Yisroel Mordowitz just wants to sell his mouth watering kosher foods from his Holy Rollers cart in Rockefeller Center, 48th Street off of Sixth Avenue.
However, Mordowitz says he’s being prevented from settling in the heart of Manhattan by the “halal mafia,” according to the NY Post.
A group of angry Egyptian challengers blocked the kosher vendor from setting up on the sidewalk, squatting on the curb or placing umbrellas and beverage cartons to consume any open spaces.
“This guy is hungry — hungry for money,” bellowed 48th Street Sabrett-slinger Mohamed Mossad, who along with nearly a dozen others successfully kept Mordowitz off the block. “I have a family, too!”
“Why doesn’t he go to 47th Street?” Mossad shouted, referring to the Hasidim-heavy Diamond District. “He’s just coming to this particular spot, and he wants to grab it from me — and kill me, actually. Kill my business.”
Both the Jewish and Muslim carts do not allow pork, but the preparation methods for the meats are different.
After two unsuccessful attempts to work on Sixth, Mordowitz migrated southwestward to 35th Street and Ninth Avenue, near B&H Photo, the Hasidic-run electronics megastore.
“I thought I could bring peace to Midtown,” lamented Mordowitz, 30, of Queens. “I’m not an enemy — I’m a friend.”
Last Monday the kosher cart opened on 48th street, Tuesday they had pulled in $2,000, but by Wednesday their business had come to a complete halt as Muslim vendors began the blockade.
“This is not Palestine!” one vendor shouted, according to Mordowitz.
The kosher vender said, “They’re trying to say that the Jews in Israel are pushing people out, so don’t do it here.”
“I said, ‘Why are you terrorizing me?’ ” Mordowitz recalled.
Although the halal vendors say they’re not the haters, they’re actions speak differently.
“He said I am a terrorist. He says I bombed the Twin Towers. That’s racist,” recalled Mossad, who insisted his objections have nothing to do with religion.
“To me, it’s not about him being a Jew.”
Indeed the competition is intense, as vendors camp out at night or come at 3 a.m. to secure a spot. Though, it doesn’t justify deliberating trying to push out other competitors based on their political views.
“Running corner to corner like this,” Mordowitz partner said. “It’s crazy.”
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