I once wrote a love letter to Russ & Daughters.
True to form, it was a little too long and a little too descriptive and perhaps a little too aggressive given that they didn’t respond, but I feel a lot of things about what it means to be a Jewish New Yorker. If you’re curious, I’ve included the entire unabridged, unedited text of the email after a jump at the bottom of the post. (This is the clip referenced- even if you don’t read the letter, the clip is SUPER worth checking out. It will likely change your life.)
The book is fairly straightforward in that it’s a history of Russ & Daughters, but by extension, it’s also a history of Jewish immigrants in New York at the turn of the century. By that extension, it strikes a personal note for me- it’s my family story too, somehow. I remember filling out my Birthright application and somewhat jokingly stating that the unique Jewish family history they asked for wasn’t, in fact, that unique, but was fairly typical of many Jewish families I know. While pretty typically tongue-in-cheek, I’ve come to appreciate the fact that so many people share some part of the same recent history. I take a lot of pride in being from New York, and admittedly more recently, in being Jewish and I’ll be the first to admit that most of that connection comes from food. (Pizza, bagels, Chinese food, bakery cookies, deli…) It’s why I’ve been traversing the entire city looking for Ba-Tampte pickled tomatoes- sometimes little reminders of home and history come in a jar.
It’s appropriate that at the end of the book, Mark Russ Federman notes that one of the most compelling parts of working in appetizing is getting to see people at all stages of the Jewish experience, from bris to bat mitzvah to shiva and everything in between. It’s true for me as well- some of the hardest days of my life featured at least four kinds of fish, but I have many a wonderful memory of piles of bagels, mountains of cream cheese and trays of the all-important lox (always belly, never Nova). It’s really lovely that so much of a culture can be tied up in sustenance. Just as we as humans quite literally need food to survive, cultures perpetuate edible traditions, providing ties from past to present to future generations. There’s really nothing else exactly like taking a bite of something and being transported to a memory, general or specific.
I’ll be returning to Israel in October as part of a Birthright alumni trip and while I didn’t plan to read the book this week for this reason, I had my first pre-trip development session over the weekend. I noticed through one of my religion classes in college that some of the beauty of Judaism is the fact that it can mean such different things to different people, which was further emphasized for me on my last trip to Israel. It was a pretty beautiful realization- I knew that the questioning and confusion I’d been feeling for years was simply a part of Judaism, that I could figure out my Jewish identity on my own, and that it would not only be okay but also be embraced. We didn’t get deep into the roots of Judaism on Sunday at camp, but I’m really excited to continue to explore these ideas further in the coming months- this is the beginning of a lot of other conversations and I’m super lucky to have a forum for it.
This is probably one of the longer posts I’ll write, even without the massive email addition at the bottom. It’s a testament to the power of both food and books- it’s incredible to feel so many connections through words on a page or fish behind a counter. And if you’re a more visual connector, try passing up the food in the pictures at the end- you won’t be able to resist.
And for those who can’t resist…they deliver.
You’ll like this if: well, for one, if you’ve ever enjoyed Jewish appetizing, but I really think this is at its core more about the cultural impact of food and pursuit of an American dream than just a connection to Judaism. Doesn’t matter if you’ve eaten or not- your mouth will water throughout the book.
Happy reading!
Buy Russ & Daughters
A Love Letter to Russ & Daughters
Hope all is well up in New York. While looking at your website, I found the option to share my story and wanted to do so- one of I’m sure thousands of accounts you’ve heard over the years. As a native Long Islander living in Washington, DC, I often look to find edible connections to my Jewish culture, only to come up short in this utter desert of familiar Jewish food. I spend hours of every week dreaming of salty belly lox, hearty kasha varnishkes, buttery sable, flaky babka, tangy herring, sour pickled tomatoes, rich whitefish salad, chewy bagels and sweet rugelach. I imagine tables piled high to break the fast on Yom Kippur or for a Passover seder, catching up with family and friends while shoveling food into our mouths. Lately, I inevitably find myself on the Russ and Daughters website, hoping that just reading about these uniquely Jewish foods will satisfy my every craving and tide me over until my next trip to New York.
I can’t say my relationship with Russ & Daughters is conventional relative to that of others of my background. My introduction to your store was from Louis CK, not from generations of family (though I know I was certainly not the first person in my family to visit). Watching Louis and Parker Posey dangle Holland herring into their mouths, take enormous bites of juicy pickled tomatoes and finish it off with a huge chunk of babka was enough to make any self proclaimed Jewish food connoisseur want to drop everything and immediately find the first flight to New York…or at least make it a point to visit the next time they’re in town.
It’s been over a year since the first- and unfortunately, only- time I visited your store and I can still remember the full experience. It is truly the only place in the world I haven’t minded waiting over an hour- though full of strangers, it felt like I was surrounded by family. The high holidays were approaching, so the store was buzzing with people placing orders and making preparations, but everyone was taking time to chat with each other, to joke about the long wait, to wish each other shana tova and easy fasts. No one had to ask or worry about political correctness- there was just a feeling that anyone who walked in the door should be welcomed warmly and wished a sweet new year. I engaged many people in conversation throughout my time spent at Russ & Daughters and though I was certainly happy to run back to my best friend’s apartment to immediately consume all of our goods, I could have stayed there for hours interacting with everyone.
Though I’ve only been the one time, your store symbolizes to me every connection to my Jewish culture. What I generally find so remarkable about Judaism is that it can mean something so different to every person, but still encompasses so many of the same values no matter your commitment. My experience at Russ & Daughters reflected that as strongly as any experience I can remember in my 24 years. There was none of the pushing and shoving that has become so emblematic of the New York experience, no impatience among the staff or the customers- it was just a lovely place to spend a Sunday morning. It is remarkable to me that I could feel so significantly connected to a place I had never visited, but I find it even more extraordinary that I’m clearly not the only one who feels that strong connection. It is undoubtedly a reflection of the closeness and values of your family that you have not only maintained this New York institution for so many years but also that you’ve influenced so many other personal histories over time. This makes me so proud to be a fellow fourth generation Jewish New Yorker and is a true testament to the strength of your place in our collective history.
I know I’ll be back to New York one day for good (the truth being that the likely catalyst will be the food above all else) and I know I will bring future generations of my family to Russ & Daughters so they can not only sample the delicious foods but also appreciate a common bond. And in the meantime, when I’m homesick for New York appetizing, I have that clip from Louie bookmarked on every computer I use.
I once wrote a love letter to Russ & Daughters.
carlyreads 
so cute : )
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