Bronx, NY – The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is widespread – kosher-observant residents in the Bronx are facing serious challenges in accessing meals and local pantries are struggling to cope with the surge in demand. Council Member Andrew Cohen and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz are urgently calling on the City to make kosher meal offerings available to serve observant members of the Northwest Bronx community in Riverdale and Van Cortlandt Village. Nearly a month after the initial roll-out of New York City’s meal program for those in need, the City has made kosher meals available at fourteen grab-and-go locations in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island but have not offered any locations in the Bronx. There are elevated concentrations of people who observe kosher dietary rules near Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy (MS/HS 141) and the Sheila Mencher School (PS 95), which are currently operating as Meal Hubs where any New Yorker can receive up to three grab-and-go meals per day per person.

A 2011 Jewish Community Study from the UJA-Federation[1] indicates that the Riverdale/Kingsbridge area (which is defined as covering the 10463 and 10471 zip codes) has more than 22,000 people living in Jewish households, reflecting 25% of the total area population. The 2011 study also indicates that 30% of respondents in the Bronx consider themselves to be kosher households.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said: “People who eat kosher should be able to access grab-and-go meals in their own neighborhoods if they need it. Many observant households may not need help getting food, but for those who do – we should not be asking anyone to choose between their religion and fulfilling their basic need to eat. My office has been in frequent communication with the Mayor’s Office, and I hope to see kosher food available for my constituents in need as soon as possible. I cannot fathom that the Bronx does not have kosher-observant people in need of meal assistance. Even if it only helps a handful of people, this is the morally right thing to do.”

Council Member Andrew Cohen said: “No one should go hungry in this City. In the borough with some of the highest rates of poverty and food insecurity even before the COVID-19 crisis, the disparate access to kosher meals for Bronx residents is concerning and disappointing. We’re now seeing a combination of crises compounding serious food access challenges for kosher-observant residents – an economic crisis, a public health crisis, and a hunger crisis. Those who were previously in need are still in need and those who weren’t in need are now in need. We must act now to close the gap and ensure equitable food access for kosher-observant residents in the Bronx.”

[1] Jewish Community Study of New York: 2011 Geographic Profile, UJA-Federation of New York, Revised January 2013, pages 49-67. https://www.ujafedny.org/api/assets/785690/