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With investors like Paul Rudd, a new bagel baker takes a bite of the West Village
(New York Jewish Week) — Like many people stuck at home during the pandemic, Adam Goldberg, who worked at a flood-mitigation systems company in Westport, Connecticut, decided to try his hand at baking. But unlike most amateur bakers, Goldberg turned his pastime into a thriving bagel-delivery service that built a loyal following and drew the attention of celebrity investors like actor Paul Rudd.
And now, PopUpBagels, which touts itself as a “‘not famous but known’ bagel and schmear subscription club,” announced this week that it will open a brick-and-mortar store in Manhattan at the corner of Bleecker and Thompson streets.
The Greenwich Village store, along with a forthcoming shop in Greenwich, Connecticut, will be PopUpBagels’ first foray into permanent storefronts. This transition comes on the heels of raising “more than a couple million” dollars in seed funding in November 2022, attracting celebrity investors like Rudd, actor Patrick Schwarzenegger and swimmer Michael Phelps. But bold-faced names aren’t the only thing that sets PopUpBagels apart: Unlike most bagel bakeries, PopUpBagels only sells bagels by the dozen, at $38 a pop (which includes two tubs of “artisan schmears” — unique flavors like Caramel Apple, Dill Pickle, Red Pepper and Black Sesame Miso).
“Think of us as your private bagel bakery,” Goldberg, 48, told the New York Jewish Week. “When you feel like you want bagels, you’ll be able to go on our website and order a dozen bagels for a specific pickup time and hot, fresh bagels will be waiting for you when you get there.”
PopUpBagels will not be selling individual bagels, sandwiches or any “old and colds,” which is how Goldberg refers to “anything that’s been sitting out for more than 45 minutes.”
For now — until both stores open in mid-March — PopUpBagels operates via pre-orders only. Customers reserve their orders at the beginning of the week through the bakery’s website, selecting a 15-minute time slot on weekend mornings for pickups at a variety of locations in the tri-state area, including Redding, Connecticut and Tenafly, New Jersey. (Overnight mail orders — 18 bagels for $60, plus schmears — are also available anywhere in the United States on Thursday nights.) City dwellers can pick up their advance-ordered bagels on Saturday mornings at Scampi, an Italian restaurant in Flatiron.
Goldberg said he and his team fill some 700 to 800 pre-sale orders each week, which are baked at two Connecticut bakery locations. The emphasis is on freshness and quality, Goldberg said, which is why the bagels are made-to-(pre)order.
Once the storefront opens, bagels will be baked on-site and available “five to six days a week,” he said. Walk-up orders of half-dozen or a dozen bagels will be available, he added.
“Our flavor is just a little bit different than every other bagel out there,” Goldberg said of his creations, which are about two-thirds the size of an average New York bagel. “We have this saying: ‘We’ve got a little chew in the crust without the lead in the belly.’ It’s refreshing.”
For the last two years, PopUpBagels has taken home the “Best Overall Bagel” award at Brooklyn Bagel Fest, judged by a panel of 20 industry experts. (The competition has only been in existence for three years.)
“PopUp creates some intention around your bagel routine; you have to put intention towards getting their simply perfect bagels when they have a drop,” said Jake Cohen, a chef and baker who has been a contest judge at Brooklyn BagelFest the last two years and voted PopUpBagels for Best Overall Bagel. “To me the magic of their bagels is that you’re only able to get them at peak freshness and then alongside their inventive schmears,” he added.
“The response has been amazing,” Goldberg said. “People are so excited. We’re hearing from customers and people who have been following us for a couple of years and saying, ‘I can’t wait.’”
“I love supporting any establishment honoring the sanctity of a perfect bagel,” Cohen said. “I can promise when they open it will be the main reason I schlep to the Village.”
“Watching people eat our bagels for the first time and seeing their smiles and their faces light up is just an amazing feeling for me,” Goldberg added. “I’m so excited to come to New York and have the opportunity for millions of people to get their hands on our bagels and to be able to see that awesome look for the first time from so many people.”
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UN Rapporteur on Sexual Violence Denies Hamas Atrocities: ‘No Investigation Found That Rape Occurred’
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks to members of the Security Council during a meeting to address the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at UN headquarters in New York City, New York, US, April 18, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
i24 News – Reem Alsalem, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, sparked controversy over the weekend by publicly denying claims of sexual violence committed by Hamas during the October 7 massacre in Gaza.
In a statement shared on social media, Alsalem asserted, “No Palestinian cheered for rape in Gaza. No independent investigation has found that rape occurred on October 7.”
Her comments immediately drew strong criticism from Israeli officials. Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, called the statement “a moral disgrace” and accused Alsalem of insulting the victims and their families. “Any UN representative who denies rape by Hamas must be removed from her position. Period. This is a stain on the UN’s reputation,” Danon said.
He further condemned Alsalem for what he described as a violation of “every basic international standard.” Danon emphasized that Israel would not tolerate any attempt to downplay or cover up the atrocities committed by Hamas, saying, “This is an insult to the victims and their families, and a violation of every basic international standard. Israel will not allow the covering up of Hamas’s horrific crimes.”
Danon also directly addressed UN Secretary-General António Guterres, urging him to respond to what he characterized as a dangerous and misleading statement. “António Guterres, your silence is complicity,” he wrote, signaling that Israel expects the UN leadership to publicly reject Alsalem’s remarks.
The dispute underscores ongoing tensions between Israel and UN human rights officials, particularly regarding how allegations of atrocities in conflict zones are investigated and reported.
Critics of Alsalem argue that her denial undermines the credibility of international human rights mechanisms and diminishes the suffering of victims, while supporters may point to the lack of independent, verifiable evidence as a basis for caution in making public accusations.
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Netanyahu Faces Far-Right Backlash After US-Backed Statement on Palestinian State
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the plenum of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem, November 10, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday Israel remained opposed to a Palestinian state after protests by far-right coalition allies over a US-backed statement indicating support for a pathway to Palestinian independence.
Netanyahu spoke two days after Israel‘s key ally the United States and many Muslim-majority nations endorsed a draft U.N. resolution backing President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, saying the process offered a route to Palestinian statehood.
The 15-member U.N. Security Council began negotiations on Nov. 7 on the draft, which would mandate Trump’s proposal for a “Board of Peace” transitional administration in Gaza to address issues including post-war reconstruction and economic recovery.
Trump’s 20-point plan includes a clause saying that if there were reforms within the Palestinian Authority, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.”
That point infuriated Israeli far-right leaders who had opposed the Trump-brokered October ceasefire in Gaza, testing Netanyahu’s awkward governing coalition of conservatives and ultra-nationalists.
On Saturday far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich called on Netanyahu to denounce the idea of a Palestinian state. Ben-Gvir threatened to leave the governing coalition if the prime minister did not act.
‘OPPOSITION TO PALESTINIAN STATE NOT CHANGED’
Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday: “Our opposition to a Palestinian state in any territory has not changed. Gaza will be demilitarized and Hamas will be disarmed, the easy way or the hard way. I do not need affirmations, tweets or lectures from anyone.”
A far-right walkout could bring down Netanyahu’s right-wing government well before the next election, which must be held by October 2026.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also issued statements on X against a Palestinian state on Sunday, without mentioning Netanyahu.
Trump’s Gaza plan ended major fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas after two years of war that devastated the Palestinian enclave and triggered spillover conflicts across the Middle East.
Netanyahu embraced Trump’s plan during a visit to the White House in September but until Sunday had made no new statement on the Palestinian statehood issue.
WESTERN MOVES TO RECOGNIZE PALESTINIAN STATE
Ahead of his White House visit, Netanyahu said he would respond to a number of major Western nations including France that formally recognized a Palestinian state in September, angering Israel, but has not followed up with any diplomatic actions.
Smotrich had on Saturday accused Netanyahu of failing to live up to his promise and called on him to formulate a response immediately: “Two months have passed in which you have chosen silence and political disgrace.”
He urged Netanyahu to “make clear to the entire world (that) a Palestinian state will never arise on the lands of our homeland.”
The ceasefire came into effect on October 10 although there have been repeated, though scattered, outbreaks of violence since then.
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Israeli Minister: Turkey Poses ‘Greatest Threat’ to Israel
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, Oct. 30, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Umit Bektas
i24 News – Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, warned in an interview with the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation that Turkey currently represents “the greatest threat to the State of Israel.”
He specifically criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan for pursuing “a very aggressive foreign policy” in the region.
Chikli pointed to Turkey’s growing military presence in northern Syria, including the construction of bases supporting jihadist forces led by al-Julani, as a direct security concern for Israel. “Israel must realize that evil will come from the north,” he said, emphasizing the strategic risks posed by Ankara’s activities and influence.
The minister urged Israel to strengthen its political and economic ties with regional partners, highlighting Cyprus, Greece, and Italy as key allies.
He called for enhanced cooperation across the Eastern Mediterranean to counter regional threats and bolster Israel’s security and economic interests.
On defense matters, Chikli reaffirmed Israel’s opposition to selling F-35 fighter jets to countries in the region, stating that such deals could only be considered if linked to broader normalization agreements with Israel.
He also spoke on Israel’s firm stance on Palestinian statehood, saying that the creation of a new Palestinian state would not be accepted as part of any potential normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia.