Abe Lebewohl Explained

Abe Lebewohl
Birth Place:Lwów, Second Polish Republic (now Lviv, Ukraine)
Death Place:New York, New York
Occupation:Restaurateur

Abe Lebewohl (1931–1996) was the founder of the Second Avenue Deli.[1] The deli has been described as “possibly the Big Apple’s most well-known delicatessen” which was “famed worldwide as a hotspot for celebrities and regular Joe's alike.”[2]

Biography

Lebewohl was born in Lwów, Second Polish Republic (now Lviv, Ukraine). His father was sent to Siberia when the Soviets occupied western Ukraine and his mother to Kazakhstan. When the family was reunited, they made their way to Italy after spending time in Poland and Austria. In 1950, after five years in Italy, they emigrated to the United States, settling in a six-story walk up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.[3]

He was the founder of the Second Avenue Deli.

Abe Lebewohl Park is named in his honor.

While making a daytime run to the bank on March 4, 1996, he was murdered.[4] The gunman has never been caught. He is survived by his daughters Sharon Lebewohl, Felicia Lebewohl-Rosen and his brother Jack.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Abe Lebewohl Park . Official Website of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation . 7 September 2022.
  2. Web site: Cold Case Files: The Senseless Killing of a New York City Deli Icon and No Arrests Years Later . Front Page Detectives . 24 April 2021 . 7 September 2022.
  3. News: Weg . Zachary . Elegy for Abe Lebewohl . 7 September 2022 . Chelsea News . April 21, 2021.
  4. News: Swarns . Rachel L.. Owner of Second Avenue Deli Is Shot and Killed in Robbery . 7 September 2022 . The New York Times . March 5, 1996.