Closing Our Store on Shabbat Changed Our Lives

“Jews Awakening” is a series of profiles about American Jews from various religious and cultural backgrounds who are strengthening their Jewish identity since October 7th.

It was a simple, yet meaningful, decision that changed the lives of Jeff and Meredith Cohen and their family. Born in Brooklyn to parents who owned a wine and liquor store, Jeff experienced a typical Jewish upbringing, with thrice weekly Hebrew School classes, a Bar Mitzvah at age 13, and Jewish holiday celebrations with his family. Over the years, he has forged close ties with the local Jewish community in Brooklyn through the family business which boasts an extensive selection of Kosher wines.

Jeff, 55, has always been proud of his Jewish heritage, but his religious observance has limitations. As he puts it, he doesn’t “pretend to be something he’s not.” Until recently, observing Shabbat was not on the radar.

Tops Liquor is something of an institution in Brooklyn’s Marine Park neighborhood. The red awning building has stood on Avenue U since 1941, and unlike so many surrounding buildings that have come and gone, the store has weathered the test of time largely intact throughout its 83-year history. As Jeff grew older and started a family, he and his wife Meredith took on the family business and adapted to a demanding 7-day work schedule. The collective efforts of Jeff, Meredith, and Jeff’s parents helped expand the store’s footprint from 500 square feet to 10,000.

With success came more time away from their children and parents. The demands of a grueling schedule began to bump up against family priorities, leaving the couple yearning for greater balance and meaning in their lives. It was Meredith who initially proposed the idea of closing the store on Shabbat.

Meredith and Jeff Cohen

At first, the plan seemed daunting, even unachievable. There were practical considerations to worry about – the business could take a hit financially, and it wasn’t clear how customers would respond to the change. Feelings of imposter syndrome soon crept in; how could someone who had never observed Shabbat start to perform such a significant act so late in life? Motivated, yet scared to act, the couple continued to dream about the idea for some time, relegating it to the backburner with other bucket list items.

But then the October 7^th massacre happened, and the attacks became a motivating factor that pushed them to finally take action.

The morning of October 7th hit Jeff deeply. “I woke up and I was crushed. It hurt me a lot,” he recalls. As news of the attack poured in, Jeff felt a mix of emotions – intense pride and love for the Jewish community tempered by anger at the events which had transpired. He was touched to see shows of unity among fellow Jews in the aftermath of the attacks, including his own customers.

“Where else would people run to a country that’s at war?” he says. “I’ve never seen my customers run back to Israel so quickly - four, even five times.”

After October 7th, Tops Liquor ran a promotion on Israeli wines, offering an 18% sale to raise money for pro-Israel organizations. The attacks had a subliminal effect on Jeff and Meredith, which accelerated their desire to strengthened their Jewish connection. “It didn’t make us make the decision but when we look back on it, it definitely helped make us more comfortable… it made it feel more right.” It was the catalyst they needed to take the plunge. “This was always in the making I just never knew when we were going to technically pull the trigger and say, ‘Ok let’s do this and see what happens.’”

This past January, Tops Liquor closed its doors on Shabbat for the first time in 83 years. The story was quickly picked up in an online, and what followed was an outpouring of support so significant that Jeff and Meredith say they are still processing it.

First came visits from customers who showed up by the dozens to shake Jeff’s hand and cheer on his decision, using words like “inspiring” and “incredible.” Then, when the story broke, calls began to flood in from every corner of the world.

“I’m getting calls from every rabbi all over the country; calls from Europe, calls from the Middle East, we had a guy call the other day from Russia and tell me I inspired him to start wearing Tefillin… The other day my phone was ringing so much that my wife had to screen the calls. It was just people wanting to say ‘I love you’ and ‘you inspire me’ and ‘you made me cry.’”

To Jeff and Meredith, it was proof positive that they had made the right decision, and the personal fulfillment they experienced gave them even more confidence.

“These last six weeks have been possibly the best six weeks of my life from so many different angles,” Jeff says. “I’ve achieved peace of mind being able to be home with my wife and daughter and dad.”

The chance to relax among family coupled with a newfound sense of meaning reinvigorated the couple from burnout. “We wake up now on Sunday and we can’t wait to go to work because what’s going on at my store is incredible. The weeks are flying by,” Jeff says. He now recognizes that observing Shabbat is “one of the best things you can do to honor God,” but he has been caught off guard by how an organic decision rooted in self-improvement led to such a frenzy. “All we did was make a conscious decision that we wanted to live a better life and somehow what spiraled out of this is something that I’ve never seen before - the support, the love, the affection has been incredible.”

It has taken Jeff some time to adjust to the newfound attention and come to terms with the impact he is having on the wider Jewish community. He sees it as a divine intervention. “Maybe this was all meant to be. Maybe God had a message for me.”

If Shabbat is the heart of Jeff and Meredith’s spiritual renewal, then the store on Avenue U has become its soul. It is here that Jeff has started putting on tefillin every day, side by side with customers and bringing together Jews from all different backgrounds. “When I see my customers come out and align themselves together, whether they’re Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Syrian, non-religious - they’re all one people. It’s pretty inspiring,” he says. “I think Hamas messed with the wrong people.”

Jeff and Meredith's simple motivation to live a better life has had an outsized impact that continues to pay dividends for themselves and their community. For the couple, it’s a reminder of the good things that can come from engaging with Jewish community, putting oneself first, and - for Jeff, listening to your wife. “With everything going on in the world and especially October 7th, this makes me so positive that we made the best choice we could. I’ve never been more proud to be a Jew.”

 

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