Israeli Deli Opens in San Rafael
A new Israeli deli named Eli's has opened at the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center in San Rafael. The cafe was founded by Israeli American therapist Dawn Daabul to introduce Israeli cuisine to the local community.
- The deli is named in memory of founder Dawn Daabul's father-in-law, Eli, who was a second-generation grocer in Kiryat Tivon, Israel. - The menu features a mix of Israeli and Jewish-American classics, such as chicken schnitzel on challah, house-made bourekas, and matzah ball soup. - Eli's sources ingredients from other Bay Area Jewish and Israeli-owned businesses, including bagels from Oakland's Boichik Bagels and coffee from Marin's Equator Coffees. - Founder Dawn Daabul, a practicing therapist, was partly motivated to create a safe and welcoming community space due to feelings of isolation following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. - The cafe space at the Osher Marin JCC had been without a permanent vendor since the Plaza J Cafe closed in 2020; previous cafes in the space did not have a specifically Jewish menu. - In addition to serving the public, the deli provides hot lunches for the JCC's preschool and the neighboring Brandeis Marin school, creating a stable revenue stream. - Access to the deli does not require a JCC membership, opening it to the broader Marin community. - While there are other Jewish delis in Marin, such as Loveski in Larkspur and Bubbala's Neighborhood Eatery in San Anselmo, their geographic separation means they are not in direct competition with Eli's.
