A new kosher food pantry and soup kitchen will open in Manhattan around Hanukkah

Earlier this week, during its 11th annual “packathon,” Congregation Shearith Israel on the Upper West Side—the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States—announced that it is opening a kosher food pantry on site, in partnership with Masbia, the nonprofit kosher food assistance network that currently operates two locations in Brooklyn and one in Queens. This will mark Masbia’s first-ever Manhattan location.

The initiative, which coincides with the lead-up to the U.S. 250th anniversary, will be formally known as Masbia Relief Annex and is expected to open before Hanukkah. The new center will also allow Masbia to expand its free DoorDash delivery service to Manhattan for the first time, extending support beyond its existing boroughs.

“It’s been a part of our culture for 3,000 years, but certainly a part of our culture in America for 372 years, to give back, to try to do what we can,” Louis Solomon, the president of Shearith Israel, said to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “So the congregation has gotten itself together and thought about, what is it that we could actually do?”

According to the outlet, the synagogue reached out to Alexander Rapaport, the executive director of Masbia, over the summer, introducing the idea of a new location on site. Rapaport was excited to jump on board.

“We’re here to help people,” Rapaport said to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “It’s a new borough, it’s not a borough that we were in. We’re going to reach out to the community and see where the need is, and slowly take on hopefully. The first week we’ll only serve a few dozen people, but then if it grows to hundreds, we’ll be very happy.”

Operational details have not yet been released, but if the Annex mirrors Masbia’s other sites, it will offer both on-site distribution and home deliveries to families across Manhattan. A meaningful and timely development—and a heartening announcement to learn about during Thanksgiving weekend.