Whether it’s handwritten medieval manuscripts or kisvei yad from gedolei Yisrael, Israel Mizrahi's bookstore is a virtual paradise
The white decal on the door of 3114 Quentin Road in the Marine Park section of Brooklyn, New York, reads “Lifschitz Realty.” Should you want visual confirmation of that fact, you’re out of luck; plastered to the locked glass door is an Israeli flag so sun-bleached, its blue stripes are pink, and the view through the full-length glass windows alongside it is obscured by tall, almost-empty bookcases.
If you ring the bell and are let in, the security measures up front make a little more sense as you find yourself standing in a modern-day Cairo Geniza. Its proper name is Mizrahi Bookstore, and to be fair, if you take another look at the front door, you might notice a small paper affixed to it with Scotch tape making that claim.
This is no place for the claustrophobe: The space is a warren of books, many on shelves but thousands more in tall stacks sprouting from the floor. There is barely enough aisle width to put one foot in front of the other as you try to navigate your way through.
Proprietor Israel Mizrahi is quite familiar with the shocked look on your face.
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