"I'll Have What She's Having" is an exhibit that explores the history of Jewish delis in America.

Jewish American delis: A story of culture, community and survival

Food is, of course, an important part of culture. A new exhibit at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Illinois, is exploring the role delis have played in Jewish culture and history. In America, many delis were founded by Holocaust survivors.

On a recent Friday afternoon at Kaufman’s Bagel and Delicatessen, in Skokie, Illinois, people lined up and waited patiently at the no-nonsense deli counter to place their orders. 

A toasted sesame bagel with slices of salty lox and chive cream cheese with a tomato slice. A thinly sliced corned beef on rye with extra yellow mustard. A pound of tuna salad. A few warm potato knishes for the road. This place, with a deli on one side and an abundant bakery on the other, has it all.

Kaufman's Bagel and Delicatessen was opened by Maury Kaufman in the 1960s. He was a Holocaust survivor who went on to employ many other survivors.
Kaufman’s Bagel and Delicatessen was opened by Maury Kaufman in the 1960s. He was a Holocaust survivor who went on to employ many other survivors.Kathleen Hinkel/Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center

Bette Dworkin has been the sole owner of Kaufman’s for 30 years. She took over the business from her parents, who bought the deli in 1984. She said her biggest competition is people’s memories.

“It’s what their mother used to make. It’s what their grandmother used to make. It’s what they remember from holiday meals,” she said, sitting by the window on a break between the many catering orders to fill.

Kaufman's Bagel and Delicatessen serves all kinds of kosher-style foods like tuna salad and chopped liver.
Kaufman’s Bagel and Delicatessen, in Skokie, Illinois, serves all kinds of kosher-style foods like tuna salad and chopped liver.  Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein/The World

People have been coming to Kaufman’s for over 60 years for these classics. It’s one of few in the area that have stood the test of time. 

Bette Dworkin has been the owner of Kaufman's Bagel and Delicatessen for 30 years. She took on the business from her parents.
Bette Dworkin has been the owner of Kaufman’s Bagel and Delicatessen for 30 years. She took on the business from her parents, who bought it from the original owner, Maury Kaufman, in 1984.Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein/The World

Now, Kaufman’s and other delis like it are being paid tribute at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, in an exhibit called, “I’ll Have What She’s Having.” The name riffs off of that famous deli scene in the 1989 movie, “When Harry Met Sally.”

“I’ll Have What She’s Having” is an exhibition that explores the history and cultural significance of Jewish delis in America.Kathleen Hinkel/Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center

The multimedia exhibit celebrates the evolution of the American Jewish deli “as a community forged in food.” It’s all part of an exploration of how Jewish immigrants and refugees — mostly from Central and Eastern Europe — adapted their traditions from back home to create a uniquely American phenomenon.

Holocaust survivors Fela and Leon Lesorgen, at Leon’s Deli, Howard and Crawford, Skokie, Ilinois. 
Holocaust survivors Fela and Leon Lesorgen, at Leon’s Deli, Howard and Crawford, Skokie, Ilinois. Courtesy of Regina Corush, Sheila Domash, and Seymour Lesorgen/Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center 

“Why is a show about delis at a Holocaust museum? Because of the survivors that were involved in the businesses, that frequented the businesses, that worked at the businesses. So, that was something that we really needed to bring to the forefront,” said Arielle Weininger, the chief curator of collections and exhibitions at the museum.

Arielle Weininger is the chief curator of collections and exhibitions at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, Skokie, Illinois.
Arielle Weininger is the chief curator of collections and exhibitions at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, Skokie, Illinois.Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein/The World

“In times of sadness and in times of grief, what do you have? You have a deli tray delivered to the shiva house,” she said. “In times of simcha, a bar mitzvah or a family holiday, you have a deli tray sent to the house. So, it’s comfort food for both joy and sadness.”

Weininger said the original exhibition took place at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, and planning for its debut in Illinois took several years. She said she wanted to give the exhibition a Midwestern spin, highlighting all of the beloved Jewish delis — past and present — in the Chicagoland area. 

Kaufman’s original deli meat slicer — fondly nicknamed “baby Bertha” — features prominently behind a glass display case that visitors see when they first walk into the show. That’s because “big Bertha” is still employed at the deli, Weininger said.

Kaufman's original
Kaufman’s original “baby Bertha” meat slicer is one of the many objects on display at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, Skokie, Illinois.Kathleen Hinkel/Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center

The original owner of Kaufman’s, Maury Kaufman, was a Holocaust survivor who migrated to Skokie from Eastern Europe in the late 1940s, along with thousands of other Jewish people. Skokie once had the largest number of Holocaust survivors outside of Israel. It was a big reason why, in 1977, neo-Nazis tried to hold a rally there.

When Dworkin’s parents first bought Kaufman’s in 1984, she said that nearly all of Kaufman’s employees were Holocaust survivors. “I’d say a minimum of 80% of the workforce, if not more, had numbers on their arms,” Dworkin told The World.

Places like Kaufman’s became an essential part of postwar life in America for European Jewish refugees who settled here.

On a recent Friday morning, groups of chatty students mingled among older visitors taking in all the sounds and sights of Jewish deli life in America – including original neon deli signs like the one from Nate’s Deli, made famous in the 1980s film, “The Blues Brothers,” where Aretha Franklin famously bursted out into song.

A sign from the former Nate’s Deli appears in the exhibition,
A sign from the former Nate’s Deli appears in the exhibition, “I’ll Have What She’s Having,” about the history of Jewish American delis. The sign is famous for its appearance in the 1980 film, “The Blues Brothers.” Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein/The World

Jan Mosoff was among the many enthusiastic visitors at the exhibit. She said she remembers going to Ashekenaz, her favorite deli on Chicago’s north side — but only once a month.

“We didn’t have money,” she said. “But once a month, we would definitely go out for Jewish food and we’d go to Ashkenaz. it was, like, the biggest treat you could have.”

Jan Mosoff (right), with her husband, Ron Mosoff (left) at the exhibit
Jan Mosoff (right), with her husband, Ron Mosoff (left) at the exhibit “I’ll Have What She’s Having.” Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein/The World
An image of an Asheknaz deli menu is on display. This deli was a favorite on Chicago's north side from1940 until the early 1970s, when it closed due to a combination of changing clientele and food trends.
An image of an Asheknaz deli menu on display. This deli was a favorite on Chicago’s north side from1940 until the early 1970s, when it closed due to a combination of changing clientele and food trends. Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein/The World

The exhibit includes old deli menus, matchbooks and memorabilia from many of these places, along with a wall of black-and-white photos featuring many of the original deli owners in action behind the counter.

There’s also a list of so-called Yiddishisms — words like balabusta (“a good homemaker”) and bisel (“just a little bit.”)

Yiddish was once the most widespread language in 19th-century Jewish European communities. The language nearly went extinct when many of its speakers were killed in the Holocaust. 

“I think it’s very significant that those Yiddishisms are up on that wall,” Weininger said.

“Yiddish is a language that is now pretty much, outside of the Orthodox Jewish community, gone. And yet, most of our relatives would have spoken it.”

Jan Mosoff said the show is a good reminder that there are many different parts to being Jewish.

“It’s not just a religion, it’s a culture,” she said. “And people grew up in different areas and have different experiences.”

One long wall of the exhibit features portraits and photos of deli workers and owners in action behind the counter, serving discerning customers.
One long wall of the exhibit features portraits and photos of deli workers and owners in action behind the counter, serving discerning customers.Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein/The World

Jennifer Rosner, from Highland Park, agreed. She said she feels more culturally Jewish than religious, and that food is the centerpiece of any good culture. 

Jennifer Rosner is a deli enthusiast who says she wants to open her own bagel shop one day.
Jennifer Rosner is a deli enthusiast who says she wants to open her own bagel shop one day. Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein/The World

Many of the old delis have long sinced shuttered, partly due to the owners dying or moving away, and changing food trends.

But Rosner is part of a new generation of deli lovers and said she even hopes to open up her own bagel shop one day. 

 “I just feel closer to my heritage when I’m in a delicatessen,” she said.

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