This 4-year-old got his dream birthday party—at a Metro grocery store in Picton, Ont.

Lev Goldfarb had the run of the aisles in his favourite supermarket.
Lev Goldfarb, 4, stocks bananas in the Picton, Ont. Metro grocery store along with some family and friends, as assistant manager Paul Jones looks on (blue shirt) on Jan 21, 2023.

Lev Goldfarb may not realize it, but getting his parents to throw him a birthday party in a Picton, Ont., grocery store was good for the Jews.

Not only did he spark a whole lot of goodwill in the tiny Lake Ontario resort town between Toronto and Kingston—now the Metro store manager has promised to start stocking some kosher food items for the Jewish community of about 100 people and counting in the area.

Lev’s fascination with the grocery store prompted his mother, Hadas Brajtman, to approach the managers about the unlikely request to have his fourth birthday party there. The result was beyond the Israeli expatriate family’s wildest dreams.

Brajtman joins The CJN Daily along with the Metro managers Murray Lupenette and Paul Jones, direct from the Metro staff room, to give us a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like.

What we talked about:

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The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.

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