Annual Deli Day lunch in Columbus canceled over growing coronavirus concerns

Columbus’ Temple Israel confirmed Tuesday that their annual Deli Day fundraiser will be canceled this year due to growing concern about coronavirus exposure.

Gloria Cohen, chair for the event, told the Ledger-Enquirer the event was canceled out of concern for not only the volunteers, but for the Columbus community at large. The

“The majority that work and volunteer for the event are 60 (years old) and above and with so many unknowns, we would’ve hated for anybody to have gotten sick,” Cohen said.

Deli Day is hosted annually by the Jewish Ladies Aid Society of Temple Israel. Corned beef sandwiches and desserts, like cheesecake, are sold to help benefit the Wynnton Neighborhood Network and Hope Harbor organizations.

Tickets were set to go on sale Thursday but after a Tuesday morning meeting with organizers, it was decided that the event should be held next year instead, Cohen said.

“We were really upset, but we didn’t want to jeopardize our congregation or anybody else in the community,” Cohen said. “We’re looking forward to making it bigger and better than ever next year.”

The Deli Day event has been held over 30 years and hundreds of sandwiches are sold every year.