The North Flatbush BID mourns the passing of Amin Awad the patriarch of the Haifa Deli & Grocery–263 Flatbush Avenue.
Mr. Awad ran the business and lived on Flatbush Avenue for more than 40 years. He was cleric and leader at the Al Farooq mosque on Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill as well as a Chaplain at Rikers Island.
Described in a news account as “a squat, jolly-looking man in a well-cut suit and trench coat.”; Mr. Awad presided over the counter at Haifa Deli leading lively discussions of politics and current events. His welcoming grace and good humor were evident to all who came to the store.
In recent years, Mr. Awad’s many children and grandchildren have taken up the operation of the deli and maintained the store as a hub of neighborhood activity.