Brooklyn, NY – Two Pakistani Muslims in Brooklyn are now running the oldest bialy store in the city, and keeping it kosher.
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Zafaryab Ali and his business partner, Peerada Shah, were shocked on hearing through a friend that Coney Island Bialys and Bagels was closing. Ali had worked at the store for 10 years in the 1990s and remembers it always being crowded, with lines out the door and people waiting up to half an hour for fresh bialys. So Ali and Shah bought the store to keep the 91-year business alive.
Bialys are a lighter, softer cousin to the bagel, traditionally made with onion sprinkled on top.
“I know bagels and my partner knows management,” Ali said. “If we work hard and pay attention, we’ll build up and bring more customers in.”
Ali and Shah are keeping everything the same — ingredients, equipment, recipes — all used when it was a kosher store under Jewish management. Ali is now on the hunt for a rabbi to come and give the store an official kosher certification.
They even have some of the same staff, like Ernie Devivo, a semi-retired baker who is still helping out around the shop.
“I’m glad we opened up again,” Devivo said. “It’s good for everybody.”
Asked about seeing the store open again, after a short closure, one customer said, “It’s good. It’s beautiful.”
According to the bakery’s website, Coney Island Bialys Bakers Co. was started in 1920 by Morris Rosenzweig, who brought the bialy recipe with him from Poland. The family continued to make hand-rolled, traditional bialys for 91 years. The business passed to Rosenzweig’s son Don and then to his son, Steve Ross, who began wholesaling the bialys as well, shipping them across the country. Then in August, Steve Ross decided to close.
“My son was going to take over, but with the area changing and business slowing down and the economy doing a double take on the recession, it wasn’t worth keeping at that point,” Ross said.
Ali and Shah reopened shop In mid-September, and say that business has been going well.
Ross is glad to see his family’s store living on.
“I’ve got no problem whether they’re black, white, purple, green, yellow. They came in, wanted to keep the business open and wanted to keep the industry going. … I’m glad it’s still there. I’m happy.”
And Coney Island Bialys and Bagels is still a family business, with Ali, his brother and his nephew all working to keep its traditions alive.
“We’re sticking with kosher,” Ali said.
I have lived in this neighborhood for over thirty years and I don’t ever remember this bagel store being certified as kosher.
Is that a “Jewish” bagel shop or “Kosher” bagel shop. It is good to see that the arab cab drivers will keep all the kosher utensils. The new Rav Hamachshir was named Abdul Mohammed Chamellejihad with the OV symbol (standing for Oy Vey).
The name of the store will be Hallal – ah -Bagel.
Whats the address ?
Good for Ali and Shah! I wish them every success and hope they make it the best bialy shop in New York.
they can probably get orthodox supervision like dunkin donuts, or damascus pita which is owned by Arabs.
Store was never kosher and never will be! The average Joe Shmo thinks if it has to do with bagels or bialys it’s gotta be kosher. No one should be buying there. We must patronize our brethren and there are plenty of Jewish owned stores in the neighborhood. Am Yisroel Chai!!!!
Just another lesson of never judging a book by its cover…I have many very loyal friends who are Muslim and some of them in my opinion come from Jewish roots…So yes we must keep an open eye but at the same time realize that not all Muslim are terrorist and some even look up to us…
#13 I agree. We have an achrayis. We must all make sure we shop in frum yiddishe stores so we should pay triple the price as to make sure that the owner’s eniklich in Lakewood can have their Lawrence style house, 2012 Odyssey, while keeping their section 8, food stamps.
I know another Arab bakery owner – under OU supervision so he can also sell on the internet. The labels are printed so he can easily tear off the OU corner. He told me he has to tear that off when he ships to “the crazies” (his term). Nicest guy to deal with. He claims he only goes to Jewish doctors, lawyers and accountants.