NEW YORK (Azat TV) – Stanley Zabar, a principal owner, attorney, and the financial and legal mainstay of Zabar’s, the world-famous Upper West Side hub of smoked fish, coffee, babka, and bagels, has died. He was 94. Zabar died on Monday at his home in Manhattan, according to New York Daily News, with his daughter, Dr. Sondra Zabar, confirming the cause was cancer.
His passing follows the death of his older brother Saul, who served as the face and president of the grocery store, a year prior at age 97. The loss of the two brothers marks the end of an era for the family-run institution that grew from a modest Upper West Side fish counter into a sprawling New York cultural landmark.
Building a Family Institution
The iconic appetizing and gourmet store was founded in 1934 by Louis and Lillian Zabar, the parents of Stanley, Saul, and their younger brother Eli. After their father died in 1950, Stanley, who earned a law degree from Brooklyn College, stepped in to help manage the enterprise alongside Saul, who abandoned plans to become a doctor. For decades, Stanley maintained a dual career as an attorney while running the legal and financial side of the business located at West 80th Street and Broadway.
According to a statement posted on social media by WABC, the family described Stanley as a “quiet force behind our family business” who spent decades working alongside Saul to carry forward their parents’ vision. Over the years, five separate storefronts along Broadway were consolidated into the single large market known today for its fine cheeses, coffee, and smoked fish. A longtime partner, Murray Klein, focused on pricing and merchandising before passing away in 2007 at age 84. The youngest brother, Eli Zabar, struck out independently to open separate gourmet shops and bakeries on the Upper East Side.
Philanthropy and Public Tributes
Beyond his commercial work, Stanley Zabar was a dedicated philanthropist. Alongside his wife, Judith, he supported the arts, education, and culinary training programs, contributing resources to Hunter College, the New York Public Library, Symphony Space, NYU Langone Health, and the Careers through Culinary Arts Program.
Elected officials and community leaders paid tribute following news of his death. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal called him “a Manhattan icon” on social media, noting how generations of residents enjoyed the store’s staples. City Council Speaker Julie Menin also expressed gratitude on social media for “the bagels, the babka and the sense of belonging you and your family have given Upper West Siders for decades.”
According to CBS New York, Stanley Zabar’s funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at Riverside Memorial Chapel.