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14 OCTOBER 22, 2020
H EADLINES
Market Continued from Page 12
neighborhood of Arthur
Avenue. In 1915, they opened
Teitel Brothers, importing
high-quality provisions from
a country they’d never visited.

Jacob and Morris learned to
speak Italian before they spoke
English. In the 1930s, as fascism and
anti-Semitism rose in Europe,
the Teitel Brothers’ landlord
warned them: “If people knew
you were Jews, nobody would
shop here.” A week later, they
installed the Star of David
mosaic so everyone who
crossed the threshold knew
they were Jews. “It took a lot of
courage to do something like
that,” Teitel remarked.

While Teitel Brothers was
not the only Jewish merchant
on Arthur Avenue, it is the
only Jewish store in the neigh-
borhood that exists today. Why
did Teitel Brothers outlive the
other Jewish stores? According
to Teitel, “We’re the fi rst ones
here in the morning. We start
at a quarter to fi ve and we
work hard. We’re one of the last
stores to close up and we have a
great product.”
It’s true. Teitel Brothers is
the Wonka factory of Italian
provisions. Two-thousand
products line the walls of the
900-square-foot corner store. In
Teitels’ 105-year-history, much
of their inventory has remained
constant, but if their customers
want something they don’t have,
they will order it. For example,
as more immigrants from
Albania and Yugoslavia have
moved to the neighborhood, the
store has added feta and phyllo
dough to their shelves.

Eddie Teitel is the fi rst
Teitel in the third-generation
business to visit Italy. Every
other year, he attends the Food
Show in Modena, takes tours
of olive oil factories in Spoleto
and sees where their Romano
cheese is made in Nepi.

Before he traveled to Italy,
one way the Teitels would fi nd
new products was through
JEWISH EXPONENT
The outside of the store
Courtesy Teitel Brothers via JTA
Arthur Avenue is a gem in New York City’s
cultural and culinary crown. It’s authentically
Italian with a selection of paneterie,
pasticcerie, salumerie and pescherie.

salesmen. Eddie Teitel tells a
story of a persistent salesman
whose cousin from Sicily made
a delicious olive oil. Eddie
Teitel and his brothers liked
the olive oil so much that when
their uncle passed away, they
bought the exclusive rights
and named it “Don Luigi” in
his honor. In 2001, Th e New
York Times praised the Don
Luigi extra virgin olive oil as
being “the perfect expression”
of Sicilian olives and “a bargain
worth seeking out.” Aft er the
article was published, the store
sold out in three days.

When Eddie Teitel travels to
Italy, he brings back the best of
Italian provisions, and also the
European hospitality, which he
describes as “second to none.”
It helps that he has known
many of his customers since
he was 10, when he started
helping his father in the shop.

Each generation of Teitels
have brought something new.

Th e fi rst generation opened
the store. Th e second opened
the wholesale business. When
the third generation took over,
there was one truck and now
there are eight. Jean, the oldest
brother who was a merchant
marine, applies his discipline
to keep their warehouse across
the street in order. Michael, the
middle brother and a chef of
35 years, loves to share recipes
with people who come in.

As for the next generation?
Eddie Teitel’s son, who was
recently bar mitzvahed, helps
in the store on the weekends.

Before he joins the family
business full-time, his father
will make sure he has a college
education. In February, Teitel Brothers
was honored by the New York
City Department of Small
Businesses as one of 10 centu-
ry-old establishments that
have proven to be a permanent
neighborhood fi xture between
1878 and 1920, along with the
famous appetizing spot, Russ
& Daughters.

Teitel Brothers is more than
a store. It is a glimpse into the
history of Jewish New Yorkers,
the discrimination they faced,
and their resistance to such
hate — all preserved in cans of
tomato sauce, aged salami, and
an almost century-old mosaic. ●
This piece originally appeared
in The Nosher.

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