STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Marking the first day of Chanukah, Staten Island leaders led a sufganiyot crawl across locations on Staten Island on Monday, sampling the traditional dessert to celebrate Jewish tradition and support local businesses.
Despite recent incidents of antisemitism abroad, including attacks targeting Jewish communities, the crawl celebrated Jewish culture while emphasizing resilience and fostering community connections on the Island.
“This event takes on a deeper meaning as our hearts are still heavy after the news in Sydney, Australia,” said Jewish Community Relations Council of New York CEO Mark Treyger. “But in the spirit of the Jewish community and in the spirit of our history, we don’t cower, we don’t go back; we move forward and continue to gather together with friends, family and community the only way we know how.”
The crawl centered on Chanukah, the Jewish festival of rededication also known as the Festival of Lights. The eight-day holiday commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.”
Members of JCRC-NY, the Joan & Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, NYPD Deputy Chief Richie Taylor and Staten Island residents joined the crawl.
Jewish Community Relations Council of New York CEO Mark Treyger, the owner of Island Kosher, JCC of Staten Island CEO Orit Lender, and other members pictured together at Island Kosher, the first stop of Treyger’s sufganiyot crawl.Sydney Maldonado
The crawl began at Island Kosher, a kosher grocery and bakery on Victory Boulevard, where participants sampled an array of traditional and creative sufganiyot flavors, including jelly, custard, chocolate and cookies and cream.
JCC of Staten Island CEO Orit Lender, JCC board member Traci Frey and Staten Island residents participate in the sufganiyot crawl, tasting the sufganiyot at Island Kosher on Victory Boulevard.Sydney Maldonado
The store opened after the COVID-19 pandemic to give Staten Island residents easier access to kosher groceries.
The crawl’s second stop was Dairy Palace, a popular and long-standing kosher restaurant on Victory Boulevard, where sufganiyot were prepared in front of attendees using a special dough the restaurant has used since 1986.
Staff at Dairy Palace on Victory Boulevard in Staten Island making their traditional doughnuts for the sufganiyot crawl on Monday.Sydney Maldonado
Participants, including Treyger and local residents, sampled the freshly made doughnuts and latkes, tasting and commenting on their flavors and presentation.
The sufganiyot crawl wrapped up at the JCC of Staten Island, where participants gathered to celebrate Chanukah, sampling the final round of sufganiyot and other traditional holiday treats. Fossella and Treyger judged the offerings, while other attendees also tasted and enjoyed the treats.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, JCRC-NY CEO Mark Treyger, JCC of Staten Island CEO Orit Lender, NYPD Chief Richie Taylor, and other participants gathered at the JCC of Staten Island on Monday during the Chanukah sufganiyot crawl to taste test sufganiyot and latkes.Sydney Maldonado
Reflecting on the event, Borough President Vito Fossella expressed concern over recent antisemitic attacks and emphasized that Staten Island is committed to protecting all residents.
“In Staten Island, we are a community of peace, we have a community of inclusiveness, and we’re a community that stands with Israel and the Jewish community,” he said.
Treyger, the grandson of Holocaust survivors whose parents left the former Soviet Union, reflected on what he hopes participants, both Jewish and non-Jewish, take away from the event.
“What I hope today is that moments of celebration should be seen as moments of courage and joy to bring the entire community together. Not just during moments of crisis, but let’s also take stock of the blessings that we should be counting on and grateful for each and every single day,” he said.