Brooklyn Morning — Hanukkah Prep in Crown Heights

Home Brooklyn Life Brooklyn Morning — Hanukkah Prep in Crown Heights

by Becky Bratu

Photos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe surround the desk at a Crown Heights Judaica Store. (Becky Bratu/The Brooklyn Ink)
Photos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe surround the desk at a Crown Heights Judaica Store. (Becky Bratu/The Brooklyn Ink)

Twenty-five minutes after it opened for business, Judaica World on Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights was already bustling. Customers wove in and out to check out the sale. With Hanukkah only two sundowns away, holiday-themed merchandise was prominently displayed. From behind the counter, Ephraim told me that business was going well. Although mornings are usually slow, he had already seen five customers since opening at 10. Menorahs and small gifts for the children were doing well, he told me as he set out a fresh batch of Hanukkah-themed Silly Bandz. “These are a cheap craze,” he says. The most expensive item in the store was a silver menorah that sells for about $2,000.

The Rebbe was overseeing the store from photographs of different sizes hanging on the walls. Another employee showed me a stack of about twenty boxes awaiting shipping to various U.S. destinations. The busy season had begun.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.