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Few things are more quintessentially New York than Zabar’s.
For generations, this iconic Upper West Side grocery store, where New Yorkers have shopped for everything from smoked salmon and coffee to rugelach, has been as much a part of the city’s fabric as yellow taxis — a neighborhood institution whose orange-and-white awning became synonymous with New York itself.
But behind the beloved institution was a man whose generosity extended far beyond its walls.
Stanley Zabar, who passed away at 94 this week, helped transform his family’s modest smoked-fish business into a New York institution alongside his late brother Saul.
But across the city, he is remembered for something quieter: his extraordinary generosity and his commitment to helping others thrive — from nurturing young chefs to supporting artists, students, and future doctors.
At Hunter College, where his wife of 74 years, Judith, is an alumna, the couple supported scholarships, food assistance for students, arts programming, and major library renovations.
“Stanley and his wife Judy, a Hunter alumna, have been extraordinarily generous to the college for decades in multiple dimensions,” Hunter College President Nancy Cantor told The Post.
“Their support for scholarships, for Hillel at Hunter, and for our Purple Apron Food Pantry has made a real difference in students’ lives every day,” she added.
Zabar also helped aspiring chefs find their footing through the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), where he served as a longtime board member.
“Stanley Zabar was more than a NY institution; he was a truly generous and genuinely good man who put his time, heart, and name behind causes he believed in,” said Richard Grausman, the nonprofit’s founder and Zabar’s longtime friend.
His family’s generosity also extended to NYU Langone Health, where they supported medical education and research for more than three decades. Their daughter, Dr. Sondra “Sandy” Zabar, is director of the institution’s Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation.
Just blocks from his beloved grocery store, Zabar also championed Symphony Space, the nonprofit performing arts center on Broadway, where he and his daughter Lori both served on the board.
“Stanley Zabar was a true Symphony Space champion,” said executive director Kathy Landau, who remembered his “signature joy and razor-sharp intellect.”
For Zabar, a lifelong New Yorker who raised his own family on the Upper West Side, giving back to the city he loved was central to his legacy.
And while his family’s grocery store remains one of New York’s most enduring landmarks, those who knew him say his vision extended far beyond preserving its legacy.
“For Stanley, it was never about the past, or even the present; he always encouraged us to look ahead to what was next,” Landau said.
“That’s an extraordinary man, and an extraordinary legacy.”
