Rashi (l.) and Yossel at the Chabad of
Harlem, a synagogue and community center
at 437 Manhattan Ave.
The rich aroma of his wife's matzo ball soup drifts through the hall, a tempting, olfactory invitation to pray.
The Gansbourgs know their food has to be good if they want to attract a crowd. Not all their congregants strictly keep the Sabbath or kosher, and on Fridays, just a few blocks away, is Amy Ruth's soul food restaurant with chicken and waffles.
Gansbourg, a stout man with a silver-streaked beard and a thick Yiddish accent, is the spiritual leader of Chabad of Harlem, a one-room synagogue and community center on the ground floor of 437 Manhattan Ave. at 118th St. that he and his wife, Goldie, opened last year.
Led by Chabad, diverse group of Jews make up new presence in Harlem
Rashi (l.) and Yossel at the Chabad of
Harlem, a synagogue and community center
at 437 Manhattan Ave.
On Friday evening before Sabbath services and dinner, Rabbi Shaya Gansbourg dons his best black fedora and long silk coat and sets out chairs and prayer books.
The rich aroma of his wife’s matzo ball soup drifts through the hall, a tempting, olfactory invitation to pray.
The Gansbourgs know their food has to be good if they want to attract a crowd. Not all their congregants strictly keep the Sabbath or kosher, and on Fridays, just a few blocks away, is Amy Ruth’s soul food restaurant with chicken and waffles.
Gansbourg, a stout man with a silver-streaked beard and a thick Yiddish accent, is the spiritual leader of Chabad of Harlem, a one-room synagogue and community center on the ground floor of 437 Manhattan Ave. at 118th St. that he and his wife, Goldie, opened last year.
3
