Afikomen Judaica

Awesome environment and lots of choices for how small the shop is! Very friendly employee there threw in directions for dreidel in yiddish along with a purchase of a lovely, reasonably priced menorah.

Had such a great experience at Afikomen, stocking up on beautiful items from Israel ❤️

This store tucked away in Berkeley is wonderful. We went to pick out a chuppah rental and a glass breaking cup for my wedding. The folks at Afikomen Judaica were helpful and attentive. I found what I wanted really quickly, and everything went very smoothly. They have beautiful selections for both chuppah rentals and glass breaking cups. I also had a ton of fun looking at their books and holiday accessories. Everything in the store is artful and lovely. Thank you for making my wedding day special!

A delightful Judaica store in the Bay Area! Afikomen is a trove of all things Jewish, with a notable range of Jewish books (children's books, cookbooks, Hebrew and English books and Sefarim) , decorative Jewish objects, and supplies to celebrate any Jewish holiday or life-cycle event. Nell and Chaim, the proprietors, are friendly, erudite, and super-helpful, and their store is fun to browse, especially before and during holiday times. They have special-ordered books and supplies for me. Highly recommend!

Chaim and Nell go above and beyond to help with whatever anyone needs in a calm and welcoming atmosphere and positive attitude. It is amazing how much variety they have in the store and they can order more if they don't have it. they are a gem and I love going into the store even just to wander around and see all of the beautiful and thought provoking and inspirational offerings.

We found a perfect bar mitzvah card.

So many books from all points of view and lovely jewelry. Always a pleasure to browse. Friendly atmosphere. If they don't have something you want, they can probably order it for you. Locally owned.

The best store of Judaica in the East Bay. Wonderful owners who are always helpful, knowledgeable and kind. Highest recommendation

I'm amazed to see that I haven't written an update for Afikomen since the initial one, as I have returned many times, though not recently. I have bought Chanukah candles, and a tallis for Ilana for her Bat Mitzvah, as well as a few pieces of Judaica I can no longer recall. I have had the opportunity to wander and linger that I wanted the first time I was there. For the past several years I have been buying beeswax Chanukah candles from Big Dipper Wax Works in Seattle, so I haven't returned to Afikomen, but I still hold fond memories of my visits there. If I need some Judaica in the future Afikomen will be my destination. Tonight is the first night of Chanukah, the first time I can remember that it has coincided so closely w/ Christmas, although often the later days have, when Chanukah is late. The timing varies because Chanukah follows the Hebrew calendar.

Three of our daughters were married under chuppahs that we rented from Afikomen Judaica, and we couldn't have been happier with our experiences working with this business. They have a good selection of chuppah canopies to choose from along with sets of poles and bases to support a rental canopy of your choice or one that you make yourself. We are grateful to have found Afikomen as a resource for Jewish goods in the East Bay.

I wanted a jewish bible in Hebrew and english and found an excellent source at a reasonable price. The service was friendly, helpful, and personal.

Thank you again for a wonderful and helpful experience. I called two days ago to see if I could possibly come early Friday to grab a new plate for Pesach since I cannot locate ours after the recent move. I also broke a special cup for kidush and wanted to replace it for the holiday. I had hell from the moment I arrived until I left. Thank you for always being the best! !

I was in the area a few days ago, so I stopped by to see what they had. This location has a great selection whether you're looking for a kippah, tallit, mezuzah, wine, decor, jewelry, etc. They also have a website which is nice if you live far away like I do. If you're in the area, I recommend stopping by.

Since we moved to Tucson 7 years ago, Afikomen is still our wellspring for all our Jewish needs. We love Nell and Chaim and their wonderful store - we're so grateful we can shop with them online and of course come in person when we're back in the Bay. They are generous with their helpfulness and have an amazing variety of books, ritual supplies, children's goods and amazingly beautiful Judaica - much better than any Judaica store I've seen on the east coast! I recommend Afikomen entirely.

As a Berkeley resident this is my go to store for all things Jewish. In the past couple years I've bought a new seder plate, a shofar, my lulav and etrog, a sidur for my 4 year-old, and many great books. The store is beautiful and full of great stuff. Nell and Chaim are wonderful, very caring and welcoming, and always help you find what you need.

I feel so glad that Afikomen is around because of the great quality of merchandise and the helpful staff. We live in San Rafael and gladly drive there. I have ordered things that were then mailed to me when I could not drive there. They came faster than I expected. When I have asked for suggestions for reading enjoyment, the suggestions were excellent. I love the variety of choices: children's books and games as well as the wide range of Judaica books, holiday needs and more It is a terrific resource for our entire area.

I've been a casual customer of Afikomen Judaica for around 2 years now, and as much as I love the appearance and selection of the store, I'm not sure I'll be going back anymore. As the only Judaica in the East Bay, I was expecting it to be a welcoming staple of the local Jewish community, but the owners come off as awkward, hovering, and suspicious on every visit. Most recently, when I came in to inquire about the store credit that was set up for me on my last visit after an item return, I was told by Nell that they "don't keep a record of that," but after I insisted I wasn't lying, she put my last name into their system and immediately found it. However, before she would allow me to use that store credit, she told me she had no way of knowing whether I had already used it on another occasion (in other words, accusing me of attempting to scam them), and when I offered to come back on another day with the receipt, she said no, but actually, genuinely made me PROMISE (and repeated the request multiple times!) that I wouldn't use my own receipt from the prior transaction to try and scam them on some other day! I couldn't believe my ears. I am a mixed Black Jew and came to shop with another Black Jewish friend of mine, and rather than being treated like a fellow Jew and community member, I was treated like a potential thief and scam artist despite still spending $50 on a mezuzah in the end. I'm not accusing Nell of being intentionally racist and I truly don't believe that she was, but I don't think she could even conceptualize of how outright humiliating, deeply ostracizing, and exhaustingly frequent this sort of interaction is for people of color. Jews of color, shop at your own discretion.

The store had a wonderful selection of Judaica. It was queer and trans friendly too. There was even a kids play section.

Ableist. Discriminatory against immuno compromised Jews by virtue of the fact of no mask requirements or vaccine requirements when Judaism is literally about to pikuach nefesh. They have totally abandoned the principle of pikuach nefesh. No safety measures in store, no masks, no vaccine requirements, thus illegally excluding vulnerable and immunocompromised Jews or anyone who takes care of us or loves us, and they get abusive if you ask them about it. This does not represent anything about Judaism. Real Jews believe in anything to save a human life and that means masking to protect the most vulnerable amongst us, the medically vulnerable, the immuno compromised. These people are bigots. Find a Judaica store where they still require masks.

We rented a chuppah from Afikomen for our wedding. This was a great way to save money compared with purchasing a chuppah, and the pricing was reasonable. The process was super easy - Afikomen has pictures available on their website of the different chuppot one can rent. Once my fiance and I decided which one we wanted, I called Afikomen and reserved the chuppah over the phone. My parents helped out with chuppah pick up and drop off and they said everyone at the shop was very helpful. The chuppah was beautiful and easy for our caterer to set up and take down. I would definitely recommend renting a chuppah with Afikomen!

How delightful to shop for all my Hanukkah Judaica at Afikomen. Wonderful selection of children's books for my granddaughter and her first menorah and candles. Hot coffee greeted us as we entered the door and a gift of a tutorial for playing dreidel was put in our bag upon leaving. Also, wonderful kibutzing with the owner! What's not to like ?

Right at the moment I entered I was greeted with a smile and was asked if I needed help. I believe her name was Sarah, Sarah was very well knowledgable and very nice and patient with me while I was looking for several things. I felt like a little kid in this place, suddurim, chumashim, tallitot, kippot, shabbos candles, candlestick holders, candy, books, pretty much everything Jewish :) and that makes me happy. I will definitely come here whenever I need anything in regard of anything judaica.

Nice selection of Judaica products. They are taking lots of precautions for COVID including 6 people max shopping in store, curbside pickup, hand sanitizer upon entry, etc.

My experience of shopping at Afikomen in the past, when I lived in Oakland and Berkeley, was always a pleasure -- so I regret writing a negative review, but feel others should be cautious about ordering items by phone or email to be shipped. I ordered a pair of candle-holders that were supposed to be delivered on February 12 of this year. I never received them. After a day or two I sent an email to Afikomen, asking how to proceed. I never received a response. After a week or so I contacted UPS and submitted a claim form. UPS advised me that Afikomen would have to submit a form, then UPS would approve the claim and Afikomen would make the refund. I contacted Afikomen a couple of times and they assured me they were looking into resolving the issue. After several more weeks went by, I contacted UPS again. They told me they had sent the form weeks ago to Afikomen, but it was never returned. On my last call to Afikomen, near the end of March, Chaim told me that, in fact, they had returned the form to UPS some time ago. So UPS says that Afikomen dropped the ball, and Afikomen says that UPS dropped the ball. In the meantime, I've spent a couple of hours fruitlessly trying to obtain a refund for the missing order. Giving Afikomen the benefit of the doubt, I assume they were trying to be helpful, agreeing to take my order by phone and ship the product, when in fact maybe they're really not well-prepared to go beyond their usual in-store sales. FWIW, I've given up spending any more time on getting a refund. On the other hand, if Afikomen does come through with a refund eventually -- it's now been six weeks since the order went missing -- I would be very happy to update this review. ----------------------- I am very happy to have just received a notice that Afikomen has refunded my order and also a gracious apology from R' Chaim. Todah! Shabbat shalom and chag sameach!

We were at the Claremont for brunch today with the office staff of my clinic thanks to some of my drug reps. On the way back we stopped here. What a great store! I got my first menorah, a very simple but modern one. When we come back from Germany on he 22nd, we'll light the first candle. Also got a couple f great books. They even have a seder plate with room for the orange! I'll return before Pesach to get that before my next seder. And I'm a goy!!!

I've been interested in this store since 2002, and it's taken me almost this long to take a deeper dive into Judaism. Needless to say running into a friend there helped. The shop had everything I needed for Chanukah. Lovely items. I didn't feel watched or followed which is a daily experience in my skin, so I appreciated that a lot. I also appreciated that they had something in all price ranges. This will be my first year lighting my own candles and I'm excited! The menorah I wanted was sold out, and I still found one I like. :-) I also appreciate the kindness of the staff, I'll be back!

For our wedding, Afikomen had everything we were looking for- our kiddush cup, breaking glass, kippot, and chuppah rental! The purchasing and rental process was easy- and their large inventory was much appreciated! I also need to rave about the customer service- we didn't order our embroidered kippot until the about a week before our wedding, but it still arrived on time due to the associates' help! Afikomen is also one of the most organized stores like this that I have seen in a long time. I definitely recommend this store to all in need of items for their wedding!

FABULOUS!! I have been visiting this store for many years and have found that it only gets better with age. In addition to a fabulous staff and wide selection of everything from siddurim to mezzuzot, from skin care products to jewelry, and from tallitot to stuff for kids of all ages, I always feel like my visit to Afikomen is more like a visit to a friend's home than a retail shop. One service that Afikomen offers that not many Judaica stores do, is help getting you ketubah and chuppah for your wedding. Alexis, who handles all of the ketubah orders, is extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and holds all of the details for you. She makes the difficult time of getting ready for your simcha a much easier one. I will continue visiting this store for many more years to come!!

One of only two dedicated Judaica stores in the entire Bay Area, I believe. Massive selection of books, mezuzot, kippot, and everything in between for the Jewish person and their family. My husband and I bought my son a plush Torah and some very nice wooden aleph-bet blocks here. I purchased my women's commentary Torah here as well. I love love coming by here and I'm so glad it's around.

This store has been one of my favorite Jewish places to be in the East Bay for many years. Here I bought books and gifts for my kids, Shabbat candles and candlesticks, Hanukkah gelt, Bar and Bat mitzvah gifts, cookbooks, spiritual books, calendars, and now --I can't believe the moment has come for my son to choose his first tallit. I know the kind and helpful owners will be there as always to support my family's Jewish journey and help us make a good choice.

A beautiful store run by wonderful people. They carried everything my family needed for our new home and the holidays.

Mrs Cheesemonger's family was coming over for Christmas, and I felt the need to "Jew Up." After all, my menorah was lame - a teeny one that we bought at Pottery Barn. And I needed something impressive for my shiksa wife's family. I went into Afikomen and right inside the door was a menorah - it looked like the exact menorah that I grew up with. I thought, it couldn't be - my brother has that one, but maybe...I wonder if it has a music box inside and if it plays "Rock of Ages?" There was a switch at the back, a moved the switch over to the right, and the plinky, clinky sounds of that song from my childhood filled the room! I didn't care how much it cost, I had to have that menorah. They were very polite at Afikomen, humoring me while they wrapped up the menorah - they probably couldn't care less that it fulfilled a longtime loss.

In all the years I have lived in the area, I have never been to this gem of a store. I had wanted to come and since we are gearing up for my daughter starting Bat Mitzvah type training this fall, I wanted to go to the one store that carries all sorts of Judaica in the East Bay. I was impressed at the variety of books they had available and with their music selection. My daughter and I had fun looking in the jewelry case and at the mezuzah's trying to decide if we should purchase one, two or more for our doorposts. We ended up not getting any as there was a pushy customer who kept trying to block our view. We will definitely go back when we have more time to peruse.

I've been in several times over two years. I've gotten the basics, a mezuzah scroll to replace a damaged one, a new case when I moved and acquired a wonderful back door, menorah candles, the usual small stuff. I have seen the owner be gruff, but so what? I've seen customers be really needy/clingy to aggressive and rude. I think it is an oh, there is an east coast vibe in here. And my favorite uncle is gruff. My memorable experience is when I bought a Tallit. For myself. For my not-a- man-but-a-woman self. I picked up a Tallit with a design that comes through the Renewal movement, stripes of multicolors, but definitely a "masculine" tallit, not a painted silk feminine one. At the register, the owner rang me up, pausing, looking from Tallit to me and back again. He blinked, looked me straight in the eye and asked, buying this for yourself? (this point had resulted in me getting kicked out of another Judaica store back home) Yes, I said. Proudly. But desperately thinking let me buy it, let me buy it. Good, he said, and wrapped it up with great respect. For the Tallis and, I hope, for me. I'm sold. I'll be back.

I am not Jewish, but much of my family is. This store is a must most times my sister visits. I just saw my BFF's review and realized I have not reviewed this place myself. I shop here not just for gifts for my Jewish family, but also for things for work. I have found great children's book and various other items I have needed. There are closer stores to me that sell Judaica and Jewish scripture-themed items, but more than once I have found myself driving to Afikomen because no place closer had what I needed. They have a great selection of items for a home blessing. They also have really friendly, helpful and knowledgable staff.

I'm like a kid in a candy store every time I walk into Afikomen. I have actually become more observant over the years just so I can buy more of their beautiful and unique wares! (Okay, kidding, but not that much.) I will confess I found it intimidating the first time I went in, knowing so little about Jewish beliefs and rituals. But the staff are usually good at reading people coming in; they'll leave you alone, chat, answer questions, make recommendations, or provide full service according to what you're in the mood for! I've come to appreciate the staff's open, non-judgemental conversation and quirky sense of humor. In addition to an extensive collection of Jewish books (ranging from religious texts to fiction to sheet music and comic books), they also have a great assortment of children's books, toys, and other items beyond the standard dreidel. I don't have kids yet, but one year I just couldn't resist a stuffed "huggable matzoh ball." The only downside is that Afikomen tends to stock higher-end products, many of which are gorgeous and out of my reach on a teacher's salary. But I figure that's more my problem than theirs.

Afikomen carries a nice selection of Jewish books, long on popular reading material, somewhat shorter on seforim (holy books in Hebrew). They serve a wide range of tastes and observances in the East Bay Jewish community. The remarkable thing about Afikomen is the spirit of the place. Newcomers are welcome. People curious about Judaism are welcome. Observant Orthodox Jews are welcome. Renewal Jews are welcome. Browsers are welcome. And if they don't have it, they'll order it for you. Five stars!

Ditto regarding the welcoming and knowlegable environment. The folks there are helpful, but not pushy. I'm also impressed on the owner's (Jerry Derblich) generosity and commitment to the community.

I can't get enough of this store! The staff are happy to give you some space to shop on your own, but are also very friendly and knowledgeable when you need to ask a question. They have an amazing collection of books, art, toys, kiddush cups, ketubim, kippot, and more! SO much more! They carry the GOOD kind of Shabbat candles, you know, the ones that leave no mess? Plus, they have candlesticks for every budget. Their selection of mezuzot is very impressive. I couldn't decide on just one! THEY EVEN HAVE ISRAELI WINE for a very reasonable price! Plus, you can get fresh, delicious challah a few doors down at Star OR Semifreddi's. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this store, and I could loiter in it for hours...and usually do :)

I love Afikomen for so many reasons! Just recently Nell and Chaim went out of their way for me after I forgot to preorder a lulav and etrog for Sukkot. Of course they make money off of my purchase (yay, my money stays local!), but the kindness and care they showed me was above and beyond. They stock an eclectic and pleasing array of merchandise. It's remarkable what they have on offer given that the space is not so big. Check out Afikomen of you haven't been before or if it's been a while.

what a wonderful shop and treasure for the Jewish community! I wanted to send my grandchild some Hanukkah books and I received excellent service and assistance with only a phone call to the store. Chaim suggested perfect books to start her Hanukkah collection and mailed the package to them in New York the next day ( better than Amazon as I received immediate personal service). I recommend Afikomen for all your Judaica.

The go-to place for all things Jewish. For this Chanukah season, literally seemed like the only place in oakland (I consider this part of town to be oakland) to have dreidels. Like really? Ridiculous. But i'm glad they were there for sale. In general though, a great store. They really have everything you'd need from birth to death and everything in between. Also have exceptional customer service, which is nice to see, especially for a Mom and Pop shop.

I usually come to shop here during high Jewish holidays holidays because they always have a great selection of items ranging in all sorts of prices. The store is a bit on the smaller side but their items have a great variety. They also have a great selection of Hebrew and Jewish books other Jewish reading material. You can find anything from simple every day Jewish items or items hat you would need for special occasions. They even have a lot of things that you can rent for Jewish weddings in case you don't want to spend the money on it. The staff here are always super friendly and super helpful when finding something in particular. Parking here can get sort is tricky since it is on a busy street and street parking is only available but doesn't mean you won't find a spot. Come check this place out! Mazel Tov!

We are so lucky to have Afikomen here in the East Bay. The owners are very kind and helpful. They have everything you need for a Jewish home.

On the East Coast, Judaica stores are a dime a dozen. Out here, Afikomen is an oasis for all things Jewish -- Ketubahs, seder items, mezuzahs, Jewish books... This is definitely the place to go.

I'm so glad I discovered Afikomen. They have a good selection of judaica, fun stuff around important holidays, and a great tallis selection. They also have a great selection of toys. But where I think they really stand out -- and how you can tell you are in a Berkeley judaica store -- is their book selection. They have such an interesting selection of books. Yes, a lot of traditional texts but also books with very different perspectives, including secular, lgbt, etc. They also have a fantastic selection of cookbooks, and comfortable chairs to sit and consider your selections.

It's such a treat to have such a resource in the Bay Area. This is my go to place for gifts, resource books, novelties - you name it. The staff is super helpful and very kind.

Continues to be the best Judaica shop around. I have 2 little kids and am always looking for wonderful Jewish books to read at night. Afikomen always has the best selection and I stop by and get a huge haul whenever I am nearby. Stopped in yesterday and got 6 fantastic Hanukkah books that I had never heard of. Got the home and read them to my 4 year old, and we both loved every single one. Afikomen is a wonderful benefit to our Jewish Community and I am so happy to support them. Rather than shop on Amazon, I'm happy to pay full price and support this wonderful shop. It truly is a mitzvah to shop here!

I like to go to a book store where the people working there actually read the books on the self .And for gifts Afikomen has the best stuff. jenn

I've been looking for Hanukkah books for my kids, so I have been recently reminded of my dislike for this store. Four years ago, I walked into this store approximately 38 weeks pregnant, and the owner told me I looked like a dreidel. I thought it was such a rude thing to say that I've never gone back. I would suggest not commenting on your customers' appearance, particularly if you want to compare a woman to a top.

Bait and switch -- I've had this experience more than once at Afikomen: I pick up an item, go to checkout, and it is priced differently. Today, I wanted to buy a book that had an Afikomen sticker on it marked $17.50. But when I got to checkout, it rang up at $75. The clerk didn't even notice. When I pointed out the discrepancy, the "manager" told me that owner had just changed the price, and had not bothered to update the sticker. She then checked the price on Alibris and Amazon, and said that Afikomen always would charge more than no places. If this was a one-time deal, I might have ignored it, but I've had this checkout "bait-and-switch" happen a bunch of times -- even when the price is given by an Afikomen price sticker. If you do shop there, watch the checkout like a hawk.

The owner got in touch with me to apologize for our treatment at the hands of the (now-dismissed) staff member, which I appreciate. He also asked me to take down the previous review on the basis that my experience was atypical, which does seem to be the case. I don't really have a basis for contrast, and I don't think that my original review was inaccurate, so I'm leaving it up, but I am granting Afikomen an additional star on the grounds that the owner at least cared enough to follow up.

Decent selection, nice staff. Unfortunately, my shopping experience was tainted by the cashier. I was buying over $300 for a variety of Hanukkah items and, at the register, the cashier strongly suggested a spray to prevent candle wax from sticking to candle sticks. She INSISTED that it was a great purchase - it was on sale for only $3 and worked flawlessly. She rung me up, I paid and left. About 10 minutes later, I remembered that I had forgotten to buy wine and stopped back in. The cashier told me that actually, she had rung it up wrong, and it cost $15 instead of $3 - whoops. And then she asked me to pay the difference, which I did. For the record, it's a terrible product - it makes the candle holder so slippery that the candles slip out, and candle wax still sticks everywhere. Boo.

Don't go here for books. The schlubs at the counter don't have the foggiest about the books they do have and wouldn't even know where to begin should you want something else. If you want an over-priced mezuzah scroll, they can assist, but forget about books.

I went over to Afikomen a while back with some Conservative&Reform Jewish adult acquaintances. The items seemed to be fairly expensive with high markups for jewelry and other "non-essentials" compared to online outlets based in the Holy Land of Israel or elsewhere. Although, we ALL could see that the one-of-a-kind, high-margin items WERE high-quality. But now specifically to books at a Bookstore instead of at a Giftstore: If Borders didn't recently close down many of its stores and if it DID have a good selection of Jewish books, then I suppose that many Jews and non-Jews would browse at Borders and B&N for their Judaica books instead of at Afikomen where there's much more pressure (at Afikomen) to make a sale. Guess we caught one of the Afikomen saleswomen on a bad day compared to the other reviewers here, 'cause she took a lonnnnngggg slowwww time ringing up a purchased item, kept on asking the purchaser "Do you want something else? Do you want something else?" when the purchaser really didn't, and then while ringing up the purchase, somehow managed to ignore the purchaser's S.O. when the latter made a product inquiry(???!!!) As it is, Afikomen basically has NO brick-and-mortar competition in the SFBay Area, so they can get away with any markups that they unilaterally deem "fair" and can get away with their owner's taking an out-of-town vacation or two during slow times of the year. The Jewish people I visited Afikomen with and others are now telling me that the owners are ratcheting up the volume on the insistence to "Support your local community's business (us!) Support your local community's business (us!)" Therefore, I think that they are struggling financially like other small businesses these days. Is a deathnell approaching Afikomen Judaica similar to Borders?? I don't know and I can't say I really care overly much. Based on all this, I'd rate Afikomen Judaica 2-3 stars between "Average" and "I've experienced better".

Chaim, the owner, read the whole Megillah for Purim. Afikomen is more than a book store, its a hub for the unaffiliated. Also, this is where I bought my Ketubah and rented a Chuppah for my wedding. Good place.

Located in an interesting little retail area, (sci-fi books, european upholstery, bread & coffee..) Afikomen is one of the most unique Jewish book and gift store in the country. They really have everything,from Rashi's commentaries to Mexican stamped metal minorahs...Well worth a browse, even if you're not Jewish...