For those Modern Orthodox Jews who visit New England for a vacation or even a day trip, there’s a town association test we’d like to offer.
If we were to say the word “New Haven,” besides “Yale,” what would your name association be?
Okay, so let’s narrow the margin for error here and restrict your answer to restaurants.
We’re pretty certain that the name “Claire’s,” as in Claire’s Corner Copia, would not just come shouting from your mouth but would remind you of the incredible kosher-supervised dairy (non-cholov Yisrael) meal you had perhaps the last time you visited New Haven. Or, if you’ve heard your friends talk about Claire’s in overwhelming positive ways, it’s all true.
Casting any objectivity to the winds as a journalist is supposed to do, I’m even telling you that if an hour and 45 minute ride from Teaneck to New Haven isn’t too daunting, it is incredibly worth the trip even with a minivan full of children.
The restaurant is known for its wonderful entrees and incredible desserts. It’s owned by Claire and Frank Criscuolo, and has been in business since 1975 at 1000 Chapel Street. It is certified by the Vaad of Fairfield County under Rabbi David Avigdor from Congregation Bikur Cholim Sheveth Achim Synagogue, a 30-year RCA member and regional vice president of Agudath Israel.
There are some 23,000 Jews who live in the greater New Haven area in about 11,000 households. About 3 percent are Orthodox. When one visits Claire’s it’s nice to notice the mix of men wearing kippot, women in tzniut skirts with hair covered and other customers who aren’t necessarily there for the kashruth. They come to Claire’s because of its great variety of food, friendly staff and commitment to environmental issues.
This is the kind of restaurant that one wishes they could take back with them to their home towns.
Perhaps the nicest part of Claire’s is Claire herself.
“We have a reputation,” she told the Jewish Link. “We’ve established a trust with our customers, and to me that’s everything. Whether it’s Orthodox supervision or being gluten free, people know we are doing the best we can. They love us, and we love them too. We respect one another, and to me that’s everything.”
Indeed, she said she has people who have been employed there for many years, including dishwashers who she pays $15 an hour.
“We want our friends to be part of our lives,” she said, referring to both her staff and her clientele.
“We do things differently,” she said. “Because the more we eat together, the more we’ll have peace together.”
Claire’s isn’t the only reason to travel the 78 miles up north, but it’s a wonderful way to start. More information can be found at http://www.ClairesCornerCopia.com
There is also Edge of the Woods, a natural-foods market, that bakes kosher pizza under Vaad supervision on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. More information can be found at eotwm.com.
Kosher meals are also offered at the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale. This includes weekdays and Shabbos and Sunday. The Center also offers an Orthodox Shabbos minyan. Its website is SlifkaCenter.org.
If you’re there on a Shabbos or holiday, it’s well worth the trip to daven in the historic Orchard Street Synagogue, which has been home to many New Haven Jewish generations since 1924. The actual name of the shul is Congregation Beth Israel, and the kehilla came together in 1913 before moving to its current site. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Judi Janette, a native of New Haven, is the shul’s vice president. The Orchard Street shul, she said, is reminiscent of the once-vibrant Jewish neighborhoods of New Haven before families moved to the suburbs. An area with many shuls, she said, “faded away.” Except for Orchard Street. Newly refurbished, the shul has a vibrant congregation with services on Friday night and all day Shabbos. It is a traditional Ashkenazi shul, according to Janette. Its spiritual leader is Rabbi Mendy Hecht. The rabbi’s grandfather, Rabbi Dr. Maurice Hecht, led the shul from 1940 to the 1990s.
“The shul is known for its magnificent acoustics,” said Janette. “It has attracted a group of people who love to sing and make the room ring out.”
Janette and her husband, Nathan, raised their now-adult three children in New Haven. Janette moved away from the area for several years before returning, in need for “more Jewish community.”
Rabbi Hecht told the Jewish Link a story that sort of sums up the welcoming atmosphere of Orchard Street.
“It was a Yom Kippur,” said Rabbi Hecht. “Before Kol Nidrei this guy walks into the shul and looks a little bit lost. He asked if this was a Reform synagogue. I told him that it wasn’t quite Reform, but that everyone was welcome. I invited him to sit and stay as long as he wanted, and I also asked him to open up the Aron Kodesh.
“Later, he said to me, ‘Rabbi, I haven’t been to shul for 35 years. Sometimes you think you are going to one place, and God turns you around to the place you should be.’ This is a special, special place.”
Rabbi Hecht said that when Yale University is closed, the shul at times can provide the only minyan in downtown New Haven. Looking toward the future “is the only way we can look,” said the rabbi. “They are building 1,000 new apartment units in town. New Haven is more vibrant than ever. When I started back here in 2008, we knew that we couldn’t just hang out a shingle and expect droves of people to come in. We’re not living in Teaneck or any great Jewish mecca of the Jewish world. For us it’s about outreach and it’s about connecting.”
And don’t think Rabbi Hecht doesn’t connect with his grandfather’s neshama when he stands at the lectern.
Logging on to JewishNewHaven.org, the local federation’s website, will provide names and locations of other community synagogues.
Three hotels located within walking distance of the Slifka Center, Orchard Street and other places to worship include the New Haven Hotel, the Omni and The Study.
The Yale University Art Gallery is open on Shabbat and is free. The Peabody Museum isn’t free, but is fun for other days of the week. The Yale School of Architecture Galleries and Sterling Library are also interesting places to visit.
The Yale “Whale” Skating Rink offers public skating. The Letner Planetarium offers Sunday and Tuesday events.
By Phil Jacobs
