Sofia Vinokurov & Mark Rakhman Place (Brooklyn)
Present name:None
Location:Northeast corner of Brighton Beach Avenue and Brighton 2nd Street
Honoree: Sofia Vinokurov and Mark Rakhman were siblings who came to America from Odessa, Ukraine in the early 1970s. As early Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union, they planted the seeds of the present thriving Russian-Jewish community in the Brighton Beach neighborhood. By establishing its largest Russian American grocery store, they made Brighton Beach a destination for many people. With time, they also established the largest Russian restaurant in the US, “National.” In 1978 they, along with other local merchants, developed one of the city's first business improvement districts (BID), the Brighton Beach BID. It helped to address major issues in the area, and develop a flourishing business strip. As leaders in the community for decades, they’ve made their mark throughout Brighton Beach by providing social services before many current organizations in the area were established, They also helped many immigrants to settle into their new community by providing monetary and employment assistance. (Deutsch)
LL:2018/139