Those who sat shiva for Absolute Bagels when it closed last December can put away their Yahrzeit candles. A year after the shop closed due to numerous health code violations, New Absolute Bagels has opened in its place.

Last year, the New York City Health Department ordered Absolute Bagels to shut its doors, citing conditions it deemed “an imminent public health hazard.” The beloved Upper West Side shop had racked up 67 violations, including evidence of rats and live roaches.

But that shop’s inspection history did little to dampen turnout at New Absolute Bagel’s opening this week. By opening time at 8 a.m. on Tuesday — day two in business — roughly 70 people had formed a line that snaked around the block on Broadway and 107th Street. Several people waiting on line told me they’d had an inkling the former shop might not have been up to code, but the bagels were just that good.

“This is the best news,” Mizia Wessel, a 25-year-old Columbia Law student, said of the reopening. “Honestly, I didn’t really care about the health violations. I would’ve kept coming!”

A few things have changed at the reopened shop: the name, updated decor, and an end to the cash-only policy. There’s a new owner, Kyung Mi Kim, a fact that required a surprising amount of research to uncover.

But customers informed me that much else remains the same. The shop is in the same location, still has no website, and still hands over bagels in brown paper bags. Much of the staff has returned. And, most importantly, by all accounts, the recipe appears unchanged.

“The egg bagel is pretty much like the original,” Shawn Rubel, who has been coming to Absolute since it opened in the early 90s, told me between bites. “They’re back!”

In honor of the reopening, bagels and coffee are free through Wednesday — but don’t push your luck.

“Two bagels a person. Don’t ask for more!” a worker admonished the crowd outside.

Still, nostalgia for the old Absolute Bagels runs deep. Suzie Newman told me her son went dumpster diving after the closure and rescued the shop’s cash register, which still sits in her apartment.

She’s not the only customer who claimed a souvenir. After the shutdown, a listing for three Absolute bagels appeared on eBay, with bidding starting at $49.99.

For Gil Schpero, a dozen Absolute Bagels was once his go-to gift for out-of-town visitors. He’d arrive at the shop at 6 a.m., eager to beat the crowds.

“I tried a bunch of different bagel shops,” he said, “and no one could really hold a light against Absolute.”

After hearing all this praise, I was eager to try a bagel myself. I reached the front of the line, where a woman in a Seinfeld baseball cap took my order. I went for an egg bagel with scallion cream cheese.

Here’s where I must confess: I’m new to New York City, which means I never got to taste the original Absolute Bagels. I took a bite, savoring the malty flavor, and wondering if I should recite the Shehecheyanu.

I’ll never know how it compares to the legendary original, but I do know this: That’s a damn good bagel.

The post Absolute Bagels is back — and Jewish New Yorkers are lining up in droves appeared first on The Forward.

A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, Jan. 20, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The US Treasury said on Tuesday it has added 10 individuals and entities based in Iran and Venezuela to its sanctions list, citing their aggressive weapons program.

The US Treasury has designated Venezuela-based Empresa Aeronautica Nacional SA and its chair, Jose Jesus Urdaneta Gonzalez, who it said have contributed to Iran‘s trade of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drones, with Venezuela.

“Urdaneta, on behalf of EANSA, has coordinated with members and representatives of the Venezuelan and Iranian armed forces on the production of UAVs in Venezuela,” Treasury said in a statement.

“We will continue to take swift action to deprive those who enable Iran’s military-industrial complex access to the US financial system,” said John Hurley, the department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

The US has ramped up pressure on Venezuela in recent months, executing a large-scale military buildup in the southern Caribbean. It has also sanctioned family members and associates of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

Airbus logo is seen in this illustration taken, March 10, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Spain has granted Airbus exceptional permission to produce aircraft and drones using Israeli technology at its Spanish plants even though it banned military and dual-use products from Israel two months ago over its war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Approved last Tuesday by the cabinet and defended by several ministers this week, the exemption reflects the pressure from companies and domestic interests that some of Europe’s toughest critics of Israel’s recent war have faced as they attempt to impose trade sanctions.

It also risks increasing tensions within the ruling coalition between the Socialists and their hard-left partner Sumar when the government is already weakened by internal disputes and scandals over corruption and accusations of sexual harassment.

Neither Airbus nor the defense ministry was immediately available for comment.

SPANISH MEASURES ON ISRAEL WERE PASSED IN SEPTEMBER

Spain in September passed a law to take “urgent measures to stop the genocide in Gaza,” banning trade in defense material and dual-use products from Israel, as well as imports and advertising of products originating from Israeli settlements.

Its consumer ministry on Tuesday ordered seven tourist accommodation websites to remove 138 advertisements for holiday homes in Palestinian territories or face the threat of sanctions in Spain.

Spain has already blocked 200 attempts to buy material linked to Israel, its digital transformation minister Oscar Lopez told national broadcaster TVE on Tuesday.

Airbus, which employs about 14,000 people in Spain and accounts for 60% of its air and defense exports, was granted the first exception in a cabinet meeting last week, written minutes showed, citing the “great industrial and export potential” of its aircraft “considered essential … for preserving thousands of highly skilled jobs in Spain.”

The European aerospace company produces its A400M and C295 transport planes, an A330 MRTT refueling aircraft and SIRTAP surveillance drones at its sites in Madrid and Seville, all using Israeli technology.

The company is working with Spain‘s Ministry of Defense on a “plan to disconnect from Israeli technology,” according to the minutes published last Tuesday, which did not provide further details.