Weekly Kibbitz
Missouri Bagel Shop Goes Viral for Talmud-Inspired
Eff ort to Feed the Needy
“W own location last winter, bringing along
a sourdough starter that’s used in its
bagels. (Per baking tradition, the starter
has a name — Seymour.)
In addition to bagels, Goldie’s serves
traditional Ashkenazi desserts such
as babka and rugelach. Its Instagram
account showcases fl uff y round chal-
lahs; egg sandwiches made with zhug,
a spicy condiment that originated with
Yemenite Jews; and “tzitzel bagels,”
a rolled-in-semolina confection that’s
unique to St. Louis. (It’s not kosher:
There’s a sandwich with both meat
and cream cheese on the menu.) The
Wi-Fi password is “MAZEL TOV.” And
this spring, the shop hosted a Passover
seder for its staff .

The seder inspired the sign. The
principle of feeding the needy is so
ingrained in Jewish tradition that the
Talmud quote posted at the counter is
traditionally recited in Aramaic at the
seder, when the Israelites’ exodus from
hoever needs, come and
eat.” That’s the quote from the Talmud
— the book of Jewish law — that wel-
comes customers to Goldie’s Bagels
in Columbia, Missouri, telling them that
people who cannot aff ord to pay can
get a coff ee and a bagel, with cream
cheese, free of charge.

The promise is core to the shop’s
mission: Launched as a popup in 2020,
Goldie’s aims to imbue Jewish values
into its daily operations.

“My whole thing in opening Goldie’s
is we’re going to be so outwardly proud
to be Jewish,” founder Amanda Rainey
said after a sign about the “Neighbors
Account” initiative went viral on social
media. Rainey, who previously worked as
a Jewish educator at the Hillel at the
University of Missouri, fi rst opened
Goldie’s inside Pizza Tree, a restaurant
owned by her husband. It moved to its
Egypt is recounted.

Goldie’s had already been handing
out free bagels to unhoused people in
downtown Columbia, just as Pizza Tree
had been doing with slices. And it had
already been subsidizing that eff ort
with donations that other customers
made informally. “Sometimes people
would slip us some cash awkwardly,”
Rainey recalled.

But after the seder, a staff member
suggested explaining the initiative and
citing the quote from Talmud on a sign
in the store. The sign explains that
customers who cannot pay can ask
the staff to charge their meal to the
“Neighbors Account.”
After the sign went viral, people from
around the country off ered to donate,
Rainey said. But she said Goldie’s is
committed to keeping everything local.

“We have so many generous peo-
ple in our community,” Rainey said.

“Those people should give money to
Goldie’s Bagels in Columbia,
Missouri, is giving away free
bagels and coff ee to those who
cannot aff ord to pay.

somebody where they live; their own
neighbors.” Rainey says the shop gets maybe
two $5 donations a day, which helps
pay down the balance of the account,
and the store doesn’t take donations
unless there’s an outstanding balance.

She hopes the initiative will encourage
other restaurants in the area to take on
something similar.

— By Jackie Hajdenberg
The Jewish Federation’s
IsII s rae e l 7 75
Misii s s io n
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anniversary of the Jewish
State’s founding by experiencing Israel your way! Join
the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia on a
meaningful eight-day mission to our Jewish homeland.

Personalize your journey by selecting a customized
track that speaks to your passions, interests, and how
you want to hear, feel, see, smell, and taste Israel.

th Tracks include:
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Joining the Mission as RABBI-IN-RESIDENCE:
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4 SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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jewishphilly.org/israel75mission Image courtesy of Amanda Rainey / Design by Jackie Hajdenberg via JTA.org
May 14-21, 2023



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