Abe Lebewohl

Abe Lebewohl
Born1931 (1931)
Lwów, Second Polish Republic (now Lviv, Ukraine)
DiedMarch 4, 1996(1996-03-04) (aged 64–65)
New York, New York
OccupationRestaurateur
Lion statue in Abe Lebewohl Park

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,[1] 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.[1][3] He is survived by his daughters Sharon Lebewohl, Felicia Lebewohl-Rosen and his brother Jack.

References

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