Afikomen Judaica

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.

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.

What a great store for present if you’re looking for some stuff for holidays books and all kind of Jewish related store this is the right place I make all my shopping over there they’re nice friendly and professional that can guide you for the stuff that you need and help you with whatever you want highly recommend in the store thanks again

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.

I wish I could give no stars. The owners are incredibly rude and unwelcoming. I have been a loyal customer at Afikomen from the time it opened. David & Jerry were such a great team, and then Jerry and Alexis carried on the tradition of being warm and helpful. As much as I love to shop locally, I plan to do all of my future shopping for Judaica in SF at Dayenu or online going forward. Going into Afikomen these days is just too unpleasant of an experience. Not worth it.

I love Afikomen!
This Judaica store is closest to my home, but this is not my primary reason for taking my business to Afikomen. It’s the wonderful community feeling I get and the excellent treatment every visit by Cheim and Nel.
This little gem is located in Berkeley, right near campus. I discovered Afikomen several years back when a peer in my PhD program took me for a few books. Needless to say, I have been visiting ever since.
I introduced myself to the owners of the store, Cheim and Nel, and asked if I could bring a group of students for a visit. They graciously welcomed me and my group. I am happy to say we have created a lasting relationship and each semester a group of new students are welcomed here for an afternoon of learning.
Today, I stopped in to grab candles for the menorah, a few dreidels to play with at home, gold coins for each day of Hanukah and a great children’s book to teach about the holiday.
Thank you Afikomen for helping me with my every need for studies and for holidays.
Stephani Smiles for Afikomen ;)

I’m sorry to express my disappointment about Afikomen as I have been a loyal customer for over twenty five years. While the merchandise is tops, the lack of kindness from the staff and manager is extremely off putting. In the early days, one was welcomed with a genuine smile and courtesy throughout the shopping experience. Now, the friendliness appears selective and the shopping experience a downer. I believe the entire staff from top down needs a refresher course in grace, courtesy and manners.

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.

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.

If you’re planning a trip to Israel consider renting a pay-​as-​you-​go Israeli phone from Afikomen, which is a vendor for
. I’ve done this three times and it saves a lot of trouble! You can get a phone in under 5 minutes, its awesome.
Afikomen also has a great selection of judaica and is a great place to go if you’re preparing for any Jewish holiday. I’ve bought a few good books from there as well.
This place always makes me nostalgic and happy. It’s worth a visit just for browsing their nice jewelry and other pretty merchandise.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 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’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.

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.

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 22^nd, 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!!!

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.