After 17 years as the tireless proprietors of Colorado’s East Side Kosher Deli, Marcy and Michael Schreiber have sold their business and are planning to relocate next spring to New York to be closer to their family.

The Deli, located at 499 S. Elm Street in Glendale, is the only one of its kind, not only in Denver, but in many cities of comparable size throughout the United States. Many Boulder residents not only shop at the Deli, they also have attended meetings, functions and celebrations there.

Indeed, the ESKD is not merely a kosher supermarket. It is also a bakery, a butcher shop, a deli, a restaurant, and a gathering place for the entire Jewish community – regardless of affiliation or denomination.

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of local Jewish groups have relied on ESKD over the years for its meeting spaces – from the monthly Torah for Tycoons luncheons hosted by The Denver Community Kollel to regular weekly gathering of friends who play cards and nosh.

Where else might you spot, on any given day, local teenagers enjoying a kosher burger and French fries, sitting across from the bearded faculty of Denver’s top Talmudic educational institutions, discussing curriculum over a hearty bowl of chicken soup and matzo balls?

Moreover, have you ever shopped at the Deli and not run into a friend or community member who you know?

In recognition of the central role that ESKD plays in our lives and the dedication that the Schreibers have displayed – touching thousands of area Jewish families – Radio Chavura is proud to bestow upon Marcy and Michael Schreiber a “Pillars of the Colorado Jewish Community” award.

The PCJC award is presented to individuals who represent the very best of Colorado, in terms of contributions made in support of Israel, Jewish values, quality of life, education, health, safety, observance or volunteerism.

When the editorial board of Radio Chavura meets to consider candidates for the PCJC award, we ask ourselves, who within our community merits a grand parade through downtown Denver to honor their efforts?

In general, PCJC seeks to celebrate recipients who are not already receiving recognition as honorees at local or national Jewish fundraising events. As important and effective as those events are, they are not always able to showcase many of the men and women who genuinely comprise the sinew of our communities – such as the Schreibers.

When Marcy and Michael purchased the Deli in 1997, they did so to save it from failure. The Schreibers had no experience in the food industry.

Michael trained as a research biologist; Marcy’s background was in early childhood education.

The task of maintaining the Deli and setting it on firm financial footing hasn’t been easy. Running the state’s only exclusively kosher supermarket and restaurant requires superman-like stamina. And the Schreibers – now grandparents – have met every need of the community many times over, with more than 5,000 distinct items packing the shelves of their 24,000-square-foot retail store. 

The Schreibers sold ESKD to Joshua “Shua” Horowitz, a Long Island, NY, resident who plans to relocate to Denver with his wife and children. Marcy and Michael will remain with the Deli through the end of the Shavuot holiday in May, before relocating to the East Coast.

The legacy of the Schreibers is clear. They will always be remembered for satisfying both the physical hunger of their customers as well as their spiritual thirst.

On behalf of the Colorado Jewish community, Radio Chavura wishes Marcy and Michael a heartfelt Nesiah Tova and Yasher Koach.