Emunah to honor "The Kosher Guru' Gabriel Boxer

The volunteerism of the “Kosher Guru,” Hewlett resident Gabriel Boxer, has been on display throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and now he and 24 others will honored for their efforts at Emunah of America’s Changemakers virtual dinner on Sept. 13.

Emunah is a nonprofit based in Manhattan that seeks to help Israel by educating its children, strengthening families and offering services to the Jewish state’s most vulnerable citizens. Alana Karp, the organization’s senior director of events, explained what males a “changemaker.”

“They’re individuals who [are] making a positive impact on the world around them, and because of their actions, families have been brought together, businesses have survived, innovation has bloomed and lives have been saved,” Karp said. “Changemakers are ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and that’s what Gabe represents.”

Known as the Kosher Guru because of his background in the kosher food industry, Boxer is a restaurant consultant who aims to help companies thrive. He has a prominent presence on social media, with an Instagram account, @kosherguru, that has more than 45,000 followers. He launched the Kosher Response Project, an effort to donate meals to first responders around the tristate area, in March, as the pandemic spread.

“In a nutshell, I’m a doer, as this started when I was talking to a buddy of mine about his doctor friend, who basically moved into the hospital to run a Covid-19 floor at the height of the pandemic,” Boxer said. “He was working a 24-hour shift, and I felt the least I could do was feed his unit.”

Boxer was also inspired to help by one of his relatives. “My sister-in-law is a doctor on the front line at Winthrop Hospital,” he said. “She was telling us about how amazing it was that so many places stepped up to the plate and started feeding the doctors, nurses and hospital staff. Unfortunately, none of it was kosher, so I saw a need and ran with it.”

North Woodmere resident Miri Stern, who has worked alongside Boxer throughout the pandemic, noted his impact on the community. “When people think of all the help given to so many, from front-line health care heroes to front-line workers to families in need, they think of Kosher Response,” Stern said. “It’s been a great pleasure working alongside Gabe throughout this pandemic.”

Another initiative Boxer worked on was the Feed A Family Fuel A Restaurant program, which helps feed families in need while also supporting local restaurants. The program was launched in May with the help of Community Chest South Shore, which is headquartered in Cedarhurst. Community Chest’s president, Cal Nathan, said that Boxer was more than deserving of the Changemaker honor.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, Gabe has worked relentlessly to help the community,” Nathan said. “He’s the perfect example of someone who personifies charity and kindness.”

Earlier this month, Boxer posted on Facebook that through the multiple initiatives he has undertaken over the last five months, $85,000 has been donated to local food establishments, $65,000 in new furniture was distributed and, on average, 200 families receive food for Shabbos each week.

“In essence, through Kosher Response, I saw a way to both support our local kosher small businesses and feed our heroes at the same time,” he said. “From there I’ve seen the amount of people who have been affected by this pandemic economically and financially.”

Donations for the Emunah dinner can be made at https://bit.ly/2FJiLWX.