Kosher shop in Wimbledon will be dedicated to Chabad rabbi’s slain brother

The rabbi brother of a young kosher supervisor murdered in a Chicago park last year has said a new kosher shop opening in Wimbledon next month will be dedicated to his slain sibling.

Chabad Rabbi Yossi Moscowitz learned in October that his 24-year old brother Eliyahu had been shot in the head and killed on Simchat Torah eve while walking through a Chicago park in an as-yet unsolved murder.

The killer is believed to have shot and killed another man – unknown to Eliyahu – just 36 hours earlier, and police have appealed for information.

The city’s Jewish community raised a £150,000 reward to help catch the shooter, the largest reward ever offered in Chicago. The killer was seen wearing a black ski mask and remains at-large.

“There have been different leads but as yet nothing concrete,” said Yossi this week, describing Eliyahu as “a bridge between communities, very open-minded, someone who connected with everyone and who was known for his friendly smile”.

South London’s first dedicated kosher shop, due to open on 5 May at Chabad Wimbledon’s new centre, will be in memory of Eliyahu, said Yossi, who grew up in Chicago before coming to the UK with his wife four years ago. People in the area would now be able to shop online at www.kosherwimbledon.com and get their order delivered to them.

“My in-laws have been serving the Wimbledon community for 30 years,” he said. “We’re known for doing the kosher barbeque at the famo

us tennis championships. It’s a growing community and this will be the first dedicated kosher food shop in south London. Until now, it’s only been the kosher sections of supermarkets.”

Eliyahu was a dedicated kosher supervisor in Jewel Osco, Chicago’s largest kosher supermarket for six years. “He took his job seriously and did it with joy,” said Yossi.

“In this spirit, we are hosting a memorial event on 5 May called South West Kosher Fest, when we will have the official opening of a kosher shop in the Chabad House in Eliyahu’s memory. There will be a host of different workshops, booths, and a lot more celebrating kosher in South London. Eliyahu would indeed be very proud.”