Jewish shop a rare find in Valley
Bethlehem | A Chile-born family who embraced their Jewish heritage just seven years ago has opened one of the Lehigh Valley’s most distinctive businesses.
To find anything akin to Yahrushalaim Israeli Gift Shop & Judaica at 514 W. Broad St. in the city means driving to New York or Philadelphia, according to Levi Arevalo, the 18-year-old son of shop owner Luz Maria Sepulveda.
The family moved to Bethlehem in 1998 and a few years later learned their ancestors had fled Spain, where the Inquisition banned Jews during the 15th century. More immediate ancestors fled Germany for Chile just before the borders were closed during World War II.
“They hid their religion for safety,” said Arevalo, who helps his mother in the store with his sister, 17-year-old Siloe Arevalo. They have two brothers living in Chile. Their father, Ruben Arevalo, is a carpenter.
Thursday afternoon, the family joined Mayor John Callahan and other community representatives in celebrating the shop that opened last November. Callahan said he hopes the shop is one of several businesses in the West Bethlehem neighborhood planned for revitalization through the state Elm Street Program.
