Updated June 13
Hiroko Nogami-Rosen sat sorting silver jewelry chains this week at Dayenu Judaica in San Francisco, one of her many tasks before her shop closes June 13.
“For years, my favorite thing has been finding new items for the shop, out-of-the-ordinary items, some made by artists in the U.S. and Israel that customers wouldn’t see anywhere else,” said Nogami-Rosen, 73.
She opened Dayenu with Eva-Lynne Leibman in 2004 inside the JCC of San Francisco. “Eva-Lynne retired in 2011, and now I want to,” she said.
All merchandise is discounted. The store’s fixtures are also for sale. Looking up from her work to glance at the many objects on display, Nogami-Rosen said, “Now I just have to make all this go away.”
Dayenu has been known for tallitot, mezuzahs, seder plates, wall art, Shabbat candles and artisanal menorahs. The shop also carries Kiddush cups, challah boards, kippot, books for children and adults, Ahava skin-care products, greeting cards and jewelry that features a variety of Jewish symbols.
With Dayenu closing, the number of Bay Area Judaica shops — separate from those tucked into synagogues — will shrink to three: Afikomen Judaica in Berkeley, The Gift Shop in the Osher Marin JCC run by the Women of Rodef Sholom, and Ankor at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto.
A longtime customer approached the counter, ready to check out. Nogami-Rosen smiled and set aside the chains to ring up the sale for Sue Diamond, a former JCCSF board chair.
“Hiroko, you’ve done a wonderful job all these years,” Diamond said, “and you’ve kept the front of the JCCSF alive and vibrant.”
After Diamond left, Nogami-Rosen said, “I really appreciate that so many people have valued my presence here, accepted me as a Japanese woman. I have enjoyed being part of the community, and now people are saying lovely things to me. That’s very gratifying.”
Nogami-Rosen lived in Japan until she was 30. Then, after experiencing “a broken heart” — revealed with a wry laugh and a rueful grin — she moved to the U.S. In 1983, she married Ed Rosen, who retired 14 years ago from teaching English as a second language at City College of San Francisco.
She told this publication back in 2003 that she got the idea for a Judaica store “after getting tired of scouring around for b’nai mitzvah gifts.” She met Leibman when both had children attending Brandeis Hillel Day School (now called the Brandeis School of San Francisco).
Soon after Dayenu opened, Nogami-Rosen was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“Going through that, I had to rely so much on Eva-Lynne, and I also got lots of support from customers, lots of food and lots of hugs,” she said. “That was a big reason I started thinking of converting to Judaism.” She eventually did convert, and she and her husband have been part of a San Francisco minyan.
Since the store reopened after the pandemic eased, business has been slow, Nogami-Rosen said. “My customer base hasn’t grown much since then…. And the younger generations shop online. It’s just not as much fun working here as it was when I was younger.”
Paul Geduldig, CEO of the JCCSF, said in an email to J. that no plans are yet in place to rent out the 1,000-square-foot retail space.
Geduldig also lauded Nogami-Rosen. “Dayenu has been a wonderful and constant cornerstone of Jewish life at the JCCSF. We’re grateful to Hiroko for her steady stewardship and deeply appreciative of the role the store has played in our community’s cultural expression,” he said.
Dee-Dee Sberlo, a San Francisco resident, called Dayenu “my go-to place for mezuzahs, bar and bat mitzvah cards and gifts and also for gifts to take to friends every time we went to Israel.”
Sberlo will miss the store.
“We took it for granted that Dayenu would always be here,” she said. “Hiroko is a lovely person and she deserves to retire, but I am sad for the whole Jewish community.”
Sberlo intends to help Nogami-Rosen empty out the shop — by shopping. “I went in on Monday, and I’ll be coming back again and again,” she said. “I would encourage people to go in to say a nice ‘goodbye’ to Hiroko.”
After the shop closes and the final inventory is complete, Nogami-Rosen has plans.
“I will put more hours into working on sculpture,” she said. “Also, I will join my husband’s hiking group on weekly trips to Mt. Tam. He’s been going there all these years without me, and soon, I’ll have the time.”