West Side Judaica & Bookstore — Local services in New York

Disclaimer - this describes an incident experienced yesterday by a dear friend who visited this shop and returned in tears 😢😭😡.

My friend is a convert to Judaism, and had popped in to purchase things for Shabbat. She described how a man - she wasn’t sure if he was an employee, fellow shopper, or friend of employees - was acting friendly and helpful, suggesting items, when the conversation abruptly shifted into a rant:

Complaining about Kanye West and anti-semitism and how “African Americans have had it easy, only 400 years of oppression” vs. the thousands suffered by the Jewish people, how y’all need to take responsibility and get educated and then you can achieve what we have, etc etc etc 😳😳😳.

Did I mention that my friend is African American? She says she just froze in shock, noticing that other people/employees were within earshot, but no one intervened. Then a kindly female customer wandered over and distracted her, getting her away from the man, whispering “you looked like you needed help.” She was extremely grateful - whoever that woman is, THANK YOU for being a blessing at that moment.

To the store owners/employees: whether that unhinged male individual was an employee, a friend, or just some random person off the street, it’s upsetting to hear that employees were around, yet did nothing to shut down the blatantly racist harassment occurring right before their eyes. My poor young friend was crushed - as a convert, she was already self-conscious, and this only serves to alienate further.

I do hope that the management will hear this story and take steps to prevent future incidents. Singling out a customer for the color of her skin - or witnessing racism but refusing to intervene - it reflects poorly on your business, not to mention your collective sense of humanity....

This store has a massive selection of high quality books. They literally go from floor to ceiling all the way around the store. They have just a mediocre selection of mezuzahs and menorahs but really nice jewelry and other devorative Jewish items. They have tons of very scholarly items, as if the store caters to the scholar, the Yeshiva student, or even a rabbinical student (lots of very beautiful Torah pointers...). The location is excellent and the prices are mostly reasonable. The staff know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING in the store which is very helpful. They are extremely patient, friendly, and they let you take your time. This store is worth a visit if you want to go to a Judaica shop in a super...

One of, if not the best Judaica stores in the city and don't let the sign fool you, of course they have more than books....they have everything. The two staff are friendly, witty, and very helpful when assisting you with a product or something you'd like to see. The book section is overwhelmingly vast and I can't imagine them not having an item one may be seeking. I've been coming here maybe just shy of a year as I've become more observant. One thing about this place is you will always find things you weren't even looking for....it never fails. B.H. this...