Where There's Knafeh
There's Hope
Once off the subway tracks and out of the city’s underground portals, streets of spices, sweets, and Arabic text stand above ground in a portion of southwest Brooklyn.
Labeled as “Little Palestine,” Bay Ridge, Brooklyn is home to New York City’s largest Arab American diaspora, after California and Michigan.
For a stranger in Brooklyn’s streets of diverse cuisine and culture, Bay Ridge is a portal between lands. From one end of the block you’re getting your arroz con pollo, or classic Spanish-style rice and chicken, to the opposite you’re walking down stores with shouts of Arabic left and right.
In one nook on Fifth Avenue lies a four-legged store clerk that welcomes usuals and scares away some newcomers. It’s lunchtime on Sunday, and there’s no one up front at Nablus Sweets to hold the fort but Alex, the cat. He prances up, down, and in between tables, observing and guarding the sweets behind him.
At the point of a finger, and a call for his name, the cat obeys orders to work the back as a gate opens for him. The latch connects to a countertop that stretches along the storefront. Behind the glass display cases are arrays of Palestinian delicacies with cut-out portions standing by to be enjoyed.
Owner of Nablus Sweets, Taiser Homound, 48, comes out carrying a fresh tray over his shoulder of his crunchy Kunafa (Knafeh), a crispy phyllo pastry filled with sweet cheese coated with a sugar syrup.
Homound came to the United States from the West Bank with recipes of Middle Eastern delights in 1994. He’s built a life in Bay Ridge with his wife, and family while running his sweets shop, watching generations grow before him.
He reflects on his work as a family business standing to serve the community with desserts ranging from many different countries in Central Asia and North Africa, including Egypt, Morocco, Syria, and most notably his homeland, Palestine.
“This is sweets, a lot of people eat sweets when they’re happy. It’s not like that anymore,” Homound said.
(Above) Two different types of desserts offered at Nablus Sweets. Photo by Cody Hmelar.
(Above) Two different types of desserts offered at Nablus Sweets. Photo by Cody Hmelar.
Inside of Nablus Sweets in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, the store serves regulars on a Sunday during lunchtime. Photo by Cody Hmelar.
Inside of Nablus Sweets in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, the store serves regulars on a Sunday during lunchtime. Photo by Cody Hmelar.
The loss of Appetite for Sweets
It's not like that anymore because of the ongoing war back home, which started on Oct. 7th with the violent attack by Hamas into Israel, killing over 1,200 Israelis and resulting in taking over 200 hostages. It was the worst attack on Israeli territory history. Homound and his many customers have had difficulties focusing on anything aside from the over 34,000 Palestinians killed by Israel’s now seventh-month military response.
For Homound, witnessing his people suffer from afar, as a Palestinian away from his birth city of Jerusalem, selling sweets comes with the sacrifice and acceptance that there isn’t much he can do to change the current situation in Gaza.
“It’s really hard to help, we live a little bit better here but we need help too,” Homound said.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, as of May 2nd, more than 14,500 children, have been killed. Thousands more bodies remain missing or trapped underneath the rubble. Up to two-million Palestinians are now internally displaced in Gaza.
The devastation across Gaza has left 11 out of 35 hospitals to remain partially functioning while more than half of the homes on the Strip have been damaged or destroyed. The vast majority of Gazans face high levels of acute food insecurity, according to the Global Report on Food Crises released on April 24. This suffering has taken a toll on Homound and his community in Bay Ridge.
Looking down while managing the front of the store, Homound explained his humble love for his country and how it differs from the younger generations that are outwardly passionate about their Palestinian roots. He paused before speaking and then followed up by explaining that being a businessman, he pays homage to Palestine through his work.
(Above) A map of Bay Ridge dividing the communities' cuisines by their own respective avenues. The Fifth Avenue stretch hosts mostly Arab and Middle Eastern restaurants, local organizations, and small businesses.
Just up the block is a youngsters' dessert shop serving its knafeh unapologetically, the 'Ocky Way.'
The shop stands out on the block for its modern, sleek look with a multi-tiered chocolate fountain running by the entrance doors. Young faces pile in and out of the bustling, 'Chocolate Factory,' which had its grand opening back in September 2023.
‘General Ock’, or Rahim Mohamed, is a 33-year-old Yemeni-American deli owner who garnered attention during the pandemic on Tiktok for his unpredictable creations and catchy slogans behind his deli counter. Teaming up with the man behind the camera, another internet personality, Palestinian-Staten Island native, @Moosenyc_, or Mustafa, the duo sought to revamp Bay Ridge’s Arab desert scene with their lineup of crepes, waffles, shakes, and their popular, polarizing knafehs.
One of four co-owners of the establishment, Abdullah Omar, 30, explained that the center filling is made of custard, instead of the traditional sweet cheese. A controversial yet newer spin for the neighborhood's sweet tooths.
“We need something new to the neighborhood, most people only eat Yemeni food or shawarma,” said Omar.
He went on to explain that the launch was an absolute success thanks to social media.
“I’ll be honest, once we opened we were so busy, social media helped us a lot,” said Omar. “After Oct. 7 for two weeks it got slower, but we came back.”
(Above) The 'Ocky Way' Knafeh, the traditional phyllo shell with its untraditional custard filling topped with chocolate, pistachio, and biscoff syrups. Photo by Cody Hmelar.
(Above) The 'Ocky Way' Knafeh, the traditional phyllo shell with its untraditional custard filling topped with chocolate, pistachio, and biscoff syrups. Photo by Cody Hmelar.
Omar preparing to go order of knafehs at the front at the 'Chocolate Factory.' Photo by Cody Hmelar.
Omar preparing to go order of knafehs at the front at the 'Chocolate Factory.' Photo by Cody Hmelar.
Speaking softly when reminiscing about his family back home, an immediate smile curved at Omar’s face at the sight of usual customers greeting him at his seat. Although a Yemeni at heart, Omar feels for the Palestinian community at large in Bay Ridge.
He opened up about how he and his colleagues are actively conscious of ongoing efforts by the communities’ activists by participating in strikes, halting business operations during the week, and partnering up with the local mosque by allocating a percentage of proceeds for relief in Gaza.
“It’s very devastating because nobody can do anything, that’s the hardest part,” said Omar. “What we can do is pray, do our best, maybe charity, we cannot do more than that.”
The team is “neva neva neva” shy of posting their sweets with the Palestinian flag to their over 50,000 followers on Instagram featuring the Ock, Moose, and occasionally Omar.
The Arab community in Bay Ridge has much more than a wide array of iterations of cuisines and menus to offer its residents. Each shop, store, and restaurant that operates along the Fifth Avenue stretch can be seen to be its own gateway or safe space.
The road full of waving Palestinian flags leads to a park, and just before it, a store window with a sign that reads “Free Hijabs” or free head scarfs. Adjacent to the sign reads a posted sticker “resist colonial power by any means necessary.”
The boutique doors open to an array of colors and patterns with mannequins wearing full-length clothes without showing a sliver of plastic to the naked eye.
For Hind Rashed, head of 'Modest Gal Collection,' she felt guilty for launching her small business in December 2023. The clothing store sells modest wear including abayas, a robe-like dress to express religious dedication, hijabs, and maxi-dresses for various occasions.
“I felt guilty to open my store because of Oct. 7th, but we had bills to pay,” said Rashed. “I didn’t make a profit that day but it’s different when it’s my people.”
The 20-year-old running the clothing brand always wanted to be an entrepreneur, and got the blessing from her father to start her business with her co-owner who is Palestinian helping keep the brand afloat.
Rashed explained that her prices are fairly inexpensive compared to the high-end competition and she’d rather make her living by struggling while contributing to Gaza relief.
“I don’t deserve five percent of what I have,” Rashed said. “How did I get so lucky?”
Rashed working the front of her modest-wear boutique. Photo by Cody Hmelar
Rashed working the front of her modest-wear boutique. Photo by Cody Hmelar
Rashed shows her selection of solid color abayas, an outer-layered garment tied at the waist. Photo by Cody Hmelar.
Rashed shows her selection of solid color abayas, an outer-layered garment tied at the waist. Photo by Cody Hmelar.
Ramadan 2024
With the holy season of Ramadan approaching around the corner, festive lights and banners started to pop up along the road. The month’s divine timing brings the community’s collective heavy hearts a chance to lean back on their faith.
Each owner brought up their relationship to their religion, or God in their response to their hopes for Gaza and the month’s emphasis on charity, and reflection.
Although a solution feels impossible for the people of Bay Ridge, where there’s knafeh there’s hope.
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