Carole Zabar, Zabar’s Feeding The City’s Stomachs & Minds Food & Philanthropy

When Carole Zabar first came to New York, she was working as a Hebrew teacher. A Detroit native, she first learned of the significance of her student, Saul Zabar’s, last name after the class reacted favorably upon hearing it. Unbeknownst to her at the time, he was known for being part of the culinary history of the city, and would one day become her husband.

On their first date, Saul took her to the store, which was much smaller at the time. “If you go into Zabar’s now, it would be where the appetizing is on the right and the fish is on the left, it was that width all the way to the back and nothing on the sides and nothing above there,” she explained. “It didn’t really impress me that much, but I was wrong.” When asked about her favorite delicacies there, she confessed she is not a “foodie,” so what impresses her most is the atmosphere. “The nicest thing to me about Zabar’s is the feeling of the store. It’s so warm and welcoming and so New York.”

After they married in 1968, she worked two days a week at Zabar’s until she had her second child. Since then, she has pursued diverse careers paths, from photography to law school. Her foray into the legal profession came at 49, after she was called in to jury duty for a murder trial. “And I thought, ‘This is so cool, I could definitely be better than both the prosecutor and defense lawyer,’” she said. That’s what prompted her to enroll at Fordham Law School. Upon graduation, she worked as a prosecutor in family court for six years. When asked what her husband thought about her midlife career change, she said, “My husband is a natural feminist. He was all for me going to law school.”

Now, she is devoted to the Other Israel Film Festival, an annual event she started eight years ago. As for how the idea first came about, she said, “My husband and I both are political. We belonged to Peace Now when it first started up. We were always interested in left-wing politics.” Each year, she travels to Israel with Saul and her two directors to attend the three major film festivals there. The country holds a special place in her heart since at 19 she left home to study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Another place that is a significant part of her life is the Jewish Community Center, where she spends part of every day. She remembers when the center had just opened here, and she was asked to be on the original board. “You know, in New York, people feel that this is a Jewish city, so they don’t really have to join something, but I thought it was a great idea,” she said, explaining that in Detroit, the JCC was at the core of the Jewish community.

Now, thanks to a $5 million donation, the Zabars have the center’s preschool named in their honor. Carole sees the value of philanthropy, acknowledging that her family did not come from wealth and she received a scholarship to attend college. “So I have a real appreciation of what other people’s money can do,” she said.