A staple at the Topsfield Fair for more than 50 years, B’nai B’rith serves up classic Jewish fare and comfort foods, including a sandwich that promises to make hungry guests say “Oy Vey” when they order it — all while raising money for local Jewish charities.
The stand, located close to the fair’s main entry gate, first began as part of a now-shuttered Peabody branch of the larger B’nai B’rith organization back in 1970 and has been run by couple Laura and Marc Freedman for the past 13 years.
Laura Freedman told MassLive Monday that B’nai B’rith serves as the “Jewish community booth” at the fair and is one of only three nonprofit booths remaining on the fairgrounds.
Its menu ranges from everyday favorites like bagels, burgers, fries and 100% kosher beef Hebrew National hot dogs to classic Jewish deli foods, including hot pastrami sandwiches, brisket sandwiches, potato latkes, matzoh ball soup and knishes — puff pastries filled with ground beef — sourced from Connecticut-based Rein’s Deli.
The Freedmans help run and sponsor the fair’s annual hot dog eating contest, which took place for its record-breaking fifth year on Saturday, Sept. 30.
The Oy Vey Sandwich at B’nai B’rith at the Topsfield Fair. (Photo by Chris McLaughlin)
One of B’nai B’rith’s signature dishes, the “Oy Vey Sandwich,” costing $15, is what Freedman called “dinner with a show.” Whenever a customer orders one, all the staff in the booth yell out, “Oy Vey!”
It is made up of a bulky roll with brisket from Freedman’s mother-in-law Phyllis’ homemade recipe on the bottom, layered with hot pastrami and a potato latke with a scoop of chili poured on top and served with a quarter giant kosher pickle on the side, Freedman said.
Once ready, the staff once again yells out “Oy Vey!” as the bomb of a sandwich is handed to the customer.
For something on the sweet side, B’nai B’rith offers its kugel — a noodle casserole made with sour cream, cottage cheese, fruit cocktail and apricot preserves, with a crunchy top layer made up of cornflakes, butter and brown sugar, Freedman said.
The kugel at B’nai B’rith at the Topsfield Fair. (Photo by Chris McLaughlin)
She added that B’nai B’rith boasts “the lowest prices of the fair” for drinks like soda and water at a standard $3 and a quarter-pound hot dog for $5 in comparison to other vendors. She said fairgoers should stop by to cash in if they’re “looking for a bargain.”
B’nai B’rith’s workforce is also entirely volunteer based, according to Freedman. Over the fair’s 11-day run, 150 people from the ages of 13 to 90 will take on 280 volunteer slots, with shifts rotating three times per day.
In turn, for each shift, volunteers are allocated $18 to give to a local Jewish charity of their choosing. The goal, according to Freedman, is to keep that money within the area’s closely-knit Jewish community.
Staff use a chart with sticker designations inside the booth to track where proceeds are headed with each additional volunteer shift.
Grandma Phyllis’ homemade brisket recipe. (Photo by Chris McLaughlin)
Freedman said once enough money is raised to pay off their food and operating expenses, at the end of the fair B’nai B’rith will send checks out to those organizations with the money that has been designated to them.
“We felt like the volunteers should have a say in where it goes,” Freedman said, noting she and her husband instituted the policy when they took over the stand.
Freedman called the area’s Jewish community small, but one in which “everybody knows everybody” even if by “seven degrees of separation,” and that the booth offers the chance for community members to come together once a year to reunite and make new connections along the way.
