Rambam in Brooklyn
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Crossposted From Under the Fig Tree
Just when you think you’ve heard of everything, comes word of a brand new vegetarian restaurant that proudly calls itself “Maimonide of Brooklyn.” Located in the hip Boerum Hill neighborhood, its menu, a paean to healthy eating, offers fig, date, hazelnut and almond sausages, soy nuggets and doughnuts that are steamed rather than fried.
Maimonide also comes equipped with a comic book all its own, “Maimonide of Brooklyn: The Awesome Genesis, Volume 1,” that tells the story of the restaurant’s origins and its relationship to Maimonides, that great philosopher, communal leader and healer of the 12th century.
Those who an appetite for history will learn that “aside from his extensive philosophical works…. Maimonides was famous for his knowledge of fruit, vegetables and seasoning and how to use them.” Drawing on that knowledge, the restaurant’s owners have “worked for many years in a humble attempt to embody his approach.”
Over the centuries since his demise, Maimonides has been invoked repeatedly: as a model of rectitude and caring, a paradigm of scholarship as well as a beacon of toleration, especially when it comes to interfaith relations.
Little wonder, then, that so many institutions, from Jewish day schools to hospitals, bear his name. And now, in this latest, decidedly post-modern, iteration of an homage, a restaurant grows — and hopefully takes root — in Brooklyn. Surely a first in the annals of Jewish history.
Having not had the opportunity to visit Maimonide of Brooklyn, I can’t comment on the food. But if its name and orientation are any indication of what awaits, those of us who value both gastronomy and Jewish thought are in for quite a treat.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
