From Mrs. Stahl’s to Knyszyn and Back

Here’s the video from my presentation at TEDx:BroadStreetNY: Learning From History
at The Hive at 55, June 25, 2011.
The footage isn’t blurry, just this starter image… a reminder that it’s just not the same as being there in person. But a very close second.

The Backstory
I learned about this TEDx late in the game and took a chance on pitching the talk. (A conference in New York City about history without the knish?! ) Lucky for me, event organizer and leadership guru Holly Landau also had a connection to Mrs. Stahl’s Knishes —her grandparents lived near the Brighton Beach shop — and was on the lookout for a theme for the afternoon snack break. The humble hunk of dough saved the day.

We had cocktails and knishes, cocktail sized, of course, Cabbage, potato and kasha (buckwheat), from Yonah Shimmels, the closest knish purveyor, and one with more than 100 years of backstory.

And, speaking of Mrs. Stahl’s: big news! I’ve made contact with the Weingast family. The man who bought the shop from Mrs. Stahl’s niece is still recounting knish tales. What a gift. I’ve searched for Mrs. Stahl in birth records, death records, Brooklyn business records with no luck. The Weingasts were the missing link. Their name was on the front of the store — an integral part of the business.