Members of the Orthodox Jewish community in Waterbury joined city leaders in celebrating the grand opening of a new Stop & Shop grocery store. The store features a large selection of kosher food.
“It was something we were missing," said Rabbi Yehuda Brecher, principal of Yeshiva Ktana of Waterbury.
Brecher was one of nine original Orthodox Jewish families who moved to Waterbury in 2000 with hopes of reviving the community. Two decades later and their community has grown to 350 families strong in Waterbury.
While there is already a small kosher grocery store in the city, Brecher and others celebrated the fact that Stop & Shop will widen access and bring even more options to the growing community.
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"Kosher food- some people take for granted that, 'oh, it's so easy to get to'…it’s really not," Brecher said.
According to Stop & Shop, the new store features one full aisle of kosher products with more than 1,000 items.
"As a local grocery store which prides itself on serving its community members with the items and products they are searching for, the new Waterbury Stop & Shop will offer one of the largest Kosher selections of any Stop & Shop," a company spokesperson said.
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Isaac Schwartz, a member of the Orthodox Jewish community in Waterbury, checked out the grocery store Friday and was excited to see all of the options.
“It really, you know, speaks volumes that we are welcome here and we are part of a greater community that cares about us and we care about them," Schwartz said.
