Kosher and Jewish Life in Manhattan

The Jewish community in Manhattan comprises the second largest religious group, with 314,500 persons (10.5%) in 140 congregations. The standard iconography of Jewish Manhattan has always been Ashkenazic: pastrami at Katz’s, smoked salmon at Russ & Daughters, tenements and Judaica stores on the Lower East Side, Hasidic diamond dealers in Midtown. Many years ago a Little Syria full of Ottoman Jews once thrived on Washington Street in Lower Manhattan. There is now a growing Syrian Jewish community based around Congregation Edmond J. Safra off Central Park on East 63rd Street.
There are over 200 kosher establishments either restaurants, cafes or shops in Manhattan. Many chains, such as Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme and 16 Handles have kosher stores throughout Manhattan. You can find a kosher restaurant with every type of food, from fast food and pizza to upscale steakhouses. There are a plethora of kosher restaurants on the Upper West Side and Upper East Side, where there are large Jewish communities. Many kosher restaurants can be found in midtown that cater to the business lunch crowd as well as the theater district dinner crowd. One doesn't have to go too far to find a quality kosher meal in Manhattan. For those who don't like to ever leave Manhattan, there are Passover Programs within driving distance of the City.