Unexpected Family Connections
I’ve been volunteering at Masbia, a restaurant-style soup kitchen in Flatbush, for eight months. Last month, my parents, aunt, and uncle, who were all born and raised in Brooklyn, came to visit me and volunteer at Masbia with me. My father, Phil, and his sister, Pearl (a fellow Brooklynite) were particularly excited to come Masbia because it is located close to one of their childhood homes.
When my father walked in he said the entire store seemed oddly familiar to him. The layout of the kitchen and the placement of the cash register brought back memories. The Executive Director, Mr. Alex Rapaport, and Head Chef, Mr. Ruben Diaz, were both there that day and my dad was telling them about how he grew up and worked at a restaurant in the area. My dad asked Mr. Rapaport if he knew where Weiss’ Deli was because he had served as a busboy and short order cook there when he was younger. We found out that Masbia is exactly where Weiss’ Deli once was!
What are the odds I would be volunteering every week in a restaurant where my father once worked?
Everyone there was shocked by the situation.
Andrew poses with his parents
While everyone else was chatting Aunt Pearl and myself were talking off to the side. She took me outside and pointed at a beautiful, old synagogue that is across the street one block down from Masbia. She told me when my grandparents, her, and my father lived in Flatbush, they had belonged to it for 25 years. It is where my father had his bar mitzvah, my aunt and uncle met, and the same shul my grandfather would go to for every Shabbat and holiday. How amazing is that?
I have been trying to wrap my head around how absolutely incredible this situation is. What are the odds I would be volunteering at the same physical restaurant location where my dad once worked, and that it would also be a block away from my family’s old shul?
It makes me proud to be able to serve in a community that has such historical significance to my family. Even though I have only lived in Brooklyn for 9 months, it feels like I have been here my whole life because of my family history and the connections I have made through serving in the community. I am proud that I come from a family that hails from Brooklyn from over 50 years ago and hope to continue that tradition with my future family.
Andrew Davidov is a food justice fellow at Repair The World NYC. To contact him, email [email protected]