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Zabar’s devoted fans mourn Saul Zabar, who transformed his family’s Jewish grocery into an NYC institution
(JTA) — Perhaps the only local issue to unite Jews and non-Jews, Zionists and anti-Zionists and progressives and conservatives in New York City is a love for the Upper West Side emporium Zabar’s.
Their remarkable unity was on display this week after Saul Zabar, who led his family’s famed grocery store for over seven decades and helped make it a cornerstone of Jewish culture in New York City, died at 97.
“A true New York legend. He gave the city lox, love, and a place to argue over babka,” wrote New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a post on X. “Zabar’s isn’t just a store, it’s a slice of NYC soul. May his memory be a blessing.”
“I grew up going to Zabar’s. So many of my childhood memories center around the best lox in NYC (which is saying something),” tweeted Zohran Mamdani, the progressive who is vying to succeed Adams and who was raised on the Upper West Side. “With Saul Zabar’s passing today, the Upper West Side has lost a legend who turned his parent’s humble store into a culinary institution.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler, who famously toted a Zabar’s bag containing “a babka and the constitution” to an impeachment hearing he was leading in Congress, tweeted, “The UWS and New York City lost one of the greats today. Saul Zabar built an institution that has supplied New Yorkers, including myself, with lox, babka, and whitefish for decades. My condolences to the Zabar family and may his memory be a blessing.”
Born in 1928 to Jewish immigrant parents Louis and Lillian Zabar, who established Zabar’s in 1934 as the smoked fish department of a supermarket, Saul Zabar initially set out to become a doctor.
But those plans were cut short in 1950 when his father died at 49, and Zabar and his brother, Stanley, stepped in to run the store alongside Murray Klein, who joined the store in 1953.
As the grocery’s president and principal owner, Zabar took a hands-on approach to the store’s counters, where the Manhattan storefront serves some 2,000 pounds of smoked fish and 8,000 pounds of coffee each week to roughly 40,000 customers, according to The New York Times.
“Money is not why we do this, not why we’re here seven days a week. It’s a way of life for us. It’s kind of old-fashioned,” Zabar told Edible Manhattan in 2012
Today, the iconic Jewish market features a wide array of classic Ashkenazi foods, from bagels and babka to fish salads, pickles, deli meats, and the family’s signature rugelach. Every year, Zabar’s sells 400,000 pounds of its signature coffee blend.
“Saul’s passing marks the end of an era, but his legacy lives on in every bagel, every slice of smoked fish, every cup of coffee, and every conversation that fills our store each day,” wrote Zabar’s in the post on Instagram announcing his death.
Unlike many of its early contemporaries that closed as classic Jewish fare fell out of favor, Zabar’s has adapted to win new fans. The store made appearance in Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks’ film “You’ve Got Mail” as well as on “Seinfeld.” This year, for example, the 91-year-old store collaborated with Adidas in a shoe launch to celebrate the U.S. Open and with Nordstrom to pay homage to its loyal Jewish customers.
Zabar died in a hospital after being admitted for a brain bleed, his daughter Ann told the New York Times.
He is survived by his wife, Carole Ann Kishner, who he married in 1968, and his children Ann, Aaron and Rachel Zabar, along with four grandchildren.
The post Zabar’s devoted fans mourn Saul Zabar, who transformed his family’s Jewish grocery into an NYC institution appeared first on The Forward.
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NYC Mayor Mamdani Unveils Major Tax Hike on Unoccupied Luxury Real Estate
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani holds a press conference at the New York City Office of Emergency Management, as a major winter storm spreads across a large swath of the United States, in Brooklyn, New York City, US, Jan. 25, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Bing Guan
i24 News – NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has officially introduced a controversial new tax targeting secondary residences valued at over $5 million.
The measure, designed to tap into the city’s vast concentration of unoccupied luxury wealth, is projected to generate roughly $500 million annually for the municipal budget.
“This tax is specifically aimed at the ultra-rich,” Mamdani stated, highlighting high-profile examples such as Ken Griffin’s $238 million Midtown penthouse and Alexander Varshavsky’s $20.5 million Columbus Circle residence.
While the city has yet to finalize specific evaluation criteria or the methods for distinguishing primary from secondary homes, the proposal has already become a flashpoint for economic debate.
The move has drawn sharp condemnation from billionaire investor Bill Ackman, who argued that the policy is fundamentally flawed.
Ackman contended that owners of luxury secondary residences contribute significant capital to the local economy without utilizing costly municipal services. He warned that the tax would likely trigger a corporate and high-net-worth exodus to low-tax jurisdictions like Miami, ultimately harming the city’s tax base.
President Donald Trump also entered the fray, denouncing the policy as “totally misguided” and claiming it is “destroying New York.” Trump, whose own extensive real estate holdings in the city could be impacted, argued that such taxation serves only to drive away the international investors who fuel New York’s development.
Implementation remains a significant question mark, as the tax could potentially affect nearly 13,000 property owners, including major figures like Jeff Bezos. Financial analysts point out that many of the city’s most expensive apartments are held through complex offshore structures and shell companies, making the identification and appraisal of these properties an immense administrative challenge for the city.
As the debate intensifies, the Mamdani administration faces a difficult path ahead in balancing its “tax the rich” mandate with the practical realities of New York’s competitive global real estate market.
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Iran Rebuffs Trump Announcement of New Peace Talks, State News Agency Reports
Iran rejected new peace talks with the United States, its state news agency reported on Sunday, hours after US President Donald Trump said he was sending envoys for talks in Pakistan and would launch new strikes on Iran unless it accepts his terms.
Trump posted on Truth Social that his envoys would arrive in Pakistan on Monday evening for negotiations, a timetable that would leave only a day for talks to make progress before a two-week ceasefire ends.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” he wrote. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”
Iran’s official IRNA news agency cited no specific source in its report that Iran had rejected the talks.
“Iran stated that its absence from the second round of talks stems from what it called Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire,” IRNA wrote.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Iran’s rejection of the talks.
Earlier, a White House official said the US delegation would be headed by Vice President JD Vance, who led the war’s first peace talks a week ago, and also include Trump’s envoy Steven Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trump had initially told ABC News and MS Now that Vance would not go.
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Israel Confronted White House After Trump’s Harsh Posts Against Israel About Lebanon Strikes
US Vice President JD Vance is welcomed by Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee upon his arrival at Ben Gurion airport in Lod, Israel, Oct. 21, 2025. Photo: Nathan Howard/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Behind the scenes of a fragile regional peace, a series of blunt social media posts and urgent diplomatic calls have revealed deep tensions between the Trump administration and the Israeli government regarding the scope of the ceasefire in Lebanon.
The friction began hours after the cessation of hostilities was announced, when President Trump issued an unusually sharp directive on social media, catching Jerusalem by surprise. “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!”
The post sparked uproar within the Prime Minister’s Office. According to sources directly to i24NEWS, the concern was twofold: the rhetoric appeared to undermine signed agreements regarding Israel’s “freedom of action” against Hezbollah, and the blunt, authoritative language was viewed as exceptionally harsh for a close ally.
Following a round of emergency consultations, the Prime Minister’s Office dispatched Israel’s Ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, to contact the White House. Leiter reportedly conveyed Israel’s deep dissatisfaction with the implied restrictions on its security operations and the public tone of the directive.
In the wake of the Israeli protest, US officials moved quickly to de-escalate. A spokesperson issued a clarification to reporters, framing the President’s stance within the technicalities of the agreement:
“The President’s ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel clearly states that Israel will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets but preserves its right to self-defense against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”
By overnight, President Trump appeared to shift his tone significantly, praising Israel’s military prowess amidst the ongoing broader conflict with Iran. “Whether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a GREAT Ally,” Trump wrote, describing the nation as “Courageous, Bold, Loyal, and Smart.”
Despite the digital firestorm, the tactical reality remains nuanced. Over the weekend, the IDF acted several times to neutralize Hezbollah threats before they could be executed against Israeli forces.
However, in a notable sign of restraint aimed at preserving the truce, Israel elected not to respond to the recent deaths of two of its troops in separate incidents. Israeli officials maintained that the explosive devices responsible for the casualties had been planted prior to the ceasefire taking effect, choosing to categorize the events as legacy threats rather than fresh violations.