Black-and-whites or babka? He’ll never tell. Image by Getty

By Arno Rosenfeld, Irene Katz ConnellyJanuary 13, 2021

In what was either a gesture of hometown pride or a sneaky piece of sponsored content, Rep. Jerry Nadler arrived at a very important, very televised meeting dangling a large Zabar’s bag.

The lawmaker was seen carrying goodies from the legacy appetizing store as he arrived at the U.S. Capitol to debate a potential second impeachment of President Donald Trump.

Asked what was inside the bag, a spokesperson for Nadler responded in jest, “A babka and the Constitution, what else?”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Jerry Nadler brought Zabar’s to the impeachment. pic.twitter.com/2Xf0GpMmr0

— Alex Richanbach (@AlexRichanbach) January 13, 2021

It wasn’t the first time Nadler has taken on Trump while wrangling bagel paraphernalia. He held a press conference to discuss the Mueller report two years ago in front of a bench with at least three Zabar’s bags.

At the time, New York City journalist Sam Raskin suggested the Zabar’s display could be meant to underscore the congressman’s seriousness of purpose.“Maybe it’s a prop to show he means business, like, ‘I went to Zabar’s on a Sunday afternoon and have $137 worth of food in three bags just in case there’s a shiva,’” Raskin wrote on Twitter.

maybe it’s a prop to show he means business. like, “I went to Zabar’s on a Sunday afternoon and have $137 worth of food in three bags just in case there’s a shiva”

— Sam Raskin (@samraskinz) March 25, 2019

Nadler has also been spotted at the deli itself. Jason Brougham, who works at the American Museum of Natural History, announced on Twitter that he saw the Upper West Side congressman “buying the smallest container of whitefish salad.”

Zabar’s lies within Nadler’s Congressional district, which includes most of Manhattan’s West Side as well as parts of Brooklyn. Whatever snacks are inside the bag must have traveled a long way, since the store has no Washington, D.C. outposts.

Should the House vote to impeach the president, there will be no Zabar’s during the ensuing Senate trial — a 1966 rule prohibits lawmakers from consuming anything except milk, water and candy (what a delicious combo!) while on the Senate floor.

Irene Katz Connelly is a staff writer at the Forward. You can contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @katz_conn.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount