New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s First Kosher Restaurant Is Open for Business
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.
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.
‘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’.”
New Hampshire
N.H. lawmakers to vote on increasing tolls, civil rights, and k-12 education – The Boston Globe
One proposal (Senate Bill 627) would generate more than $53 million per year in estimated revenue for turnpike projects by essentially doubling what certain cars pay on the state’s toll roads.
The cash fare for Hampton’s main toll booth on Interstate 95, for example, would jump from $2 to $4 for cars and pickup trucks. The toll wouldn’t increase at all for motorists who use New Hampshire’s E-ZPass transponders.
“Surrounding states already have the same in-state discount structure in place,” Democratic Representative Martin Jack of Nashua wrote on behalf of a House committee that unanimously recommended the bill.
A potential hitch: Governor Kelly Ayotte. She’s expressed opposition to the whole toll-hiking idea, and proven she’s not afraid to use her veto pen.
Modifying civil rights standard
Another proposal (Senate Bill 464) would add a few words to the state’s Civil Rights Act. Instead of addressing conduct that is merely “motivated by” a legally protected characteristic, the proposed revision would address conduct that is “substantially motivated by hostility towards the victim’s” protected characteristic (such as their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability).
The prime sponsor, Republican Senator Daryl Abbas, an attorney, testified the change was small and aligned with the law’s intent. But the attorney who oversees the Civil Rights Unit at the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Sean Locke, testified in opposition, saying the proposal could reduce protections, especially since the meaning of “substantially” is somewhat vague.
The House is also weighing a proposed amendment that would add a few more words than Abbas’s version, potentially narrowing the Civil Rights Act’s applicability a bit further.
Open enrollment for K-12 schools
A third proposal up for a vote on Thursday (Senate Bill 101) would make every K-12 public school in New Hampshire an “open enrollment” school. That way, students could freely choose to transfer to a district other than the one where they live.
The proposed policy is controversial, partly because of how schools are funded. Districts rely mostly on local property taxes to cover their costs, as the state government chips in relatively little, and property tax rates vary widely from one community to the next. That generates concern about who will foot the bill when a student transfers.
In light of those concerns, Republicans are offering a compromise amendment to SB 101 that would require the state to provide more money per pupil that a district receives via open enrollment, as the New Hampshire Bulletin reported. Democrats are offering their own amendment to establish a study commission on this topic, rather than adopt the proposed policy now.
Lawmakers have until May 14 to take action on the bills that came from the other chamber, though they have until June 4 to iron out any discrepancies.
Amanda Gokee of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
This story appears in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free email newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. Sign up here.
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
Boston MedFlight often touches down at the scene of some of the worst tragedies in New England – where minutes can mean life or death for a victim. The critical care transport operation is now expanding with a new base in New Hampshire.
The organization is hosting an open house at the new Manchester location on Thursday.
Boston MedFlight flies a critical care transport paramedic and nurse on every flight. Jaik Hanley-McCarthy says their helicopters and ground vehicles are equipped to handle just about any emergency medical procedure.
“Anything that can be done in the ICU,” explained Hanley-McCarthy. “We have a mobile lab so we can draw blood and run labs in real time.”
Boston MedFlight now has five bases across the region.
“Having a base in Manchester just expands this Boston-level care even further north to the more remote areas of the state,” said Hanley-McCarthy.
Boston MedFlight operates as a network of bases and some of the locations are staffed 24 hours.
Chief Executive Officer Maura Hughes says the nonprofit operation survives on public and private donations.
“We provide about $7 million in free care every year to patients,” said Hughes. “Not every hospital can be everything to every patient. We’re really the glue that keeps the health care system together.”
Heather Young says her daughter, Teighan, is still alive because she was flown for a critical assessment and procedure after falling off a truck and hitting her head.
“She should not be driving and walking and talking and all the things she’s doing as quickly as she is,” said Young.
Teighan just turned 18 and plans to go to college to study the medical field.
“I want to be a nurse and help other people,” she said.
It’s stories like this that keep the men and women who work Boston MedFlight focused on their mission.
“I think we just go call by call and try to do the best we can,” said Hanley-McCarthy. “I think when we stop and truly think about it, I think that weight is pretty heavy.”
Boston MedFlight also has a yearly reunion where patients and the team get together here in Bedford to meet and check in on their progress. It really shows you how connected they are to the people they help.
New Hampshire
Hiker who set out in warm spring weather found dead after snowstorm in New Hampshire mountains
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A Massachusetts hiker who set out in warm spring weather was found dead deep in New Hampshire’s White Mountains after a snowstorm dumped several inches of snow in the area, authorities said.
Kent Wood, 61, of West Roxbury, was discovered Tuesday evening on a remote section of the Kinsman Pond Trail in Franconia Notch, about 5.5 miles from his vehicle, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.
Wood had driven to Franconia Notch on April 17 for a weekend camping and hiking trip, and set out on a hike the next morning in warm, clear weather, officials said. Family and friends last heard from him Saturday afternoon.
When he failed to return or make contact for two days, officials said relatives reported him missing Tuesday morning, prompting a large-scale search.
HIKER IDENTIFIED, POPULAR TRAIL CLOSED AFTER DEADLY FALL A UTAH’S ZION NATIONAL PARK
An aerial view of Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire, where a hiker was found dead on Tuesday. (Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group, File)
Rescuers quickly learned Wood had packed for mild conditions, not the three to five inches of snow that fell in the area between Sunday and Monday.
Fog hovers over a narrow road through Franconia Notch in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire on Dec. 27, 2021. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis)
Search teams from Fish and Game, PEMI Valley Search and Rescue, and the Army National Guard launched a coordinated effort, focusing on the Lonesome Lake and Kinsman Pond areas.
FAMILY’S SPRING BREAK HIKE TURNS INTO LIFE-OR-DEATH RESCUE AFTER PARENT FALLS 70 FEET OFF UTAH CLIFF
Conservation officers located Wood’s body around 7:41 p.m. Tuesday. Crews carried him out overnight, reaching the trailhead shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Franconia Notch and the Appalachian Trail are seen in New Hampshire on Sept. 21. (Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)
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Since Friday, six hikers from Massachusetts have been rescued in the White Mountains, Fish and Game said.
Officials are reminding hikers that winter conditions still grip the mountains, with snow, freezing temperatures and rapidly changing weather.
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