By Rachel Belle

Listen to Feature: Pastrami & Politics at Olympia’s Kitzel’s Deli

When I saw that a new Jewish deli opened in Olympia, of course my mind went straight to the food. Kitzel’s Crazy Delicious Delicatessen makes it’s own corned beef and brisket for sandwiches, matzoh ball soup and super moist knishes. But when I stopped into Kitzel’s a couple weeks ago, for a house made bagel with lox and a potato knish, I discovered that there’s a lot more depth to this deli. Co-owner Have Aviv says it all started back in 2010.

“The board of directors of the Olympia Food Co-op did not follow their bylaws and they passed a boycott of Israeli goods. They’re the only food co-op in the entire nation that has subscribed to BDS, the Boycott Domestic Sanction, which is a boycott of all Israeli goods. [It’s] a non-violent, solidarity movement with Palestine, to try and end the occupation.”

Jewish, political and an advocate of social justice, Aviv decided to open a Jewish deli and sell Israeli products like jam, pickled mushrooms and children’s books.

“It was something that I’ve always wanted to do and this seemed like the time to do it. So we opened up the deli, and it was in direct response to the boycott of Israeli goods.”

For those who don’t know about the local controversy, Kitzel’s is nothing more than a delicious mecca for traditional Jewish food. But those in-the-know don’t always appreciate Kitzel’s political roots.

“We’ve gotten a lot of flack for being political, for sure. My response to that is: I have tattoos all over my body. My left forearm says ‘dyke.’ I’m queer, I was a teenage mom, I’m a single mom, I’ve been impoverished the majority of my life. My body is political.”

After the co-op decided to boycott Israeli products, Aviv said she saw some antisemitism brewing around town.

“We looked around town and saw no place that gave a positive Jewish presence. Olympia is a mecca of politics around the Israeli-Palestine issue. Rachel Corrie lived here and she was murdered by an Israeli bulldozer, in Palestine, while trying to protect a Palestinian home. Her activism has not died with her. Olympia is a big hotbed for this conversation.”

But just like the Israeli Palestinian conflict, Aviv’s views on the issue are not black and white.

“I am pro-Israel and I am pro-Palestine and I am pro-peace. Yet, in the face of BDS, which has a stronghold of general and popular opinion in Olympia, it makes me look like a diehard Zionist, which I’m not.”

If you are craving a knish without a side of politics, don’t fear. There is no sign of political conflict at the deli; it’s a big, airy, well-lit space where local Jewish (and non-Jewish) people like to hang out.

“First thing in the morning, 7 o’clock on a weekday, there’s a whole bunch of white-haired, Jewish men sitting in the lobby eating cold fish for breakfast. Where else does that happen?” she laughs.

Aviv is using food as an olive branch to reach out to anti-Israel activists.

“Jewish food is the centerpiece of so much of Judaism, all of our stories are told through food, there’s so much ceremonial food. We wanted to reach the hearts of Olympia through their stomachs.”

So far it’s working: the place was packed when I popped in.

“Are they happy that we’re there? Yes. Do they criticize and say that their grandma makes it better than I do? Of course,” she laughs. “A kvetching Jew, I think, is a happy Jew, because a Jew that doesn’t have anything to kvetch about doesn’t have anything.”

Who is Rachel Belle?