Lotsa? Lox: Thirty-six people gathered at Russ & Daughters in New York to savor the fish and other Jewish delicacies.

For four generations, Russ & Daughters on the Lower East Side of Manhattan has purveyed its wares of fish-oriented, traditional Jewish food. And on August 26, 36 people came to a tasting venue on Astor Place to savor the wares of what the London’s Sunday Times once called the “Louvre of Lox.”

The event was “A Taste of Appetizing.” Russ & Daughters’ owner, Mark Russ Federman, aka Herring Maven Emeritus, described “appetizing” as a food genre unto itself. Although Russ & Daughters is “kosher-style” rather than kosher, “appetizing” is the title of the traditional food wares, rooted in dairy foods and fish.

The appetizing genre, Federman pointed out, follows Jews of all ideological stripes from cradle to grave: Smoked fish is served at everything from a bris to a bar mitzvah to a funeral. Perhaps that’s why, for this Ashkenazic Jewish writer, with the very first bite of herring, I suddenly felt the urge to call my mother and apologize to her for all I’ve put her through, and then to discuss with distant relatives why I’m not remarried.

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)

“We are a culture and a people who take our agony and turn it into food and joy,” Federman said to nods of agreement from the group.

Plied with bottomless glasses of Prosecco, the lucky 36 savored Federman’s anecdotes and beautifully assembled plates of artisanal herring, salmon and sable. The Gaspé salmon was particularly awe-inspiring and buttery smooth (at more than $30 per pound, it should be). To my perhaps overly assimilated palate, however, the taste of the pastrami lox seemed vaguely analogous to unscrewing the top of a saltshaker and dumping the contents directly into my mouth.

But appetizing has a staying power that transcends generational boundaries, regardless of sodium content. These foods trigger visceral feelings. Attendee Larry Fuchsman has been a Russ & Daughters customer since the 1970s; while he’s a secular Jew, he said that eating this kind of food is a cornerstone of his identity. “I make a point of it,” he said as the last set of dishes was spirited away. “This is my religious observance.”

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