The Secret to Saul Zabar’s Success

By Isaac Zablocki, Sr. Director of the Carole Zabar Center for Film at the Malene Meyerson JCC Manhattan.

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A lot has been written about the legacy of Saul Zabar, who passed away last month at the age of 97. I had the privilege of getting to know Saul quite well over the past twenty years. He was in his late seventies when I first met him, as his wife Carole and I founded the Other Israel Film Festival together at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. Saul was deeply involved from the start, helping with the film selection process, joining us on trips to Israel, and attending festivals–in full Saul manner–never being shy about sharing his opinion.

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One memorable night during the DocAviv Film Festival, both of us were jet-lagged and couldn’t sleep. We ended up walking the streets of Tel Aviv all night as Saul shared some of the internal drama that shaped Zabar’s into the iconic deli it is today. Our friendship grew over the years, and as I spent more time with him, I began to recognize the characteristics that led to Zabar’s enduring success.

Saul was a truly unique character. I learned early on that whenever we went out to a restaurant, I should wait before sitting down, Saul would inevitably switch seats at least four times until he found the right spot. It might seem like a quirky old Jewish man habit, but I came to see it as part of Saul’s heightened sensitivity. The light had to be right, the sound had to be right, the temperature had to be right. These were the same meticulous instincts he brought to Zabar’s. He set the lighting, the temperature, and the acoustics at the store.

Most notably, Saul had an extraordinary sense of smell. I once picked him up in my parents’ car, and within seconds, he was fixated on an odor no one else could detect. He began frantically rummaging through the glove compartment, doors, and armrests until he found a tiny scented air freshener tab. He held it up to my nose as I was driving, insisting I smell it, but to me, and everyone else in the car, there was barely a trace of scent. To Saul, though, it was unbearable. He rolled down the window and tossed it out.

That was his gift. Saul would walk through Zabar’s, tasting and smelling everything, and if something was even slightly off, he couldn’t stand it until it was fixed. That sensitivity was part of the secret to Zabar’s success; he had a great nose for flavor and an uncompromising standard for quality.

But even stronger than his literal sense of smell was Saul’s ability to sense insincerity. One of his most admirable traits was his zero tolerance for pretense; he could see through phoniness instantly. Saul knew when someone was being genuine and when they were putting on an act. This quality was evident not only in his business endeavors but also in his discerning taste for films. He often rejected movies that struck him as contrived or emotionally false. That instinct helped him avoid artificiality in every aspect of his life and business.

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Once, at a film festival, I witnessed a man trying hard to charm Saul. Saul smiled politely, nodded, and said nothing. As soon as the man walked away, Saul paused, thought for a moment, and brought me close and declared, “He’s a rat. Stay away from him.” Saul didn’t second-guess himself; he trusted his intuition completely.

All these traits, his hypersensitivity, his quirks, his perfectionism, were deeply connected. Saul’s unique mind allowed him to experience the world in his own intense and particular way, and that, combined with his demanding standards, gave Zabar’s its unmatched character. It’s also why he kept the business relatively small: he needed hands-on quality control.

I remember when Saul donated a large amount of Zabar’s coffee to an event at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. He insisted on tasting it himself and was frustrated that they couldn’t make it just right. He simply couldn’t let go of the details that mattered to him.

These characteristics could make Saul tough at times, but I am honored to have learned so much from this man, who ultimately made me a better and more genuine person. Thank goodness Saul passed down his extraordinary sensitivity and exacting standards to those closest to him. His presence, his precision, and his authenticity will always remain part of Zabar’s and of everyone who was lucky enough to get to know him.

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