclaimed. By the end of the ride, we were making plans for Shabbat dinner. Only in New York.
Standing in the waters of a beach in Belize, I hear a woman speaking a foreign language while approaching me. I was wearing my Chai, which can be seen on a cloudy day form half a mile away. I thought she was speaking Farsi. She came nearer as she spoke louder and louder. I thought I was in for it and going to get a tough time from her. As she faced me she started to talk English and asked why didn't I answer her? It turned out she was speaking modern Hebrew which I never learned nor spoke. She was an Israeli Brit which made her spoken Hebrew, to my Ashkenazi ear, even harder to understand. She asked me why I wasn't afraid to wear my Chai. My simple response: I'm a New Yorker.
As an Englishman in New York I am constantly in awe of how Jewish a city it is. I remember my first December here being amazed at how extensive the Chanukah displays were in all of the shops; I couldn’t have imagined the amount of stuff I could buy to supplement my celebration of the festival. And then there’s the food, with delis and bagel shops, New York knows exactly what my Jewish palette wants to eat and serves it up in copious quantities.
I was hanging out with one of my old roommates recently, reminiscing on old times. I was feeling very nostalgic, and starting going through old photos, looking at all the different apartments and people I’d lived with. In 10 years, I’ve lived in numerous neighborhoods and apartments, with a countless number of roommates – many of whom remain my closest friends today. Never once was it difficult for me to find an apartment with Kosher/Shabbat observant people in a great location. Between Facebook, websites, synagogue postings, and word of mouth, there are so many dedicated spaces for Jewish people to find whatever they’re looking for here in NY. Here’s a photo of Sammi the Snowwoman that I made with my roommates in apartment number ... 3? 5? Who knows! Great memories :)
Those 15 minutes of fame? Mine didn’t happen on camera. They happened on 4th Ave in Brooklyn during the TCS New York City Marathon on Nov 5. From Sunset Park to Fort Green, I was carried by the deafening chants of dear friends, acquaintances and perfect strangers, shouting my name like I was the mayor —my ‘mom friends,’ my friends' moms, my kids' teachers, their friend’s parents, our neighbors, the butcher, my favorite barista, UJA colleagues cheering their hearts out, and every acquaintance in between. Four miles of euphoria converging in a 'this is your life' meets Sesame Street moment. Marathon Sunday. The one day a year when the Big Apple feels like a small village. Definitely worth the schvitz.
My name is Everyday Ray, and I've got a story to tell you about kosher food ...
I am a lifetime New Yorker, born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. What I love about being Jewish in New York City is the fact that Jews have always lived in very diverse neighborhoods...
This weekend, I celebrated my parent's anniversary at Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse. From the schmaltz to the Yiddish tunes to the festive atmosphere, the whole meal was like a bar mitzvah! Only in New York....
New York has a strong future for Jews because New York, in its best aspects, is attractive to the vitality that characterizes Jews; to the ambition, to the striving, to the intelligence. All the good things that I see in our people are exemplified in a city rather than a bucolic life; and so, I think that there will be Jews in New York for some time to come. It will be a magnet for bright people, Jews as well as others. They all don’t have to be engineers, doctors, lawyers, and nuclear physicists; but for that reason, New York will be attractive to them, and there will be a strong Jewish community, and we’ve got to support that Jewish community. *Comments taken from Oral History, recorded on November 3, 1981
I think the magic, for me, of this city is that you never fully meet a Jewish stranger here. It's always somebody that you knew - you just didn't know you knew!
My New York story is Jewish and gay and one of parenting on the Upper West Side. It's meeting my partner in a Hebrew course in college, and as dorm captains for UJA (that was actually a thing). It's a commitment ceremony in Central Park at the boat house, and eloping with our kids - now 23 and 18 - on an Amtrak train to Toronto. And just this year, adding a US marriage ceremony downtown at City Hall. After 32 years together, with an anniversary that's only on the Hebrew calendar, our younger daughter just graduated from Jewish day school, and here we are, about to write a new chapter ...
Many summers ago, I was a counselor at the 92Y Passport NYC Sleepaway Camp. Because it was a sleepaway camp, we didn't have a lot of free time. But there were a few nights when the counselors were able to get together and hang out around the Upper East Side. So one night, some of my fellow counselors convinced us all to go to a gay bar. And it was my first gay bar experience. And I must say: it was very fun, very entertaining, and very enjoyable to watch a lot of good looking men dancing on tables!
I'm from France but I'm currently living on Roosevelt Island. I don't really have any family here and my cousins live on Long Island, but I'm involved with the Chabad on Roosevelt Island. The Rabbi and his wife are the sweetest people and being involved makes me feel like I'm with family. Just last month, we had a huge Shabbat dinner and celebrated Lag b'omer in the grassy areas on the Island.