J. Levine Books & Judaica: Five Generations of Literature for Open Minds

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Three Generations of the Levine Family

While other bookstores might “define” literature in a certain way, putting labels on books that place one genre above another, hiding certain genres in back corners and others in prominent locations, J. Levine Books and Judaica refuses to define literature. In a way, the store’s entire inventory is literature, not just the books. Everything in the store can be “read” as a part of the Jewish tradition. Each item is telling the story of what it means to be Jewish, and isn’t that what literature is? A story?

There are thousands of interpretations and definitions of literature, but what they all boil down to is a superior collection worthy of being treasured. It’s more about the tradition of keeping close what we define as having value to us than defining literature as books. As Raymond Williams suggests, thinking of literature as  a concept rather than a category allows for a broader interpretation of what literature can be.  The importance of this concept, Williams writes, is priority.  Priority in this sense is the things that we place above others in importance. At J. Levine this priority is evident in their focus on family.  Generally, literature is defined as the important books, the classics, the ones we need to remember.  In contrast, J. Levine places value on the traditions and culture of the Jewish family.  Each item in this Jewish bookstore is able to tell the story of all denominations of Judaism once you know how to look for it.

The store itself is very familiar with this concept of tradition by keeping it all in the family. Five generations of Levines have been keeping the business going, expanding from what once started with a religious scribe in Lithuania named Hirsch Landy. He distributed copies of the Torah and religious articles in Europe before immigrating to New York City’s Lower East Side where he began what would eventually become a thriving family business.

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J. Levine photo taken in the early 1940s between multiple Jewish bookstores on the same street. With a Jewish population reaching more than half a million by 1910, Landy’s son in law, Joseph Levine, decided then to expand the business.

At the time of J. Levine’s founding, the Lower East Side was the largest Yiddish-speaking community in New York.  An article on Jewish bookstores was written at this crucial moment in the area’s history.  It mentions the bookstore as a place to come together as a community: “there are usually from six to a dozen men…standing about in groups discussing with every appearance great excitement.” J. Levine has a similar vibe. The store’s online presence is full of family photos, but many of the posts on their Facebook page are shared or commented on by customers. Customers who have never stepped into the store can still feel as though they’re a part of the community, and a part of the family.

After a location change to Midtown, Manhattan in 1963, J. Levine still found itself a part of a diverse community, surrounded by imported culture.  Here, J. Levine has found a home for its family.  This history tells a story of tradition, religion, culture, and community, but above all family. There is a great celebration of bringing in something new and fresh to the equation, with a healthy respect for what previous generations have accomplished.

Those interested in reading J. Levine’s story might take to Facebook for some 21st century stalking before actually visiting the store.  At first they may be taken aback at the sight of its big, inflatable dreidel and busy window display, but J. Levine doesn’t care about fitting the image of a stereotypical bookstore.  Located just past the iconic sights and sounds of Broadway, this small Jewish bookstore is a place where one can immerse themselves and learn from a diverse selection of Jewish literature.  Tim Cresswell defines “place” as a meaningful location which people value. This includes what people say about it, what they feel about it, how it is represented architecturally, and the type of people who frequent that place. J. Levine and the rest of W. 30th Street have placed value on their location, creating a community where family is encouraged to flourish. This is evident in the very name of the bookstore, named after the Jewish family that has operated J. Levine for five generations.

Danny Levine invites customers to read their store as literature.
Danny Levine invites customers to read their store as literature.

As Laura Miller suggests in her book Reluctant Capitalists, J. Levine offers their customers a chance to shop for community, a place where they can form “social bonds based on the effective ties and mutual support” while appreciating a past “steeped in tradition” (Miller 119).  With Miller’s point in mind, and our understanding of how families form strong social bonds, we realized that by calling J. Levine we could understand the store’s diverse inventory.  Danny Levine, a fourth generation, graciously fielded our questions.  This allowed us to see how the store’s focus on Jewish culture made all their inventory literature, as every piece tells a story of Judaism. Everything  in the store can be read as a part of this tradition, showing a different part of their family and cultural story.

Midtown, Manhattan, and more specifically W 30th Street, is a hub for the culturally diverse, allowing both tourists and residents to be drawn to J. Levine.  The map below exemplifies how the stores surrounding J. Levine place value on their location and family history.

Midtown is a place to discover new things and J. Levine is proud to create a place where one can appreciate and interpret their literature.  With its location in such a diverse, flourishing neighborhood, it’s easy to see how J. Levine fits in: Midtown is a place to immerse yourself in culture.  They don’t look like a Barnes & Noble and they don’t care.

Jewish family and tradition are at the core of J. Levine. Even with the passing of time and changes in location, the business has maintained its identity. They have kept up with today’s fast paced and commercial society while retaining what makes the store so great; its focus on family. This focus is evident almost immediately upon entering the store, but as you go deeper – into the store itself and with your interpretation of the store – it becomes clearer.  This store is not simply selling Jewish tradition and culture, it is telling the story of Jewish tradition and culture.

Every store, intentionally or not, is telling a story through their layout. It is up to the customer to interpret that story.  It is possible to “read” a store simply by observing how the layout and arrangement of objects reflects the store’s identity.  In this case the identity of the store is tied to the family that owns it.

From the store’s Facebook page: “It was just another Wednesday until in “walked” 6th generation Logan Levine. She lit up the store and had a great time hanging with 4th generation Danny (Zeidy) and 5th generation Shawn (Tati).” The family plays a huge part in this store’s “story,” and with each new generation, the story grows.

The first thing a customer is greeted with upon entering the store is likely to be a greeting. The register is right by the door, and a highly praised staff member (possibly a member of the Levine family itself) will be there to answer any questions you might have or point you in the right direction. The employees care about what they are selling, and are willing to connect with customers who likewise care about what they are buying.  Both sides of this transaction are involved in the interpretation of J. Levine’s literature.  This builds bridges between the store and owner, between the customer and the family, between the people and their culture.

This exchange depends on the type of customer entering the store, but with the sheer amount of things the store has in its stock, it is likely that anyone would be able to find something for their tastes (and if not it is probably on the business’s extensive website).

Website aside, the store itself is full of many things.  Bruno Latour, author of “Why Has Critique Run Out of Steam,” has complicated the idea of what a “thing” is, and what an “object” is. An object becomes a thing when it has meaning or importance placed on it. Every time you look at an object your mind associates things with it, drawing from your knowledge and experiences.  We can say that the candlesticks that J. Levine sells are just objects, sticks of wax with strings running through them, but when a family comes in to buy those candlesticks for their menorah, those objects become things. That family has given those candlesticks a meaning and a purpose. In this way, J. Levine is a store of potential “things.” Every object in the store has been given a potential meaning just by the fact that they are labeled Judaica. They are not just objects, they are Jewish objects, and that means that they have been given importance.

Below is an interactive floor plan of the store where you’re welcome to browse their diverse collection of literature.

The store is organized with this association of things and ideas in mind. Each product is grouped with others that may invoke similar feelings, allowing customers interested in one type of thing to have a similar interest in neighboring products. The store’s clutter makes it feel as though the differences and distinctions between objects have become erased due to their common Jewishness, and they are merely placed next to and among each other on account of everything in the store being Jewish. Although disorganized, most of the main attractions have a system. The store’s floor plan clearly organizes the major objects by type. If anything, the store’s “mess” is a testament to the sheer quantity of books and Judaica the store carries. The branching paths from the entrance create a logical progression of things and ideas.

To the left of the entrance is the main portion of the store’s Judaica and gift items. These things serve as a representation of Judaism’s rich history, meant to be displayed or used by families to celebrate their culture. They become physical symbols of a family’s faith, allowing them to add to their own family story.

A sample of the store’s Hagada selection, especially useful for Passover. They carry a wide variety representing multiple Jewish denominations.

As you progress further into the store, you come across objects that are less about decorating and more about inhabiting. Though these objects are still inherently rooted in tradition and culture, they are more introspective and personal. The bulk of these objects are books. Books carry the ideas of culture and tradition. In this bookstore those ideas of family and tradition are brought to life through physical objects.  As you head to the back of the store, the sections become more specialized (children’s books, Jewish Law, etc.). The categories all appeal to a desire or a need for knowledge in specific branches of Judaism, a contrast to the more general items in the front. Heading toward the back of the store, you are passing different stages of knowledge and familiarity.

J. Levine proves that there is more to being Jewish than reading classical Jewish texts. The diverse categories and friendly employees allow J. Levine to be a place where members of the Jewish community (and even those who are not part of the community) can feel welcome and create their own tradition and memories. The store’s variety allows customers to be as passionate as they want to about their Jewish heritage, picking and choosing from the vast options J. Levine provides. Whether it is learning about the general concept of the religion, or more detailed cultural ideas, the store allows the customer to create their own version of the Jewish story being offered to them.

Every aspect of J. Levine, from its history, to its community of customers, to the things it sells, to the encouraging family behind it that is always eager to help, cements this bookstore as a major landmark in Jewish American culture. With everything we have said about it, this is only a logical conclusion. After all, bookstores have always been places of learning and culture and J. Levine is no different. Okay, maybe it’s not exactly the same as most other bookstores. One only needs to look at the front of the store to realize that books are only half of what J. Levine sells. Does this make the legacy of the Levine family any less culturally relevant than any other bookstore? Of course not! Everything for sale, from the books and Judaica to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kippot and mini Zionist action figures, have just as much cultural and literary value as the books you are likely to find at the front of another bookstore.

Pictured above: Literature
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Kowabunga! Look at this literature for the whole family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Understanding this connection is important to seeing the significance of J. Levine, especially with the above context in mind. Through the sale of Jewish texts, Bibles, and even cookbooks, Jewish culture is kept alive and strong through the written word. Each of these things carries with it a personality and history that is unique to Judaism, telling and retelling a story of culture in its own way. Through the collection and study of the literature available at J. Levine, its customers become a part of this tradition and carry the culture with them.

This aspect of collection is key to endowing objects with cultural significance. James Clifford’s The Predicament of Culture reveals that collectible material objects are the embodiment of culture, and even things that are not necessarily “fine art” can eventually move up to that position with the right historical and cultural context. Some things that aren’t necessarily  seen as literature can eventually become literature. These objects evolve into valuable things through the sole virtue of carrying with them cultural life.

Yes, even these guys are literature. They represent a family of Jewish nationalists, telling a story that can be purchased at J. Levine.

And why not action figures? The mini Zionist action figures are representative of a part of Jewish culture and represent a family. They can be purchased, collected, analyzed, and read by customers to understand the significance of the thing before them: What story does this object tell and why is it being presented in this way? That sounds almost exactly like what we do with literature. In fact, a book on the Zionist movement would spark the same process of cultural analysis, the only difference being the more literal use of the word “read.”  Literature reveals and expands culture.  The Judaica, kippot, and toys do the job just as well as the books, provided you have the open mind to see their value.

The Levines know the importance of the literature on their shelves, having dedicated themselves to this role of cultural collection for five generations. Their passion for selling books and Judaica only adds to the cultural significance of everything in stock. The store reveals that being part of the Jewish family means so much more than a religion or system of belief. It is cooking. It is history. It is women and children. It is celebration. It is buying and selling. It is a way of life. The story this store is selling is one of familyNot only does that TMNT kippot carry with it a mixture of Jewish tradition and modern culture, but its location in J. Levine’s collection also gives it the history of the family that was so eager to see it added to someone else’s collection. They want their culture to be shared with others by letting customers buy into the family. Their willingness to help us make this blog and supply information is proof of that. They want you to know about them, and they want their collection of culture in your collection of culture. But don’t take our word for it. Take theirs:


This is a short documentary of J. Levine.

Sources

Images

All images from J. Levine Books & Judaica Facebook page unless otherwise noted.

“Pictured above: literature.”

“Yes, even these guys.”

 

Maps

Google Maps:  Geography of J. Levine Books & Judaica, View of West 30th Street

 

Video

Levine in the Media

 

Texts

-Benjamin, Walter, and Martin Jay. Unpacking My Library: A Talk about Collecting. San Francisco: Arion, 2010. Print.

-Brannon, Barbara A. “The Bookshop as ‘An Arsenal of Democracy’: Marion Dodd and Hampshire Bookshop during World War II.” PBSA March 1998, 5-31.

– Clifford, James. The Predicament of Culture: Twentieth-century Ethnography, Literature, and Art. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988. Print.

-Cresswell, Tim.  Place:  A Short Introduction.  Malden, MA:  Blackwell Pub, 2004.

-Latour, Bruno. “Why Has Critique Run out of Steam?”

-Miller, Laura J.  Reluctant Capitalists:  Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption.  Chicago:  University of Chicago Press, 2006.

-“Jewish Bookstores of the Old East Side.” The Book Peddler; Newsletter of the National Yiddish Book Exchange: 20-23. Rpt. in Brandels University Libraries ILL. 17th ed., Summer 1992. Print.

-Williams, Raymond. “Marxism and Literature.  1977. Print.

 

Articles

“Jewish Bookstores Writing New Chapters in Competition with Internet.” The Times of Israel. Web.http://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-bookstores-writing-new-chapters-in-competition-with-internet
J. Levine Co.A Modern Tradition “JUDAICA BOOK NEWS”, 1981″
http://www.levinejudaica.com/catalog/moderntraditions.html

J. Levine Books and Judaica: Defining “Jewish”

Most customers know what kind of store J. Levine Books and Judaica is from the moment they see the banner hanging outside, but if you happened to walk in not knowing it wouldn’t take long for you to realize the truth. This store is Jewish to its very core.

The window display features a variety of objects that the store offers, showing passersby a sample of what this store might be like on the inside.

As you enter the store, you immediately see that the store is filled to the brim with things. The store feels cluttered (because it is), and with clutter comes an aura of disorganization. This has been noted by many of the store’s reviews on Yelp. But despite the “mess” as some reviewers saw it, the store is still given mostly 5-star ratings. Perhaps this store’s customers do not care if the store looks disorganized as long as it has a good selection. And the store does have a good selection. In fact, the website features over 30,000 items. In the store itself the clutters makes the store feel as if the differences and distinctions between objects has become erased due to their common Jewishness, and they are merely placed next to and among each other on account of everything in the store being Jewish. Although disorganized, most of the main attractions have a system. The store’s floor plan clearly organizes the major objects by type. If anything, the store’s “mess” is a testament to the sheer quantity of books and judaica the store carries.

The clutter is evidence that J. Levine Books and Judaica is a collection. It is a collection of every aspect of “Jewishness” that can be imagined. In this way, the store’s clutter is not detrimental. Walter Benjamin speaks to this idea of collections and collectors in his essay “Unpacking My Bookstore.” He says, “there is in the life of a collector a dialectical tension between the poles of disorder and order” (60). This tension between order and disorder in the store is clear when you look at a floor plan of the store (provided below). Though there are clear, marked sections of the store on the map, the map can’t possibly show the clutter of objects that have no place or the sheer volume of objects the store possesses.

The store is full of many “things.” I put “things” in quotes because things are more than objects. Bruno Latour, author of “Why Has Critique Run Out of Steam,” has complicated my idea of what a “thing” is, and what an “object” is. An object becomes a thing when it has meaning or importance placed on it. We can say that the candlesticks that J. Levine sells are just objects, sticks of wax with strings running through them, but when a family comes in to buy those candlesticks for their menorah, those objects become things. That family has given those candlesticks a meaning and a purpose. In this way, J. Levine is a store of potential “things.” Every object in the store has been given a potential meaning just by the fact that they are labeled Judaica. They are not just objects, they are Jewish objects, and that means that they have been given importance. They are Jewish “things.” J. Levine Books and Judaica become a place where the idea of what “Jewishness” is can be complicated.

A Moses action figure and the plagues turned into toys are just some of the ways in which religion is turned into something fun to learn about.

I’m sure that many people think of religious books when the words “Jewish Bookstore” are uttered, but J. Levine Books and Judaica proves that there is more to being Jewish than reading the bible. Curiously, the bibles and prayer books are in the back corner of the store. Let’s imagine a potential customer. Immediately upon entering the store, they are greeted by the sight of the friendly employees at the register, eager to help people find what they are looking for. The bibles are straight ahead to the back. Before reaching the bible section of the store, a customer must first pass the “Intro to Judaism” section. Perhaps they’ll stop here and look around and realize that “Judaism” is a term that covers a whole host of topics. Maybe they’ll ignore this section, or maybe they are intrigued. They would then immediately be walking past a whole section devoted to cookbooks. If this doesn’t remind them that “Jewish” is a culture as well as a religion, the rest of the store will do that for them. If they continue past the cookbooks, they’ll then pass “History” before reaching the kid’s books section. The toys are also near the kids books. Here is a place where being Jewish is cool and fun.

If customers followed this path through the store, they would reach the prayer books and bibles after seeing a wide selection of books. But if they followed a different way through the store to reach the back, they would experience something else.

If, upon entering the store, a customer decides to turn left, they would first encounter the gifts and art sections. It immediately becomes clear that this store is devoted to people, relationships and family. This is not surprising since  the store has been a multi-generational family business. As this anonymous customer heads towards the back of the store, they will pass the seasonal section, a reminder that life is not always static. The store goes all out when Hanukkah approaches, but that is not the only holiday to be celebrated. J. Levine Books and Judaica never lets you forget that there is more to Judaism than  Hanukkah. There is more evidence that life can be a Jewish experience when the customer reaches the back of the store. It is here that they find the Ketubah Center. Here, couples can begin the process of marriage and spending their lives together. If the customer than continues towards the register at the front of the circle, they will pass the children’s section (first comes love, then comes marriage…). As they leave the store, just by walking around the store they have created a kind of Jewish life cycle.

In the end, the store reveals that Judaism is not just a religion or a way to believe. Being Jewish means so much more than that. It is cooking. It is history. It is women and children. It is celebration. It is a way of life. It is more.

Sources:

Websites:

Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/j-levine-books-and-judaica-new-york

Images:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Levinejudaica/photos_stream

Texts:

Benjamin, Walter, and Martin Jay. Unpacking My Library: A Talk about Collecting. San Francisco: Arion, 2010. Print.

Latour, Bruno. “Why Has Critique Run out of Steam?”

Floor-plan: http://www.thinglink.com/scene/632723885569081345

 

J. Levine Judaica: An Organized Chaos of Memories and Passion

My first conscious memory of collecting began sometime in my early childhood when Kellogg’s graciously gifted me a shiny, blue Hot Wheels car at the bottom of my Frosted Flakes.  “Collect them all!” the box advertised, successfully convincing my sister and I to eat our way through box after box of sugary corn flakes in the quest of a new toy.  Perhaps it was my fascination with miniature objects or the lure of new Hot Wheels, but either way I was determined to have them all.  Walter Benjamin would describe this hoarding as a “passion [bordering] on the chaos of memories” (Benjamin 60).  For Danny Levine, a fourth generation at J. Levine Books & Judaica, his collection of memories is nearly 125 years in the making.  From its origins in Europe to its current location in vibrant Manhattan, J. Levine Books continues to passionately serve the their customers, inviting them to browse their own carefully crafted collection.  Although its bright and busy storefront advertises the prominent role it plays in serving the Jewish community, the interior of the store reveals a much more complex nature, one where importance is placed on family and maintaining tradition.

Levine’s emphasis on the importance of family can be seen in an analysis of the store’s floor plan.  Below, you’ll find a replica of the merchandise layout, courteously provided by Danny Levine.  In order to see how J. Levine’s focus on tradition and memories is evident throughout their store, follow the arrows below, making sure to hover over the sections with red circles.

Like any great collector, J. Levine organizes their products in a specific way, allowing customers to get the most out of their experience.  From its perch on 5 West 30th Street, it’s immediately obvious to any passersby that J. Levine celebrates and upholds Judaism.  Coming in the front door, a window display features a large, inflatable menorah and mannequins dressed in traditional Jewish garb posed next to more traditional Jewish collectibles.  Behind all this, a life size photo of Danny Levine, his arms spread out in an opening embrace, welcomes visitors to the store.  It’s clear that J. Levine poses itself as an oasis for the Jewish community, one where everyone can feel welcome and wanted to create their own tradition and memories.

Danny’s passion for family and the memories associated with his store were apparent to me when I spoke on the phone with him a week before publishing this post.  Although I do not practice Judaism, nor was I interested in buying anything when I called the store, he was genuinely excited to help me with my research.  Though our conversation only lasted a few minutes, it was obvious to me that his store means a great deal to him.  His lineage is a source of pride for him and his family, and the layout of the store emphasizes this familial passion.

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Artwork featured at J. Levine

Entering the front door, one is instantly greeted with tables of art and gifts.  Here, the customer is able to peruse adornments and trimmings for their home that serves as a reminder of Judaism’s rich past.  Just to the left of these tables hangs Mezuzahs, parchments inscribed with specific Hebrew versus from the Torah, a physical symbol of a family’s faith.

Down this same wall are the shelves holding candlesticks and Kiddish cups.  By following this path, it’s easy to notice what the products have in common: they’re all to be used by a family.  The art and collectibles, Mezuzah and Kiddish cups are meant to be enjoyed and utilized by multiple people.  With these products, the Jewish faith becomes celebrated.  Following the path, you’ll next pass by a bookshelf housing Seasonal and New Judaica.  Located in the middle of the store across from the Kiddish cups and candlesticks, these are the first set of books you encounter in the store.  From there, the next section includes books on Hebrew, Kids, and Kabbalah.  In the back, Women and Jewish Law reside.  Directly behind them is the Ketubah Center and Simcha, a place where couples are able to get what they need to begin their new journey in life together.

The categories all appeal to a desire for a need or knowledge in specific branch of Judaism, a contrast to the more general items in the front.  Opposite them, Bibles, Prayer Books, Toys, and History line the wall, with Talits and Kippots further down.  Finally, having come almost a full circle, cookbooks and Introduction to Judaism appear on your right while the register appears on your left.  Interestingly, the first set of books the customer reaches are meant to introduce and expose the reader to Judaism as a whole.  The books towards the back of the store become increasingly more specific, beginning to shy away from the family and focus more on the individual.  However, nearing the end of the path the focus shifts again, redirecting the emphasis back to the familial unit.

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Even the furry family member can shop at J. Levine

Levine operates under an organized chaos; shelves are brimming with books, tables are buried under home goods and art. Memories from the past 120 years are apparent in every corner. Following the store through the path above, the customer is first shown items representing the importance of the Jewish family.  Kiddish cups and Mezuzahs are physical reminders and vestibules for making memories, and New Judaica reveal a frontlist, enticing consumers to add the new and fresh to their existing collection.  The back of the store can be seen as the opportunity to express oneself, adding fresh material to the Jewish community.  Including subjects such as Women, Jewish law, and Children allows J. Levine to serve a diverse clientele, one where any denomination of Judaism can feel welcome.  At the end of the path, tradition and family makes itself apparent again.  Kippots and cookbooks reinforce the passion J. Levine has for family values and tradition through the physical act of following Jewish customs.  Although the store is small, it is packed with memories, allowing consumers a place to become as passionate as J. Levine about their Jewish heritage.

Tim Cresswell claims that “place is not just a thing in the world but a way of understanding the world” (Cresswell 11).  At J. Levine, visitors are able to recognize the passion the store has for family and tradition and learn about Judaism, whether it be a general concept or a more detailed branch of the religion.  Analyzing the floor plan of the store allows us to understand the construction of memories and the importance of family in Judaism.

I no longer remember what became of those Hot Wheels cars I was determined to have so long ago, and perhaps its for the best.  Collections lose their meaning once passion is lost, and I would no longer have any use for them.  An undying passion for family and memories is what has allowed J. Levine to flourish for over 120 years, giving them a place where their customers are able to celebrate and understand Judaism.

 

Sources

Floor plan

Courtesy of Danny Levine and powered by ThingLink

Images

Artwork and Furry Family Member, http://sideways.nyc/2013/09/j-levine-books-judaica/

Images appearing in floorplan, http://sideways.nyc/2013/09/j-levine-books-judaica/ and http://www.levinejudaica.com/catalog/index.php

Sites

Danny Levine and J. Levine Books & Judaica, http://www.levinejudaica.com/catalog/index.php

Texts

Benjamin, Walter.  Illuminations.  New York:  Schoken Books, 1955.

Cresswell, Tim.  Place:  A Short Introduction.  Malden, MA:  Blackwell Pub, 2004.

 

J. Levine Books and Judaica: Jewish History in Motion

Not many businesses can say that they’ve managed to stay in the family for five generations, be continually in business for over 120 years, suffer three location changes and are still going strong as the leader in their field.  J. Levine Books and Judaica prides itself on being a store that can boast such an impressive history

The company was founded in Lithuania in 1890 by Rabbi Hirsch Landy and brought to the New York’s Lower East Side when he immigrated there in 1905. Landy was a scribe who started to sell the scrolls he produced. In 1920, his son-in-law, Joseph Levine expanded the business. A small Judaica shop was opened at 73 Norfolk  street where it was located until 1963. This is the first of many instances of the next generation of Levines expanding the business to fit that time’s cultural and economic climate.

Second generation owner Joseph Levine (right) with oldest son Harold Levine (left) in front of original 73 Norfolk Street store on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. c. 1940

The block with the original store was torn down in 1963 and the store moved to 58 Eldridge Street, a narrow, tenement lined street in the heart of the neighborhood’s Jewish immigrant community. J. Levine’s wasn’t the only Jewish store in the area, not even the only bookstore. At that time, the Lower East Side was the world’s largest Yiddish-speaking community, with a Jewish population reaching more than half a million by 1910. At this time, Landy’s son-in-law, Joseph Levine, went on to expanded the business to become the largest manufacturer of synagogue vestments.

Joseph is also the one who introduced a pushcart to the business.

At the same time as Joseph Levine bringing new ideas to the business, an article about Jewish bookstores appeared in The Outlook. In it, the reporter amazes at the sheer number of bookstores in the Lower East Side, despite it essentially being a poor Jewish neighborhood. But what he says later makes sense when you look at the specific example of J. Levine Books and Judaica. The reporter paints a picture of Jewish bookstores that in many ways is stereotypical, but he is on to something when he speaks of the bookstore being a place where members of the community can gather. He says, “there are usually from six to a dozen men…standing about in groups discussing with every appearance great excitement”. This excitement has certainly carried over to today’s iteration of the store. The store’s Facebook page is not only full of posts, those posts themselves are often commented on or shared by the store’s loyal customers. This is today’s version of standing around in a bookshop talking to each other. The Outlook article also mentions a trait of these Jewish bookstores that is still around today. From the outside, “they look like shops for the sale of ritualistic accessories”. The windows, “are filled with prayer shawls…brass candlesticks” and many other non-book items. When looking at J. Levine Books and Judaica, this model of design can probably be accredited to Joesph’s sons.

From Left to Right: Danny Levine – 4th Generation, Shawn Levine – 5th Generation, Seymour Levine – 3rd Generation

After Joseph’s success his three sons, Harold, Seymour and Melvin, further developed the business into more of a department store of Jewish books and Judaica, similar to what it is today. Seymour handled the business and public relations side of the business. He traveled to conferences and Jewish gatherings around the country to exhibit wares. This gave the store a presence nationally as well as locally. After the brothers retired, J. Levine Books and Judaica moved to the heart of midtown Manhattan under the leadership of Danny Levine, Landy’s great-grandson. This 1986 move was a part of the “Jewish exodus from the Lower East Side”. This mass move away from the Lower East Side was largely a result of the post-World War Two economic boom. With economic prosperity came mobility, and those sons and grandsons of Jewish immigrants moved to the Bonx, Queens, Long Island, and New Jersey. As the Jewish people left, so to did thier businesses, and they were quickly replaced by the next wave of immigrants, these ones from China. By the 70’s, many Jewish owned stores began to wither and die from lack of Jewish patronage.  By the time of J. Levine’s move, the Lower East Side was becoming more and more Chinatown, a shift that though paralleling the Lower East Side’s Jewish immigration past, pushed those same lingering Jewish immigrants families away to greener pastures.

J. Levine profited at its new location, and began to gain more notice not only by word of mouth, but also by newspaper and television. In the 1990s, J. Levine started getting attention for its yarmulkes with cartoon characters on them. Though a few people were against the intermingling of secular and religious, many adults agreed that if they got kids to wear their yarmulkes more willingly than it was good. This example is just one of many that show how J. Levine is good at selling not just traditional Judaica, but also items that are more modern and are for a younger, more commercialized crowd. One only has to look at the inflatable dreidel that sits in front of the store during Chanukah to see what I mean.
A September 1990 article.
In more recent history, J. Levine, like many bookstores, struggled at first to compete with online booksellers such as Amazon. To counter the loss of sales it has had to adapt, and unlike many similar Judaica stores, it has been successful. Between 2000 and 2005, sales dropped as customers turned to Amazon, but as the company has begun to get used to an online commerce environment, sales have increased, especially with the large amount of traffic on the store’s website. The store has also adapted by putting more of an emphasis on selling Judaica. Religious and ceremonial items bring in more money than books. Daniel Levine also credits his business’s success to its long history and loyal customers who appreciate the advantage of a physical store.
As I stated above, J. Levine is a nationally and internationally known business. It has featured in newspapers both here and abroad, aimed at Jewish audiences and general audiences, featured on news segments, and has even been known to supply props for TV shows and movies. A recent example is “This is Where I Leave You”, where props from J. Levine make the Jewish aspects of the movie more authentic. This is a business that knows what must be done to stay relevant. From cartoon yarmulkes to a strong online presence (including a very active Facebook page), J. Levine has been able to adapt to attract modern audiences to its store. Perhaps this idea of adaptation over nostalgia is what allowed it to move out of the encroaching Chinatown and into a more profitable section of the city, and why it is still going strong today.
There is certainly something special about this business. Current owner Daniel Levine believes that he knows why. He remarks that the business’s long history is something special because, “if you look in the Torah, the first brothers were Cane and Abel. And they killed each other. Family doesn’t tend to stick together like this”. If J. Levine continues to invest in the familiar environment it has ingrained in its history, there is no doubt that J. Levine Books and Judaica will be around for many generations to come.
Daniel Levine President, Fourth generation, Shawn J. Levine Fifth generation

Sources:

Articles:

Fishkoff, Sue. “From Bagels to Dim Sum.” Jerusalem Post (1993): n. pag.ProQuest.

“Jewish Bookstores of the Old East Side.” The Book Peddler 17 (1992): 20-23. Print.

Robin, Joshua. “Sounds of New Year, The Shofar, Traditionally Used during Rosh Hashanah, Can Be a Ram’s Horn or That of Other Animal.”Newsday [Long Island] 3 Oct. 2005: n. pag. ProQuest.

Websites:

http://www.facebook.com/Levinejudaica/timeline

http://azjewishpost.com/2012/jewish-bookstores-writing-new-chapters-in-competition-with-internet/

http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new_york/seymour_levine_90_owned_famed_bookstore

Timeline:

http://www.dipity.com/griffithk/J-Levine-Books-and-Judaica/

 

All Images from J. Levine Books and Judaica’s Facebook page.

American Dream Comes True in Manhattan: Humble Beginnings to Thriving Bookstore in Midtown

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Danny Levine – 4th Generation, Shawn Levine – 5th Generation, Seymour Levine – 3rd Generation

Back in 1890, Hirsch Lany, a religious scribe in Lithuania began the company now known as  J. Levine Books and Judaica. He distributed copies of the Torah and religious articles in Europe before immigrated to New York City’s Lower East Side, in 1905 where he started what would become a thriving family business spanning over one hundred and twenty years, and five generations.

The store is still, first and foremost, a family-run business. The employees introduce themselves not only by their name, but also their generation. It’s a small personal touch, but communicates to visitors a much more personal atmosphere when stepping into their store. They have also implemented this into their website and social media outlets to further convey this sense of closeness with customers no matter how far away they may be. This sense of family and tradition conveyed by the store assists customers in being included not only in the history of their family, but their “place” as well.

Lower East Side c. 1900s
Lower East Side c. 1900s

Their store is located in Midtown Manhattan, a booming metropolis of tourist attractions and international business; although, that isn’t the company’s original location. They started out on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, in 1905 and remained at that location until the opening of their Midtown location in 1986. Today, New York City’s Lower East Side is much more up-scale than it was in the early 1900’s. As Tim Cresswell writes in Defining Place, “towards the southern tip of Manhattan and to the east of center is an area – a place – known as the Lower East Side. This is an area which has been known as a place of successive immigrant groups – Irish, Jewish, German, Italian, Eastern European, Haitian, Puerto Rican, Chinese.” Cresswell also explains how  a sense of place is dependent on the changing history and general feel of a location, but its the social and economic history as well. The history of a “place” changes as time goes on, although it helps to shape the historical foundation of the location that its in.

Additionally, an article entitled Jewish Bookstores of the Old East Side, by The Spectator was published in 1906 which discussed Jewish and Yiddish literary outlets in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Admittedly the article is extremely biased and makes use of popular stereotypes of the time; however, it gives some helpful insight into the neighborhood dynamic at the time. In a small introduction produced by The Book Peddler, the publishing magazine this article was reprinted by, the reader is told that “the Lower East side harbored more bookstores per capita—and more people ready to talk about books—than any other neighborhood in New York! Reading his account, it is little wonder that 86 years later so many Yiddish bookstores are still to be found among the heirs of the original immigrant population”. These heirsjudaica_book_news2 populating the area J. Levine and Judaica started in were heavily “bookish”. The article goes on to describe the neighborhood as a primarily Yiddish speaking community, so the prevalence of books in the language  were primarily found in this part of New York.

Literature was made more accessible to those speaking Yiddish at the time, and it wasn’t all Jewish. Certain stores had Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Voltaire, Dante, Shelley, etc. There were, of course, religious texts, but the Jewish community at the time was more interested in the availability of texts in a language more widely understood than English in an immigrant community. There is still a large Jewish community in New York City today and although it is no longer on the Lower East Side, and J. Levine and Judaica is no stranger to it. Throughout their history they have worked with their community to help wherever needed, even in providing textbooks to schools. J. Levine and Judaica added books as a way to spur more business, although with book sales dropping somewhat in recent years, they have taken the backseat to their Judaica items in the store.

As times have changed, so must business tactics. J. Levine Books and Judaica began as a continuation of Lany’s work abroad, but with the addition of his son-in-law, J. Levine, it soon expanded to include a variety of different products including embroidery and sewn religious articles. More recent generations have included the implementation of more “modern” products and patterns including singing dreidels, and Mickey Mouse Yarmulkes. On their website they provide a documentary of their store which demonstrates how they’ve moved through the years and many advances they’ve made:


J. Levine Books & Judaica Documentary

The history of their store hit a bumpy road with the addition of online competition, from large companies like Amazon.com. J. Levine Books and Judaica had no choice but to join the 21st century, and have done so successfully with over thirty thousand items on their online store, and three social media outlets They have been able to change and adapt with the times. In an article by The Jewish Week, J. Levine Books and Judaica is said to have changed for modern times to stay afloat “like many traditional bookstores, J. Levine is wrestling with an adapt-or-die reality as it competes with online mega-booksellers such as Amazon. The brick-and-mortar shops have developed a variety of strategies to stay profitable and deal with declining book sales,” (Sales). In this article, Ben Sales also states that from 2000 to 2005 their sales dropped by eighteen percent due to the emergence of Amazon.com. Fortunately, they bounced back with an online store, and strong social media presence. Throughout the history of their store, they’ve adapted in order to stay in the game.

In the timeline below I’ve highlighted the ways J. Levine Books and Judaica has changed and adapted over the years to attract more business and to adjust for more contemporary times.

The most recent addition to the store’s management, fifth generation Shawn J. Levine has been instrumental in their online presence. In the documentary listed above, he articulates that although they have a great number of items available on their online catalog, they are still hoping that people will be wiling to come into their store and have more of a face-to-face interaction.

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From Left to right: David Levine, Shawn Levine, Logan Levine

J. Levine Books and Judaica accomplished what only a fraction of the immigrants having come into the country from Ellis Island were able to. They attained the “American Dream”. An immigrant man moving to New York City to be a successful religious book distributor, ends up beginning a multi-generational family business still centered on their religious ideals. Today, the store has been featured in The New York Times, AP articles, Wall Street Journal, CNN, and YouTube. Now under management of fifth generation Shawn J. Levine, with the help of his father David, the store is headed for nothing but success. In the picture to the right from left to right are David, Shawn, and his daughter sixth generation Logan. Who knows what Logan’s generation will have to bring to the business!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

Books/Articles: 

Cresswell, Tim. Place: A Short Introduction. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2004. Print.

“Jewish Bookstores of the Old East Side.” The Book Peddler; Newsletter of the National Yiddish Book Exchange (n.d.): 20-23. Rpt. in Brandels University Libraries ILL. 17th ed. N.p.: n.p., Summer 1992. Print.

Websites:

J. Levine Books and Judaica
http://www.levinejudaica.com/catalog/index.php

J. Levine Co.A Modern Tradition “JUDAICA BOOK NEWS”, 1981″
http://www.levinejudaica.com/catalog/moderntraditions.html

 

Images:

J. Levine & Judaica 3 generations
https://www.facebook.com/Levinejudaica/photos/a.10151070103493392.439587.43626378391/10151070103528392/?type=1&theater

J. Levine Co. Photo
http://www.levinejudaica.com/catalog/moderntraditions.html

NYC Lower East Side c. 1990s
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mulberry_Street_NYC_c1900_LOC_3g04637u.jpg

Shawn & Daniel Levine
http://www.levinejudaica.com/catalog/index.php

 

Video:
J. Levine and Judaica Documentary (Youtube)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAzpIgYtk9k
Timeline:
created on dipity.com
http://www.dipity.com/ekstranda/J-Levine-Books-Judaica/

 

 

 

 

J. Levine Books & Judaica: An Evolving Business of Family and Community

To some people, carrying on the legacy and contributions your family has brought to the community for generations is important. To not only continue the traditions, but also the work of your parents and their parents (and their parents) can be you the subject of an admirable and heartwarming tale. On the other side of the spectrum, there is the celebration of bringing in something new and fresh to the equation, though preferably with a healthy respect for what previous generations have accomplished. Taking a new turn often works best for some generations, and can also lead to an admirable and heartwarming story. As the son of doctors who spends his days studying books and games, I clearly fall into the latter category. However, not every family’s story is so clear-cut between one or the other, as is the case with the Levines.

Cover photo from J. Levine’s Facebook page, featuring Danny Levine (left), Shawn Levine (middle), and Seymour Levine (right).

For the family behind J. Levine Books and Judaica, this is a story spanning 125 years. With the tale beginning with a Torah supplier named Hirsh Lany in Lithuania, it becomes clear that quite a lot has changed in that time. Nevertheless, each generation following his arrival to America never strayed too far from their roots, sticking with the family business while gradually transforming it into the bookstore we all know and love today. This could place their heartwarming tale close to the fence on what type of story it is, but I would still say they stand firmly on the side of legacy. In spite of the changes and adaptations over the generations, J. Levine has always been a bookstore dedicated to the current needs for each generation of the Jewish community.

Key moments in this bookstore’s evolution can be seen below.

Yes, I said “evolution.” Each point on this timeline depicts a moment in which the bookstore adapted itself to better fit the needs of the community. Laura Miller refers to community as “social bonds based on affective ties and mutual support” (119), and if the story of Lany and the Levines is any indication, nothing could be more important to their business than this idea of community. This is evident in the company’s first transformation from Lithuanian to American. While the Jewish community was dying out in Lithuania, it was growing in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Lany simply followed to where he could continue to serve in mutual support for the community.

The Levines display the works of professionals from throughout the community.

Though none of the future changes or decisions were as drastic or urgent as what Lany had to do, each generation followed in his footsteps and continued to alter the function of the bookstore as time went on. When their times came to take charge of the family business, Joseph and Seymour both looked to the community (though this is much more obvious in Seymour’s case). These adaptations are similar to trends Miller noted in other bookstores, which expanded the nature of their businesses to include services and goods beyond bookselling. It wouldn’t be until Danny’s run of the store when we would see additions such as Batman-inspired Judaica and Zionist Action Figures, but for their part, Joseph and Seymour’s expansions greatly altered the initially narrow function of J. Levine into something that would continue to contribute to an ever-evolving customer base and community.

J. Levine continues to evolve, keeping up with the digital age with their website allowing for online orders and assistance to members of the global community. However, appeasing the global community is only part of the picture. J. Levine’s success is owed to how the company has coexisted with the local community. As it turns out, the Lower East Side was the perfect place for a Jewish bookstore to set up shop. According to an old (and admittedly biased) article from The Outlook, the Jewish community of the Lower East Side was obsessed with Yiddish literature. Nowhere else had the author seen such a collection of cooperating bookstores (though their cooperation may not have quite as close to the level of “trust-evil” as he implied). Though flawed in its portrayal of the community, the article does get at the spirit of a neighborhood that showed tremendous support for endeavors in knowledge and culture such as the bookstore.

Of course, this support was mutual. While the customers in the community hungered for Yiddish texts (and other Jewish goods), the salesmen were ready to sate that appetite with the right book. Wanting to have the right books for regulars in the community is not an uncommon trait for independent bookstores, and has been a sentiment shared by various owners, such as Madge Jenison of Sunwise Turn. Just as each generation behind J. Levine had been ready to adapt to the needs of the community as a whole, so too were they capable in satisfying individuals within the community. Danny attributes the success of J. Levine to the dedication of booksellers such as Rabbi Philip Kastel, who knew their full stock of books just as well as he knew every one of their customers during his time as a manager, just as much as he does to his family’s ability to adapt.

Such dedication to the community has been the central theme of J. Levine’s story for five generations, and it shows no sign of changing. The family legacy of the Levines is not just the bookstore, but also their devotion to the community. This dedication has taken different forms with each generation as the store evolved, but each turn and variation was each son’s take on fulfilling their fathers’ legacy. I might not be the most qualified to tell you what this story all means in the end, since the responsibilities I’ll be taking up in life are wildly different from my father’s. For that, you should read the anecdote in this article about Seymour. You might find what he says to be admirable and heartwarming.

 

Sources

Images

Danny, Shawn, and Seymour Levine

Levines with Display

Timeline: “Expansion”

Timeline: “Today”

Timeline

Dipity: J. Levine Books and Judaica History

Texts

Jenison, Madge. Sunwise Turn: A Human Comedy of Bookselling. New York City: E.P. Dutton & Company, 1923.

“Jewish Bookstores of the Old East Side.” The Book Peddler Summer 1992, 20-23.

Miller, Lauren J. Reluctant Capitalists. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2007.

Websites

J. Levine Books & Judaica

J. Levine Books & Judaica in the Media

J. Levine Books & Judaica on Facebook

J. Levine: Who We Are

The Jewish Week

New York Times: The Media Business

J. Levine Books: An Appreciation of the Past

Since the dawn of time humans have always had a fascination with predicting the future.  We’ve employed a plethora of techniques, some more credible than others, in our quest of determining the undeterminable.  Chain and independent bookstores have been subjected to this treatment, scrutinized and analyzed by the literary elite in the hopes of cracking the code in determining which one will come out on top.  It’s a boxing match; each side dancing precariously around the ring, throwing lithe right hooks while simultaneously trying to dodge injury.  J. Levine Books & Judaica has seen its own time inside the ring and has remained relatively unscathed.  With Amazon and other big named bookstores carrying Judaic sections, they’ve maintained their helm as the premiere supplier for the Jewish community for over 125 years.  Although we may not know the future of J. Levine, understanding its extensive history will at least help us appreciate its present position in the book industry.

 

Having an independent bookstore nestled on the main street of my sleepy college town, a Barnes and Noble in the next town over, and the power of Amazon at my fingertips, I am given a variety of options for all my literature needs.  Personally, I find myself drawn to the independent, brick-and-mortar bookstore.  Diving through a bin of dog-eared titles with ridiculously inexpensive price tags feels like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, searching laboriously for the Holy Grail of pen-and-ink classics.  The customers of J. Levine Books & Judaica often find themselves on a similar mission, sifting through the wide variety of merchandise in search of a new read, dreidel, or Ketubah L’Chaim for their upcoming wedding.  While most of the store’s customers are either Jewish or in the process of converting to Judaism, the store’s diverse merchandise offers those who do not practice the chance to explore the religion and understand it fully.

J. Levine’s origins began in Europe, in the small nation of Lithuania, where Hirsh Lany acted as a distributor of Torahs and other religious articles. Finally in 1905, due to the depletion of the Jewish community, Lany moved his family and business to the Lower East Side of New York, continuing to distribute his products. Lany could not have picked a better home for his company: the Lower East Side at the turn of the century was quickly turning into the capital of Jewish America.  Businesses, libraries, places of worship and entertainment were all run by members of the Jewish community, solidifying its niche in the city as a cornerstone of religious diversity.  Traveling to the Lower East Side in 1905 could not include at least one interaction with a Jewish business owner, resident, or consumer, as it held the greatest concentration in Jewish life the world had seen in almost several centuries.

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The Lower East Side, 1902

 

The Lower East Side’s culturally diverse population during this time was a direct correlation of its overall size.  More than 700 people occupied an acre, making it the most crowded neighborhood in the world at the turn of the twentieth century.  As a result, health standards were at a minimum, clean water was scarce, and thieves and con artists ran ramped.  However, it is clear that J. Levine found economic success even in such unfavorable conditions.  Their products created a connection between the new and old world, allowing the readers to loose themselves in the text before them, shutting out the hustle and bustle and streams of raw sewage in the streets of the Lower East Side.

judaica_book_news2
J. Levine at its Lower East Side location

Despite the less than savory living conditions, the store’s first major change began in 1920 when the second generation of Levine included embroidered and sewn religious articles in his inventory.  This shift in inventory marked the store as a major manufacturer of embroidered products.  Although subtle, this change became a stepping stone for other improvements and additions.  The 1940s also brought change to the store; the third generation expanded J. Levine into a sort of department store for the Synagogue, school, and Jewish community.  Here, their first attack on their competitors began, allowing them to grab the upper hand in the fight to maintain their stance and expand their clientele.

J. Levine Judaica saw its biggest change when it moved its store location from the Lower East Side to Midtown permanently in 1990. Danny Levine, the fourth generation of this illustrious book selling family, was the major motivator behind the move. Midtown, the heart of Manhattan, offered the Levines the opportunity to further expand their business, now easily accessible to tourists and locals alike, thanks to its location just off 5th Avenue.  Here, while they were no longer in the heart of the Jewish Lower East Side, J. Levine was still able to encompass the nostalgia of the community by expanding their merchandise yet again to include items such as toys and videos.  Danny Levine could not have picked a better or location or timing for the move.  Just before the turn of the century Midtown was faced with a boom in terms of commercial success; facing a redevelopment itself, the neighborhood found itself in possession of bringing in more business that would appeal to its characteristically slightly reserved and tourist driven population.  The new store was within walking distance of the Lower East Side but now in the heart of a highly trafficked neighborhood housing Times Square and the Empire State Building.

Times Square, New York City

With the new millennium quickly approaching, J. Levine began to incorporate even more items reflecting the changing styles and technology of America.  Their inventory started including everything one would need to host a Jewish wedding or bar mitzvah, in accordance to their religious text.  To serve an even greater area, Danny Levine produced the catalogue “Living Jewish:  The Ultimate Judaica Buying Guide,” highlighting the store’s unique products marketed towards clients near and far.  And, with the age of the Internet upon them, the Levines expanded even further, “opening” a second location on the Internet.  Since branching online, J. Levine has seen a 20 percent increase in sales and increased traffic to its website, thanks to the aide of Google.  Their Made in Israel Store tab offers a variety of items produced and imported from the country.  Without even leaving America, one is able to discover a different part of the world simply by visiting a local, independent bookstore.  As I detailed in my previous post, J. Levine is now situated in the center of an ethnically and commercially diverse neighborhood, not unlike the one it started in a century prior.

J. Levine Books & Judaica as it currently stands today

In his essay on defining place, Tim Cresswell shows us how places with “even bare essentials have history,” whether or not it is obvious or not (Cresswell 2).  The Levine family has put their personal mark on their own place, as Cresswell suggests, by transforming it with the edition of their own personal style, easily recognizable even in the bustling neighborhood of Midtown (Cresswell 2).  Through multiple renovations completed throughout the years and generational shift of owners, J. Levine has highlighted Cresswall’s claim that “place is not just a thing in the world but a way of understanding the world” (Cresswall 11).  Visitors to J. Levine learn not just from the books, but from the place they visit as well.  In this they have formed a community, one that Laura Miller defines as “[implying] social bonds based on the affective ties and mutual support” (Miller 119).  Even for me, someone who does not subscribe to Judiasm, can appreciate the fact that in the store I will learn about this particular part of the world I am not familiar with through the space it offers me.

J. Levine Books & Judaica entered into the vicious ring of bookstores nearly 125 years ago. Today, with the fourth and fifth generation of Levines at the helm, they’ve managed to make it past the first few rounds of the match, dodging the attacks of the chains and dominating force of Amazon, even managing to throw a few hits themselves. While the fight between bookstores is not likely to end in a knockout, holding one’s own ground is imperative.  The exploration of the past and the speculation of the future are important in understanding the importance a place has on the present.

 

Sources

Images

Made in Israel Store   http://www.levinejudaica.com/catalog/?cPath=37_112

Lower East Side, 1902 http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immigration/polish6.html

J. Levine  http://www.levinejudaica.com/catalog/index.php

Maps

Google Maps:  Times Square, New York City, J. Levine Books & Judaica

 

Websites

Manhattan NY Bits  http://www.nybits.com/manhattan/

J. Levine Judaica LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/company/j-levine-judaica

Danny Levine LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/pub/danny-levine/7/3b3/150

J. Levine Books & Judaica: In the Media  http://www.levinejudaica.com/catalog/in-the-media-i-18.html

Library of Congress, Immigration http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immigration/polish6.html

 

Texts

Cresswell, Tim.  Place:  A Short Introduction.  Malden, MA:  Blackwell Pub, 2004.

Miller, Laura.  Reluctant Capitalists:  Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption.  Chicago:  University of Chicago Press, 2006.

 

 

 

 

J. Levine Books and Judaica: A Jewish space in a multi-cultural place.

There are countless stores and restaurants in the section of Manhattan known as Midtown. It is possibly the most trafficked part of the city, offering visitors such sights as Times Square, the Empire State Building, Broadway and more. In addition to the big sights, there are smaller ones as well. Local restaurants, high-end shopping, hotels; Midtown has it all. One of the many stores in this busy area is J. Levine Books and Judaica, a Jewish bookstore and shop. It’s unsurprising that there is a Jewish bookstore in the heart of Manhattan; as the first stop for many immigrants from across the ocean, it has become a bustling city full of international influences. Within a few blocks lie restaurants of various types of international cuisine, showing off the city’s reputation for good food. There are also many nearby hotels,  evidence of the more temporary population of the city.

Manhattan is a tourist city. People come from all over the world to see the sights, and end up experiencing a city that truly represents the American melting pot. It is a city that both embraces globalization and resists it. Though there are many global businesses (those in Time’s Square are a good example), there are also thousands of small, independent businesses in the city. It is a way for people who live in the city to make it feel more like their place, instead of a place that everybody has a part in. J. Levine Books and Judaica is a single store, run by the same family for generations. They have carved out a space for themselves and have flourished, possibly because the Jewish religion hasn’t been extremely commercialized.

New York is a highly Jewish city in general, with the Manhattan being 29.2% Jewish, the second highest religion in that part of the city after Catholic. So it’s not surprising at all that there would be so many specifically Jewish businesses in the area. It is easy to imagine a Jewish tourist in the city visiting not only the many typical tourist sights nearby such as Time’s Square and the Empire State Building, but also having a bite to eat at a kosher deli, stopping in to buy a few Jewish books and staying the night in a nice nearby hotel.

Though I keep calling J. Levine’s a bookstore, it is so much more than that. The bookstore broadens its audience by not being limited to just books, and instead selling a variety of Jewish items (Judaica). This means that people may come into the store to buy some decorations and end up buying a few books as well.  With high quality, an extensive range of products, and a moderate price range, the store can cater to a wide variety of people. Yelp reviews praise the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff and the welcoming feel they give to the store. In a city such a New York, stereotyped as being full of rude people, this is a nice contrast. It is the kind of store in which even a non-Jewish person would be welcomed.

A map of the many neighborhoods in Manhattan. Notice how many of them overlap with each other, or seem to be neighborhoods within neighborhoods.

Even a brief look at the ‘List of Manhattan neighborhoods’ page on Wikipedia will reveal that the neighborhoods overlap, sometimes significantly. This shows the constantly growing and shifting nature of the city. As the population grows, people of like minds tend to draw together, forming communities within communities within communities. This may be hard to see from the outside, as Manhattan is such a tourist city, but to those who live in the city, these neighborhoods can reveal a lot about who lives where and where to find certain types of businesses.

A “place”, as mentioned in Tim Cresswell’s “Place”, is a meaningful location which people have placed value on. This value includes what people say about it, what they feel about it, how it is represented architecturally, and the type of people who frequent that place. J. Levine Books and Judaica and the surrounding neighborhoods demonstrate this idea of what a place is in the way they fit together. The people who Yelped about the store spoke good things about it, reflecting their good feelings of the business. The type of people who visit the store is directly influenced by the area it is in: a busy part of Manhattan, often visited by tourists. The store advertises its Jewishness, so it attracts mainly Jewish customers. In this way, place, people and business work hand in hand.

Below is a map featuring just a few of the many restaurants and Jewish businesses nearby.

The bookstore is conveniently placed, only a few short blocks from a Jewish Museum: Moriah Galleries, as well as many other Jewish businesses and organizations, as well as countless stores, hotels and restaurants. It’s right near the busiest parts of Manhattan and it knows it. Even the ‘About’ page on the store’s website fits in neatly with what I’ve said about the place in which the store resides: “When in New York City, join tourists and savvy customers from all over the world and visit our spectacular retail store at 5 West 30 Street, between Broadway and Fifth Avenue near the Empire State Building”.

Below is the J. Levine Books and Judaica storefront. It clearly stands out from the storefronts around it, with the large banner hanging from the building and the sign proudly stating the store’s long history (since 1890).


View Larger Map

 

Sources:

Websites:

Manhattan Community District 5 map: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/neigh_info/mn05_info.shtml

New York City religion statistics: http://www.city-data.com/county/religion/New-York-County-NY.html

J. Levine Books and Judaica website: http://www.levinejudaica.com/catalog/index.php

J. Levine Books and Judaica Yelp page: http://www.yelp.com/biz/j-levine-books-and-judaica-new-york

List of Manhattan neighborhoods: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Manhattan_neighborhoods

Images:

Map of Manhattan with Neighborhood lines: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Manhattan_neighborhoods.png

Texts:

Creswell, Tim. “Defining Place” Place: A Short Introduction. Blackwell, 2004. 1-14.

Creswell, Tim. “Reading “A Global Sense of Place”” Place: A Short Introduction. Blackwell, 2004. 54-79.

Maps:

Google Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z-nBeB_Erdio.kzl3GCpwJ2dE

Streetview: http://unpackingthebookstore.susqu.edu/wp-includes/js/tinymce/themes/advanced/img/trans.gif

J. Levine Books & Judaica: Diversity and Community

storeMy very first introduction into the world of buying and selling books began early in my childhood while working for my father’s auctioneer company.  There, along with the rest of their personal property, my family and I would organize someone’s personal library  into boxes that would then be sold to the highest bidder.  These Saturday auctions that I’ve grown up with, served as a bookstore for me, allowing me to add each week to my personal collection.  While this is a fairly nontraditional sort of place for the literary lover to consume their favorite product, it offered me the same experience I would have received from either a chain or independent store.  While this “bookstore” had no permanent address to which I could return to week after week, my father had regulars, a sort of “groupies,” that would show up at each sale with their bidder number in one hand and coffee in the other.

Like the public auction, J. Levine Books & Judaica is neither the Barnes & Nobel nor typical independent most immediately think of when imagining the American bookstore.  Located in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, it fits in perfectly between the other culturally diverse restaurants and retailers surrounding it.  Found on West 30th Street, J. Levine shares the road with other commercial buildings, including a Marine Import Inc., an African-American retailer, and an Oriental rug showroom, Shalom Brothers.  Also, just down the street is the publisher Book Sales, specializing in supplying books to wholesalers.

Shalom Brothers, Oriental Rug Showroom

The neighborhood of NoMad is located in the Manhattan Community District Five, bordered by Central Park to the north, 14th Street to the south, 8th Avenue to the west, and Lexington Avenue to the east.

With a total population of 51,673 people in 1.6 square miles, 67.7% of this number consists of White Non-Hispanic residents, although this figure has decreased by nearly ten percent from 2000.  With a median age of 37, the average income of $163,601 and only 9.1% of the population receiving income support, further highlights the vibrant and thriving atmosphere of the neighborhood, as shown in the varied shopping and literature scene it offers.

While the community has a rich history, the present day diverse and intriguing features found within it appeal to many of its tourists and residents.  Manhattan District Five includes Times Square, and the iconic Empire State and Flatiron buildings.  For this reason, the community, and specifically the neighborhood of NoMad, boast diverse eateries and eclectic entertainment spots.  The Museum of Mathematics and the Museum of Sex are both found within the NoMad neighborhood, sites that, thanks to their unique appeal, are visited by both tourists and locals alike.  Located three blocks from J. Levine Books, Dhaba Indian Cuisine and the Cannibal offer cuisine for the culturally intrigued palate.  Specializing in Indian and Belgian food respectively, these restaurants offer a diverse option to the oyster bars and plethora of coffee shops sprinkled throughout the neighborhood.  Lebanese, Mediterranean, and Southeast Asian menus can all also be perused at other local eateries, allowing one to, literally, dive face first into a new culture without even leaving New York.

The Museum of Sex

NoMad also offers a varied religious scene, containing a mosque, Episcopal Church, and non-denominational church within its geographical boundaries.  Additionally, two miles away from J. Levine, in the neighboring Lower East Side, stands the Angel Orensanz Center, the fourth oldest synagogue building in America, now converted into an art gallery.  Although it no longer offers the traditional weekly religious services for the Jewish community, Bat Mitzvahs and weddings are still held here.

AR-Rehman Foundation, Mosque

In his essay on defining place, Tim Cresswell shows how places with even “bare essentials have history,” whether it is obvious or not (Cresswell 2).  However, people will make their mark on the place, adding their own personal style and flair, transforming space into a place, one that is now unique and recognizable (Cresswell 2).  The NoMad neighborhood has done just this, incorporating stores and restaurants that reflect a thirst for diversity, and which obviously appeal to a large number of tourists and residents.  J. Levine offers their customers a chance to shop for community, a place where they can form “social bonds based on the affective ties and mutual support” while appreciating a past “steeped in tradition” (Miller 119).  No matter the geographical location of a bookstore, the book buyer is able to recognize its cultural function through the place it creates and the community it evokes.

J. Levine Books & Judaica as it currently stands today

 

Sources

Images

J. Levine Books & Judaica photo <http://www.levinejudaica.com/catalog/index.php>

Maps

Google Maps:  Shalom Brothers, Geography of J. Levine Books & Judaica, The Museum of Sex, AR-Rehman Foundation, J. Levine Books & Judaica

Websites

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/neigh_info/socio_demo/mn05_socio_demo.pdf

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/neigh_info/profile/mn05_profile.pdf

https://cityraven.com/neighborhoods/nomad

http://experiencenomad.com/nomad-new-york/

Text

Cresswell, Tim. Place: A Short Introduction. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub, 2004.

Miller, Laura J. Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006.