Paterson, New Jersey — known to its Arab residents as “Little Ramallah” — is home to the largest Palestinian American community in the United States, alongside Syrian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Turkish, and Bangladeshi Muslim families. Main Street and South Main Street form a vibrant Arabic commercial corridor of bakeries, halal butchers, restaurants, and grocers. At Desert Sun Dates, we ship our hand-harvested California Medjool dates (tamr al-majhool, تمر المجهول) directly from our private date ranch to Paterson families for Iftar, Suhoor, and Eid celebrations.

Jumbo California Medjool dates Tamr Al-Majhool shipped to Paterson NJ Little Ramallah from private date ranch

Little Ramallah & the Heart of Arab New Jersey

Paterson’s Palestinian community began arriving in the 1940s and grew steadily through the 1980s and beyond, drawn by the city’s affordability, its proximity to New York City, and the strength of family networks already established. Today, an estimated 25,000–30,000 Palestinian Americans call Paterson and its surrounding Passaic County neighbors home, with Arab Americans more broadly representing close to a quarter of the city’s residents.

The Islamic Center of Passaic County, the Jamia Masjid mosque, and a network of Sunni and Shia masajid anchor the religious life of the community. Each year, Paterson’s Palestinian American Day Parade draws tens of thousands of attendees from across the Northeast.

Ramadan (رمضان) in Paterson

During Ramadan, Main Street comes alive after maghrib. Bakeries along South Main fire up early for qatayef, knafeh, and ma’amoul. Restaurants offer Iftar specials. Families gather at the Islamic Center for nightly taraweeh prayers, often followed by community meals. And at every household table, the moment of breaking fast begins the same way: with a date and a glass of water, following the prophetic sunnah (سنة).

For Palestinian families especially, the date carries deep cultural and religious meaning — a fruit from the same trees that have grown in the Levant for thousands of years. Our jumbo California Medjool dates, with their soft caramel-like flesh and rich sweetness, are the closest match to the premium Medjool dates of Jericho and the Jordan Valley.

Hand-picked California Medjool dates from Desert Sun Dates private date ranch Coachella Valley

Why Paterson Families Order From Our Private Ranch

Ranch-direct freshness. Our Medjool dates ship within days of being hand-harvested on our private date ranch in the Coachella Valley.
Halal, single-ingredient product. No glucose syrup, no glazing oils, no additives — just dates.
Premium quality for gift-giving. A box of jumbo California Medjool dates is a fitting gift to bring when visiting family during Ramadan or for an Eid ziyara.
Reliable East Coast shipping. Most orders reach Paterson and the surrounding Passaic County area within 3–5 business days.

Shipping to Paterson & Northern New Jersey

We deliver to Paterson (07501, 07502, 07503, 07504, 07505, 07514, 07522, 07524) and the surrounding Northern New Jersey region — including Clifton, Passaic, Wayne, Hawthorne, Prospect Park, Haledon, and the broader New York metro. For Ramadan, we recommend placing orders 1–2 weeks before the start of the month to ensure freshness.