In “An Orthodox Jewish Congregation Keeps on (Food) Truckin’ in Birmingham,” Gravy reporter Margaret Weinberg Norman documents the story of JJ’s Sandwich Shop, a glatt kosher deli on wheels operated by the oldest Orthodox Jewish congregation in Birmingham, Alabama.
In the Magic City, food trucks are familiar, but both kosher restaurants and authentic delis are rare. Knesseth Israel, founded in 1889, is filling both gaps while exploring a surprising new way to sustain its historic congregation. Like many small Southern synagogues, Knesseth Israel faced dwindling membership, financial pressures, and questions about its future. After selling their synagogue building and parting ways with their Rabbi, the congregation chose a bold new path: to open a business. Knesseth Israel’s restaurant venture began with a vegetarian crepe enterprise called Holy Crepe, and through experimentation evolved into JJ’s, which specializes today in homemade corned beef and pastrami.
On our listening journey we meet Beth Scherer Smokey, a longtime member and volunteer who led the congregation through this transformation. We also meet chef Nathan Lichenstein. Raised in an Orthodox Hasidic family in New York, Nathan once ran a glatt kosher food truck in the city and cooked for thousands of pilgrims annually in Ukraine. His move to Birmingham brought not only culinary expertise but also new energy to Knesseth Israel. His passion for good, kosher food has made JJ’s both a crowd-pleaser and a point of pride.
This episode places JJ’s within the wider history of Birmingham’s Jewish foodscape, once clustered along Fourth Avenue, overlapping with the heart of the historic Black commercial district and the old Jewish neighborhood. Community historian Barbara Bonfield recalls memories of borscht, kosher butchers, and the neighborhood life that sustained Jewish Birmingham in the early to mid-20th century.
This story also speaks to larger trends. In 2022, a Pew Study projected that by 2070, “nones” (those unaffiliated with organized religion) would outnumber Christians, who made up 64% of the national population at the time. Against this backdrop, Knesseth Israel’s story offers lessons for other small faith communities seeking to adapt their models to demographic realities. JJ’s isn’t just a source of revenue; it’s also a form of outreach, connecting across Birmingham’s Jewish and broader communities alike. Though they’ve reduced their footprint, JJ’s has helped Knesseth Israel gain visibility both within and beyond the Birmingham Jewish community.
This is a story at the intersection of tradition and innovation, faith and food—one that shows how a small but mighty congregation found its future not by clinging to the past, but by rolling it out on a food truck.
Acknowledgments
Gravy offers special thanks to Beth Scherer Smokey, Nathan Lichenstein, and Martin Stein. Although Martin’s interview is not included in this piece, all three generously shared their time to talk about the past, present, and future of Knesseth Israel and JJ’s Sandwich Shop. Thank you to the entire congregation of Knesseth Israel for opening your doors and welcoming Margaret Norman in to experience the wonderful community during Shabbat.
Thank you to Barbara Bonfield for answering many questions about Birmingham’s Jewish history. Listeners can read more in Barbara’s excellent book, Knesseth Israel: Over 123 Years of Orthodoxy.
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This episode was reported by Margaret Weinberg Norman. Norman is a Birmingham-based public historian, storyteller, and Jewish nonprofit professional. Her work explores material culture, Jewish identity, and the evolving American South. She is a founding creator of the Beth El Civil Rights Experience, a project examining the intersections of Birmingham’s Jewish and civil rights histories.
Norman holds a BA in Individualized Study from New York University and an MA in American Studies from UNC–Chapel Hill. A Southern transplant, she has called Birmingham home for nearly a decade. She lives there with her husband and toddler.
