New Hampshire

New Hampshire’s First Kosher Restaurant Is Open for Business

Published

2 years ago

August 20, 2024

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New Hampshire’s First Kosher Restaurant Is Open for Business

by Ariel Fine – chabad.org

Kosher dining has arrived in the Granite State. The Brooklyn Cafe opened its doors on July 7. in Newington, N.H., and is already serving the local community a taste of authentic New York kosher cuisine in a warm and friendly environment. The beautifully renovated cafe is located on the first floor commercial space in the Seacoast Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish Community Center in the center of Newington.

The cafe is the vision of Rabbi Berel Slavaticki, who also oversees its kosher supervision. Slavaticki moved to New Hampshire six years ago, in 2017, with his wife, Rochel, and family to establish Chabad serving both the New Hampshire coast, on the southeastern part of the state, as well as Jewish students at the nearby University of New Hampshire. Of the 15,000 students on campus, upwards of 500 of them are Jewish.

Chabad of New Hampshire was founded in 1989 when the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, sent Rabbi Levi and Shternie Krinsky to serve the state, which historically did not have a strong Jewish infrastructure. Jewish life has flourished in the years since, and with the Krinsky’s help, in 2003 Rabbi Moshe and Chanie Gray opened Chabad serving Dartmouth University in Hanover. The Slavatickis are the third Chabad emissary couple in the state.

“When we first moved here, there was no Jewish presence on campus, and outside of Portsmouth, Jewish services in the seacoast region were sparse,” the rabbi says.

Now, the Chabad center hosts several regular programs, including weekly prayer services, men’s and women’s learning circles, programs for children and teens, and weekly classes serving the local UNH campus. The rabbi is a chaplain on the campus and shares a warm relationship with the university.

While the Slavitickis have seen immense success since their move, establishing a kosher cafe in the state was on their minds from the very outset. Its primary aim, they say, is to provide a kosher food option for the local Jewish community.

“Obtaining kosher food in New Hampshire can be a challenge,” the rabbi says. “At the same time, we wanted it to be a warm and unique place that people from all walks of life would want to eat at.”

After much deliberation about what kind of restaurant to open, the Slavatickis settled on a cafe, since it seemed that people were struggling to find a good falafel or bagel in the area, as well as for the relaxed atmosphere that a cafe offers. The name, “Brooklyn Cafe,” was chosen to invoke the feelings of a New York City bagel shop, light-hearted and unintimidating.

Congressman Chris Pappas, who serves New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district, stopped by to visit the Brooklyn Café and the Seacoast Jewish Community Center. Seacoast Chabad Jewish Center

Meeting Point for a Diverse Community

The Seacoast region is home to an estimated 4,000 Jews. The milieu consists of young professionals, retirees, seasonal residents and college students, in addition to the many travelers on their way to Maine’s Acadia National Park and New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

Since the pandemic, many more have chosen to call the region home. Transplants started cropping up from nearby Massachusetts and New York, as well as from as far away as California.

With the community burgeoning, Slavaticki thought it was the perfect time to go through with his kosher vision. But it wasn’t without a little trepidation. “People laughed at me when I said I wanted to open a ‘kosher restaurant’,” he says.

Notwithstanding the skeptics, the cafe opened in early July, in time to greet summer travelers. The menu includes falafel, pizza and an assortment of bagels as well as pastries baked fresh every day. Patrons can also enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. Its best selling item so far is the two-tone challah, with locals traveling from near and far to get a taste.

Aside from challah for Shabbat, they now won’t have to look far for traditional Jewish holiday foods, either. There are plans in place to serve Jewish-related foods around the holidays like doughnuts and latkes in the Chanukah season.

“The cafe is bringing a new level of vibrancy to our community,” the rabbi says. “We are connecting with so many new and interesting people because of it. I’ll often choose to bring my laptop and work from the cafe instead of my office.”

And it’s not just about the food.

“It’s become a regular occurrence to take patrons from the upstairs cafe to the downstairs synagogue and show them what we have to offer, help them lay tefillin and give them Shabbat candles,” the rabbi says. “We may soon have to move our offices into the cafe, such has been the popularity,” he jokes.

When the Slavaticki's first moved into their sprawling Chabad center, people asked what they would do with such a space. Now, it's home to the cafe, a Hebrew school and a thriving synagogue. - Seacoast Chabad Jewish Center — When the Slavaticki’s first moved into their sprawling Chabad center, people asked what they would do with such a space. Now, it’s home to the cafe, a Hebrew school and a thriving synagogue. Seacoast Chabad Jewish Center

‘I Can’t Believe This is Real’

The effects of kosher in New Hampshire have started to ripple through the small state, which, though growing, remains the ninth-least populated state in the country.

“In the past, we’ve tried to keep kosher a little bit, and we’re not there all the way yet. We are always trying to do a little more, and this cafe really helps,” says Marty Fuerst, a writer and artist from nearby Dover.

In fact, in early August, a woman who has called the region home for more than 50 years came to the cafe with tears in her eyes. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought there would be a kosher restaurant in the area,” she told the rabbi. “I can’t believe this is real.”

The rabbi has also already fielded calls from Jewish students considering applying to UNH and wondering if there was a kosher infrastructure that they could rely on. “We plan to organize kosher meal plans for the students in the near future,” he says. “Additionally, we are in the process of installing shelves in the cafe and hope to start offering non-perishable kosher items.”

Perhaps the biggest success of the cafe, and the mitzvah of kashrut in general, is its immense power to bring people together. Everyone loves to eat good food and hang out. While religious events might at times feel intimidating, many are more open when food is the primary motivator.

For Slaviticki, who has had a busy summer opening the restaurant and hosting the annual Jewish Summer Festival, more than anything, the cafe offers local Jews something to be proud of.

“Having a space that Jews can call their own is a remedy to the isolation many may feel living far from larger Jewish communities,” he says. “It has become a place where people can just ‘be Jewish’.”

The cafe opened in early July, in time to greet summer travelers. - Seacoast Chabad Jewish Center — The cafe opened in early July, in time to greet summer travelers. Seacoast Chabad Jewish Center

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New Hampshire

Texting and driving? Lawmakers want you to pay steeper fines – Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

Published

5 hours ago

March 31, 2026

Press Room

Texting and driving? Lawmakers want you to pay steeper fines – Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

If you use your cell phone while driving, you may want to think twice — unless you’re willing to pay twice as much.

A bipartisan bill, backed by state law enforcement, would institute higher fines for drivers who use handheld devices behind the wheel. In some cases, motorists could lose their licenses for a month or more.

Sen. Donovan Fenton, a Democrat from Keene who serves on Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s Highway Safety Task Force, pointed to state crash data as reason for the change proposed in his Senate Bill 649

The number of traffic deaths in New Hampshire has crept up over the past few years. In 2023, there were 127 fatalities, at least six of which stemmed from distracted driving, Fenton said.

“Distracted driving is becoming more pronounced, more dangerous and more deadly,” he said at a public hearing last week. “The current penalties are not enough to change behavior, particularly with repeat offenses.”

There were 133 traffic deaths in 2024 and 138 in 2025, according to the Office of Highway Safety. In 2026 so far, thirteen people have died in car crashes.

Fenton’s bill would increase the amount someone has to pay for violating the prohibition on cell phone use while driving. First-time offenders would pay $250 instead of the current $100, and on the second violation in two years, the offender would pay $500. For the third offense in two years, they would pay $750 and lose their license for 30 days. All those penalties could increase if cell phone use behind the wheel is found to be a contributing factor in a car crash.

Current law allows hands-free operation of a cell phone via Bluetooth but prohibits handheld device use. The state collected more than $568,000 in related fines and penalty assessments in the most recent fiscal year.

Distracted driving was a contributing factor in 4,520 of the state’s nearly 28,000 non-fatal crashes in 2023, according to the Department of Safety. That’s a little over 16%, though a report from the task force said officials suspect distracted driving is difficult to track and underreported in more serious collisions. Cell phones are a common culprit in distracted driving.

Ayotte’s task force has highlighted other policies that it says would increase public safety, including doubling the license suspension period for refusing a breathalyzer test.

In the first 10 weeks of 2026, three-quarters of the people arrested for impaired driving in New Hampshire refused to take a breath alcohol test, Ayotte said in a recent press release. The governor has waged a public campaign for the proposed law, Senate Bill 260, which she says would disincentivize drivers from refusing the test.

What’s next: Senate Bill 649 breezed through the Senate earlier this year. The House of Representatives is set to vote on it in the coming weeks after a committee recommended its passage almost unanimously.

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New Hampshire

Longtime Blue Jays organization member Tamargo tasked with leading New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Published

17 hours ago

March 30, 2026

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Longtime Blue Jays organization member Tamargo tasked with leading New Hampshire Fisher Cats

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New Hampshire

Meet Garret, Your Newest Morning Show Host on 97.5 WOKQ

Published

1 day ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

Meet Garret, Your Newest Morning Show Host on 97.5 WOKQ

Are you ready for your mornings reimagined?

Hi! I’m Garret Doll (like Ken, but less hair and not as handsome), and I’m teaming up with Katie Killourhy for 97.5 WOKQ’s new morning show, Garret & Katie in the Morning!

You ready to join us?

So, Who Is Garret Doll?

I’ve learned something about myself… I don’t like clutter. Unless it’s my clutter. Then it’s not clutter, it’s a system.

That’s probably a pretty accurate starting point for who I am. A little self-aware, a little stubborn, and definitely someone who knows what he likes. I like tacos, steak tips and lobster rolls. (Fun fact: I’ve never had a lobster roll until moving here.)

How It All Started

This whole radio thing started for me when I was 15. My mom helped me land a job at a radio station in my hometown (cause she worked there), and I fell in love with radio. I’ve never left this career.

I’ve spent my entire adult life doing this job, and I still feel like I lucked into the best job in the world. No two days are the same. One minute you’re talking about life, the next you’re playing your favorite songs, then suddenly you’re out in the community meeting people who feel like friends you’ve known forever.

Most of my career took me to places like Denver, Charleston, and Richmond. Now, somehow, it’s brought me here to New Hampshire.

Honestly, I look at it like a “this is exactly where I’m supposed to be” moment. It’s a new start on life, so to speak. You will learn more about that as we get to know each other and you listen to the show on 97.5 WOKQ.

Why WOKQ Matters to Me

WOKQ is one of those stations you hear about in radio. It’s got history. It’s got heart. And it’s built around a community that actually cares about local connection and country music throughout New England.

That matters to me.

I don’t want to just “be on the radio.” I want to be part of what’s happening here. The towns, the events, the random conversations at a bar, the places you tell your friends they have to check out.

That’s the fun part of all of this.

What I’m All About

I’m a pretty simple dude:

I’m the guy who would give you the shirt off my back

Glass half full (even when it probably shouldn’t be)

Always smiling

Authentic… sometimes too authentic

And yeah, there are definitely moments where I say something before thinking it all the way through.

So if you ever hear me and think, “Did he really just say that?” There’s a decent chance the answer is yes.

Some Quick Hits About Me

Coffee order: Americano

Drink Order: Old Fashioned or just a good local beer

Favorite food: Tacos (not even close)

Guilty pleasure show: The Big Bang Theory

Pet peeve: Close talkers… and people who are late

Random fact: I once got a tattoo of Dopey from the Seven Dwarfs because a girl I was dating wanted one. We got them together. (Don’t worry, it’s been covered up by a microphone and a rose… and I haven’t heard from her in about 20 years)

Let’s Do This Together

I’m new to town, which means I could really use your help.

Where’s your go-to spot when you just want to get outside? Best place to hike? Kayak? Local bar? Just disappear for a few hours?

READ MORE: Hidden Gems in New Hampshire: 5 Secret Places Worth Discovering

Drop me your favorites, because if there’s one thing I know, it’s that the best recommendations don’t come from Google… they come from you! The ones who actually live it.

And I’m ready to start exploring and getting to know you. So make sure to tune in to Garret & Katie in the Morning! See you there.