Living History: Sassoon Codex 1053

For one week only, the ANU Museum in Tel Aviv is displaying living history. A book, written over 1,100 years ago; passed on for generations; lost and now resurfaced. A mystery as to its exact author. No one knows exactly where it was written. This codex (a codex is handwritten on parchment, before the advent of printing on paper or vellum) is one of the world’s great historical treasures. It is the oldest, most complete Hebrew Bible to date, a bridge between the fragments of the Dead Sea scrolls dating from the First Century BC and other Hebrew writings dating to the Middle Ages. This Bible, known as Sassoon Codex 1053 predates the handwritten Medieval illuminated manuscripts by over a century. And it is coming up for auction at Sotheby’s in May. The codex is expected to break all records and sell for upwards of $50 million. The history behind this magnificent book is a story in itself.

Some time in the late 9th century, probably in Tiberias, a small city on the Western shore of the Galilee, an unknown sofer (scribe) copied the entire Jewish Bible over a period of years by hand on sheepskin parchment. It was most likely transcribed at the time of the great rabbis who wrote the Biblical commentaries of the Talmud. Much of the oral tradition was beginning to be codified in writing during this period. The Sassoon Codex Tanach contains all 24 books of the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings. Christians uphold these books as the Old Testament. Muslims believe the Torah and Psalms were divinely inspired. So this manuscript marks a foundation to Western civilization. The writing is a little bit messy in places in some of the vowels and spelling. But the writing style of the Hebrew only adds to the mystique of this 792 page manuscript.

Historically, Torah and Haftarah scrolls were written completely without vowels or punctuation: all of the pronunciations and chants were passed on exclusively through oral tradition. The Codex Sassoon was written in the Masoretic text. In the early Middle Ages, mostly in Tiberias, the great sages of old, rabbis and scribes known as Masoretes created a body of notes that standardized the Hebrew text of the Scriptures. Vowels were added along with punctuation marks and trope or chant marks, called nickadot (jots and tiddles). The root of the Hebrew word ‘masor’ means to transmit. These notes were added to ensure correct transmission of the traditional oral text and to eliminate any possible human error in copying the Scriptures. The Masora, all the nickadot, are of utmost importance as they instruct the reader exactly how a word is pronounced, thus ensuring the correct meaning. The punctuation ensures the correct grammar, and cantillation marks indicate how the text is chanted, also ensuring correct punctuation (when to pause at the end of a phrase; specific words requiring emphasis; where to stop at the end of a sentence or paragraph). 

The earliest Hebrew manuscripts found are the Dead Sea Scrolls dating to the First Century BC. They are very incomplete, missing entire books of Scripture. Most of the scrolls are fragments that needed to be pieced together. After a silence of almost 900 years, the Sassoon Codex is a bridge to the ‘modern’ era. It has been carbon dated to the late 800s AD. There are notes of ownership written at the back of the text and a deed of sale written in Aramaic Hebrew was discovered in the middle of the Bible. From this, as well as carbon dating, historians can site its provenance. What is known is that the manuscript traveled throughout the Middle East. Most likely written in the Galilee, Israel, only the wealthiest could have afforded its commission. Eventually it made its way to Damascus, Syria, where the codex was owned by a Khalef ben Avraham. It was sold to Yitzhak ben Yehezki’el Al Attar who, in turn, bequeathed it to his sons, Yezki’el and Maimon ben Attar. Along the way, a leather cover was added and the manuscript was bound in a book. In the 13th century the manuscript found its place in the great synagogue in Makisin (present-day Markada),Syria. Before the synagogue was destroyed by Mongol hordes in the 14th century, the codex was given to a Muslim man named Salama ibn Abi al-Fahkr, for safekeeping, with the promise to return it after the house of worship was rebuilt.The synagogue was never rebuilt. History of the book remained silent for the next several centuries. It was as if the book had completely vanished!

600 years later the leather-bound book resurfaced in Iraq. In 1929, the manuscript was sold to David Suleiman Sassoon (1880-1942), son of a wealthy Iraqi international merchant. Sassoon was born in Bombay, but moved with his mother to London after his father died. Educated in London, and inheriting his father’s business and wealth, his greatest mission in life was to find and collect Judaica and historical Hebrew texts, much of which he bought in Baghdad, Israel, and Persia. Eventually, he would hold the world’s most impressive private collection. Each item received a number, catalogued in the order in which they were added to the collection. One of these included Sassoon Codex 1053, named for its sequential number. It was bought for £350 in 1929 in Baghdad. This copy of the Old Testament is older than the earliest Hebrew Bible now come to light, the Leningrad Codex, written in the 10th century. Sassoon 1053 was possibly written at the same time as the famous Aleppo Codex, but the latter is very incomplete, missing almost 200 pages. Scholars have been aware of the existence of Sassoon’s holding and importance since the 1960s. 

David Sassoon passed his extensive collection on to his children. In order to pay his estate’s British tax obligations, many of the tomes were sent to auction or were sold privately between the 1970s and the 1990s. Today most remain in private collections, universities and libraries. His son, Rabbi Solomon David Sassoon, sold Codex 1053 to the British Rail Pension Fund, who, in turn, put it up for auction at Sotheby’s in 1989. The precious manuscript was bought by a dealer for £2,035,000, who turned around and sold it to a Swiss investor, Jacob (Jacqui) Eli Safra, heir to the Lebanese-Swiss Safra banking family. Codex Sassoon 1053 then became known as Safra JUD002. Safra had the original leather cover completely rebound to keep the integrity of the parchment pages intact.

Mr. Safra allowed Biblical scholar, Prof. Yosef Ofer of Bar Ilan University to study the codex at his home in Geneva as guards stood outside the room. The leather-bound manuscript measures 12” X 14” and is 6” thick, weighing 25.5 pounds. The script on each page is divided into three columns. The Scriptures start with Genesis 9:26, as the first few pages of the folio are missing. To decipher the Masora requires a considerable amount of knowledge for full understanding of all the notes, which Professor Dr.Ofer has. Only a select few people have been able to study the notes found in the margins of texts from the Medieval period. This particular manuscript is incredible! The Hebrew writing is clear and dark, although a bit sloppy in places, without vowels or trope marks. The latter, the nickadot, have been added in a lighter pen at the bottom and top of the Hebrew letters. Notes on grammar, punctuation and inflection are written between the margins and at the top and bottom of the pages are more extensive handwritten notations. 

Tickets were free, so the minute I heard about this, I made my reservation. The museum is dedicated to telling the story of Jewish history through archaeological findings, art, writings, artifacts and oral tradition. The Bible on display is encased in a large glass vitrine, and spotlighted so the writing is crisp and clear. Much larger than I originally expected, it is truly amazing that I was able to read these pages. The letters are crisp and clear, but lacking the beautiful ornamentation or ‘crowns’ found at the top of certain letters. The text is quite plain, different from a Torah scroll. Although the edges of the parchment seemed worn and discolored, it was as if this was written recently. Absolutely incredible that something this old could be so well preserved! The margin notes were indecipherable to me, and the notes penned at the top and bottom of each page were tiny and without vowels..

Sharon Mintz, Senior Judaica Specialist at Sotheby’s states that this evolutionary history of the written Tanach “radiates power.” It is one of the most significant books as it documents the foundations of Western society and history. Before Codex Sassoon 1053 is auctioned in New York on 16 May, 2023, it will be on display for one week only in March and April in London, Tel Aviv, Dallas and Los Angeles. 

Cooking and Convalescing

To update all you loyal readers: this is the eighth attempt at publishing this blog, as I’ve had nothing but glitches with this WordPress site. So let’s hope all goes well this time. My husband, John, underwent an extensive surgery last month and was set to be transferred to a convalescent hospital almost two weeks ago. Our health care group would only pay for four hospitals in the North (the periphery). All were overcrowded, understaffed and not as clean as I’d like. So we petitioned the doctor to let John do shikum at home. We’ve had a nurse come to show me how to do wound care and apply dressings and give medications; a physical therapist who gave exercises (that turned out to be way to advanced at this time); a social worker and a dietician.

Together with the dietician, we worked out a specific meal plan with foods that are low in acid and fiber, are easily digestible, high in protein and soluble fats, red meat free, grain and seed free, salt free, cruciferous veg free…. Plus I wanted to serve him a diet high in probiotics and prebiotics to replace his gut flora. He lost 22 pounds, so they wanted to put him on Ensure and other highly processed drinks and shakes. I wanted to keep the diet as natural as possible. Yes! Challenge accepted!

Healthy recipes here we come! As soon as we got home, I made a 48-hour bone broth in the crockpot. I took beef bones with the marrow, onions, carrots, celery, parsley, bay leaves, ginger, peppercorn, garlic and cooked it until the marrow was completely melted into the soup. High in protein, probiotics and collagen, super delicious, it would be a base for other soups once strained and frozen. There was zucchini mushroom soup, chicken soup with matzah balls, potato leek soup and two varieties of the quintessential Israeli Marok Katom orange soup, so named for its bright orange color. Every household has their own version of orange soup which uses any of an assortment of orange veggies and spices. I made one of a large bag of peeled carrots, a peeled sweet potato and water with some cloves and nutmeg. My favorite (I’ve given the recipes in past blogs) uses a sautéed onion and peeled apple slices with roasted sweet potato, butternut squash and carrots. This gets a can of coconut milk, grated orange peel, a hefty tablespoon of curry powder and water. All the soups are well blended with an immersion blender until creamy.

For breakfast John I make a smoothie. I like to buy as local and as fresh as possible… from our local farmers. We are so blessed to have free-range goats and goatherds throughout the Galilee. Fresh goat milk products are amazing- not at all ‘goaty’ or ‘wild’ tasting. The milk is very mild, sweet, and easily digestible. We have more than a few artisanal goat dairies in the vicinity, so I eat a cup of goat yogurt every day and use it in smoothies. Recently, I found a new superfood called fonio. It’s high in protein and minerals and low glycemic. The closest I can describe it is that it is a bit like cream of wheat when cooked as a breakfast food. I add a scoop of PB (peanut butter) protein powder that I order from the States, goat yogurt, cinnamon, honey and banana. It’s very tasty!

Roasted, peeled beets are extremely high in antioxidants and iron. Another superfood. You can find them prepackaged in the supermarkets (and in the US, at Trader Joe’s). I developed this recipe with a couple Israeli/ Mediterranean twists. I use a goat feta that is very very low in salt and very firm and mild. It comes in a block submerged in water, and can be cut into smaller cubes. Hopefully you will be able to find something quite similar. Fresh dill is found in many recipes here, as is mint. The two together make this salad really fresh and the dressing is a twist on the Israeli lemon juice and olive oil.

Mediterranean Beet Salad

Ingredients:

  • 3-4 medium beets, roasted & peeled, or 1 pack pre-cooked beets
  • 1/2 cup goat feta, as fresh as possible
  • 2 TBSP freshly chopped dill leaves
  • 1 TBSP freshly chopped mint leaves
  • Vinaigrette , recipe below

In a large bowl cut the roasted beets into bite sized cubes. Add the fresh feta, cubed. Add mint and dill. In a small bowl mix together the vinaigrette until it forms a creamy emulsion. Pour over salad and mix thoroughly.

Vinaigrette ingredients:

  • Juice of 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 TBSP Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed


I’ve made a big casserole of Mac and Cheese from scratch, and several egg dishes including this one quiche. Usually coming up with new recipes is successful, but there are occasional flops. The tuna quiche was one of those disasters. It was crustless with a sliced potato base. I loaded it up with spinach, peeled finely grated carrots, cheese, and a lovely custard. Coming out of the oven it looked absolutely glorious, but it smelled and tasted like cat food. It was pretty gross, and the neighborhood felines had quite a treat. So much so, that I believe I’ve made a new friend. She comes around to my kitchen window every morning now.

Eggs have become a really important part of John’s diet. After all these years, I just found out he hates hard boiled eggs by themselves. Who knew? I love that after over 40 years together, we are still discovering new things about each other. He loves fluffy scrambled eggs, in Hebrew – mitgushgeshet. It reminds me of the Netflix “Somebody Feed Phil” episode where his father insists on fluffy eggs. It’s even on Max’s tombstone: But are they fluffy? I’ve come to love the Israeli chavitah pronounced kha-vee-TAH. Its origins are from kibbutz days. They were made in the main kitchen en masse for the agricultural workers. The scrambled eggs are cooked very flat and very crispy then folded into a rectangle. That way they could be quickly put between pieces of bread, wrapped up and taken into the field. The IDF soldiers are still fed this way in the field. Add an Israeli salad of chopped cucumber and tomato with a drizzle of olive oil and a spritz of lemon juice and you’re good to go.


Israeli Chavitah

Ingredients:

  • 1 TBSP butter
  • 2 eggs
  • splash of milk
  • 3 TBSP assorted fresh herbs, chopped finely. I used parsley, cilantro, dill and chives
  • 2 TBSP finely chopped red onion, optional
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese cubes or crumbles

Melt butter on medium high flame in medium sized pan. Scramble the eggs with a splash of milk. Finely chop all the herbs and the onions. The onions should be a teeny, tiny, mince. Put the eggs into the pan and let sit. The edges should brown slightly. As bubbles for they can be popped. Sprinkle half the herbs on the eggs, which should be undisturbed and completely flat. Flip the eggs and let brown slightly on the other side. As they are cooking, sprinkle the feta and remaining herbs and onions over top. Fold the edges over so the eggs look like a rectangle or fold blanket. Slide onto the plate. It can also be put into a sandwich with a sh ear of cream cheese and mustard. Really!!!! Try it. The combo is surprisingly good!

The next recipe is a variation of my mother’s salmon loaf recipe. So it’s a real comfort food to me as well as being protein rich and high in Omega fatty acids. I used canned salmon, which is easy to find here and much cheaper than fresh. It’s boneless and skinless, so there is little waste. The dish can be served hot or cold and makes the best sandwiches the next day. In the photo below are my Mrs. Meyer’s products. I order them from the States because they are my favorites. They do a fantastic job, are ecologically friendly, and the scents are heavenly… it’s a bit of a comfort of home for me.The loaf pan was made by my son, Max, when he was 14 and took a ceramics class. It’s one of my favorites. My dill is in a little earthenware crock from England. That’s how fresh cream used to be delivered in the late 1800s….it’s just so sweet! I’d been looking for one for decades and found it in Scotland for £6 at an antiques store.

Salmon Loaf

Ingredients:

  • 3 200g cans boneless, skinless salmon, drained
  • 1 medium onion, chopped finely
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and grated finely
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 3/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 TBSP chopped fresh dill

Preheat oven to 170*C/350*F. Line a loaf pan with parchment/baking paper. In a large bowl combine all the above ingredients, mixing with your hands, until it quickly comes together. The mixture should be moist and malleable, but not overly wet. If it seems too loose, add a bit more panko breadcrumbs. Place in the loaf pan and form into loaf. Make a deep well down the center and fill with ketchup. Bake for about 40 minutes and salmon is gently browned on top. Garnish with extra dill sprigs. Enjoy!

My pour neighbors have been totally helpful and understanding. My next door neighbor went and bought a little chair for the shower. Other Friday of Shabbat, he brought over a full dinner. Complete with challah, wine and candles! It was the sweetest thing ever.

Our other neighbor, a Ukrainian refugee who is living with her host family, brought over a wonderful Apple Charlottka, which was kind of like a pancake, but different. She serves it with a dollop of sour cream. Amazing! I got the recipe and made one after this was rapidly devoured. It’s really easy to make, and the ingredients were on John’s diet list.

Ukrainian Apple Charlottka

Ingredients:

  • 3 green cooking apples
  • 3 red cooking apples
  • 1/freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 TBSP sugar (I use coconut sugar)
  • 4 cup yogurt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar (you can use regular, but this is low glycemic)
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 3 TBSP white or sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 200*C/400*F. Line a springform pan with baking/parchment paper. Peel the apples and slice thinly. In a medium bowl, toss apples with lemon juice, cinnamon and sugar. In a large bowl, mix the eggs and sugar until thick and lemony yellow. Mix in the yogurt and almond extract. In separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Whisk to incorporate the air and make light and fluffy. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Stir until smooth. Fold in the apples. Pour into the pan and bake for 25 minutes until the top is golden. Remove from oven. Pour the melted butter over top and sprinkle the sugar evenly over the cake. Bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven. Loosen the pan. Remove ring after 10 minutes. Let rest until transferring to plate.

To Plant a Garden

In California I always had a large organic garden…and fruit trees….and chickens. When we moved to Israel in 2015 (has it really been this long???) I wanted to be able to at least have a small plot for growing veggies. We were fortunate enough to rent a home with lots of room for gardening. Outside each window of this house we have large, deep, concrete planter boxes. Outside the kitchen I grow my herbs. Outside our den/family room window I have all my lettuces. In our front yard there is a very productive lemon tree. In the back we have oranges, pomelos, grapefruits and clementines. And I hope to add two avocados by early spring. Plus we are blessed with a magnificent pecan that I harvest every October. Yes. We are truly blessed.

In Israel, it is pretty much a given that every home or apartment has at least one mirpesset, which is an outdoor balcony/patio. Israelis love to have their coffee on the mirpesset in the mornings and spend sultry summer evenings hanging out of doors on the patio in hopes of catching a cool breeze. Plus so many places in Israel have these glorious views. There’s even a Hebrew song, “Bashana Haba’ah” where one of the verses speaks about peacefully sitting on the mirpesset counting the migrating birds overhead and listening to the laughter of children playing down below and eating grapes just picked off the vine (Steve Lawrence & Eddie Gormé made it famous in the 1970s). Our bedroom is upstairs in this tall, skinny house. That’s the third level, and wrapped around our bedroom is a huge mirpesset with sweeping views of the rolling mountains, the Mediterranean, Haifa, and sprawling Arab villages in the adjacent valleys surrounding our city. It’s all quite breathtaking, and our blessings overflow. To cap all this off, the mirpesset is bordered by deep concrete planters: my garden!

Last year was a year of shmitah, which happens once every seven years in Israel. It’s actually an ancient law from the Bible. Interesting aside: how many times in America did I hear people say how completely impossible it was for people to keep ALL the 613 laws in the Torah? In actuality, some laws are so specific they are just for men or just for women. Some laws are exclusively for people of the priestly tribes of Cohen and Levites, i.e. Cohen, Kahn, Katz, Cone,Kahane, Levy, Levine, Levenson. Some laws are only applicable in the Holy Land, like letting the fields lay fallow every seven years. It’s really smart actually. When the land rests, it has a chance to replenish. So here, the religious Jewish people honor that law. Driving the countryside last year, many of the fields owned by observant Jewish farmers were unplowed, unplanted, and covered in weeds. I also let my little plots go. Planted absolutely nothing. It’s amazing how way up on the roofline balcony, weeds quickly took over. How did they get there???

Lately I’ve been spending about an hour each day weeding the spaces, adding compost and new soil and gradually planting seeds. Over the past seven years for me, it’s been hit or miss in growing, but I can start some seed outside year long since it really doesn’t get cold enough for frost. I order my organic, nonGMO seeds from the States and bring them back with me. I try to grow things not available here like yellow and chioggia beets, parsnips, rutabagas, and different varieties of heirloom tomatoes, Japanese radishes, Russian pickling cucumbers, Brussels sprouts and colorful carrot and bean varieties. So far, I’ve had reasonably good luck.

They say that the best way to connect with the land is to dig in the earth and plant a garden. It was one of the first things I did when we moved here. To plant a garden is a sign of permanence and hope, an expectation of tomorrow. For me, it was also a link to the past. And yesterday, as I was clearing out the weeds, with my hands sunk into the rich dirt, I thought about all those who were here, in the Galilee, long ago. People in biblical times. What were they growing? This was a lush country abundant with dates, grapes, olives, barley, wheat, pomegranates, figs, spices, herbs, and vegetables. Did they, too battle with hungry snails at night and powdery mildew on their vines? Were they aware that in a few years they would also be battling Babylonians or Greeks, Syrians and Romans? Who planted on this land after that? Did it lay fallow during the expulsion of the Jews from the Holy Land in 70AD? I know our area was trod upon by Byzantines. In this town there are remnants of that early 300’s – 600’s civilization on every hilltop. Then came the Mamelukes, the Crusaders, the Ottomans, the wandering Bedouin. Mark Twain traveled through this country in the late 1800’s describing it as a vast and arid wasteland, full of rocks and good for nothing. Barely a tree for shade. It lay like this until the early 1900s when Jewish pioneers from Russia and other parts of Europe returned to their ancient and ancestral homeland. They cleared rocks, drained swamps, succumbed to malaria and other disease, defended themselves from marauding Bedouins and tribal chiefs and their bands of men seeking plunder. They diverted streams, planted trees, irrigated the land and sowed crops. They waited for the earth to become fruitful once again. And it has. Today, I am planting.

The other day I heard Rolling Stone put out their list of the top 200 singers of all time. Checking it out, I was shocked to see Israeli singer, Ofra Haza, of blessed memory, was there. I used to listen to her music in the 1970s. It was a time when much of the music here was about the love of this land – its natural beauty. It was about the people living in the land. Songs of thanksgiving and wonder. Working in the soil, even if it was in raised planters, I began to feel that connection with the past as I listened to those songs once again. The lyrics were about dependence on G-d, of the privilege of being alive at this time despite all history has dealt, living and planting in the ancient and ancestral homeland after 2000 years. They are songs of hope above all else.

And then BANG! It happened! I started this blogpost a week ago, and had hoped to put in a recipe or two, proof and post. But my husband took a turn for the worse with an intestinal obstruction. I rushed him back to Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv. John is currently under observation awaiting surgery as soon as his doctor returns from the States next week. The good news is that the cancer doesn’t seem to have returned. The operation isn’t an easy one and healing process will be long, so field tripping is out for a few months. In the meantime, I have a few left over from last year to share with you. Also look forward to some really interesting and culturally diverse recipes. Plus, there are a few people I’d like you to meet and a few fascinating subjects onto write about. So stay tuned. Wish me luck on cultivating those recently planted seedlings. And prayers for John for a complete and speedy recovery or as we say in Hebrew: refuah shleyMAH.

Let the Cooking Begin! Chanukah Edition

Hanukkah. Hanukka. Chanukah. Chanuka. Chanukkah. Whatever. The holidays are upon us. And for many of my readers that means Advent, Christmas, New Years and Kwanzaa, Kwanza, Kwaanza, Whatever. Let the celebrations: the telling of the story, the decorating, the cooking, the presents and the feasting begin!

We are Americans living abroad. We celebrate American style. Always did. Always will. I love decorating the house seasonally. To make the home warm, inviting, beautiful and fun no matter the occasion is always something I enjoy. And, along with our California neighbors, decorating for Chanukah was no exception. We were not competing with Christmas. It was a festive way of spreading cheer. So when we moved to Israel and put up all the Chanukah decorations (minus the 8 foot Star of David in the front yard made of shiny silver, blue and turquoise Mylar balloons lit by white up lights), our Jewish neighbors thought we were absolutely mishuggeh. Stark raving nuts!! Wow! Those Americans! I don’t care. Now, we have several Israeli friends who stop by just to see the American decorations. I am not worried about assimilation. I know we celebrate the heroism of Mattityahu, Judah, Shimon, Yochanan and the Maccabees who valiantly fought the Greeks, the Seleucids, the Syrians. They faced certain destruction of Israel, their ancestral homeland. They faced annihilation of their religion, Judaism. They saw the defilement of their sacred Temple, yet they fought on to victory. They reclaimed the Temple and saved Judaism. The commemoration of these events are recorded in the books of the Maccabees and in the writings of Josephus. We celebrate this season of Light in the darkness for eight days. Lighting the menorah/chanukiyyah; chanting the blessings; singing great songs that just get better each year; playing games and eating fried foods to remind us of the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days in the Temple.

This year is especially great. When I was back in the States a few weeks ago, all the stores had their holiday wares out. Target had really nice kitchen towels 2/$5!!! Beautiful banners and signs. Window clings. World market had ornaments for Chanukah (OK- so I bought a ton of gorgeous fruit and veggie blown glass ornaments to hang up in the sukkah… can’t we just skip ahead to fall?). Don’t even get me started on HomeGoods, Marshalls and TJMaxx!! Sofa pillows and bathroom towels. PJs for the entire family. They even had Chanukah pet offerings, which I did not get. This time we brought back six full suitcases. Oy to the world-

This year, we’ll try to have over a just a handful of guests: our dear Russian-Israeli neighbors. They are nuts over America and I brought back several goodies for them including the candy they requested. Chanukah jelly-bellies anyone? My old Ulpan teacher and her family. We’ve stayed in touch for years and they’ve become dear friends. Then on Thursday, our son comes home. His university has been on Chanukah break, but he’s been called up for army reserves for most of it. No matter. On Friday three of his school friends are also arriving. They are international students. One is Jewish from Argentina. One is German, and the other American, both Christian. So we’ll be doing a combined Shabbat/Chanukah/Christmas weekend for all to feel included. The more the merrier. (Please, G-d, let my back hold up!!)

Anyway, before we dig into these glorious recipes – I’m just super excited this year! – let me show you some of our table settings past. I use my good blue and white china, which I especially love for the holidays. Before anyone makes any comments about blue and white being dairy plates…I’ve always had this as my good dishes. They are our meat holiday dishes. So, please…. For Chanukah I have my blue tablecloth. At least one Chanukiyyah/Menorah is out as a centerpiece. I use fairy lights, shiny dreidels and gold foil wrapped gelt/coins scattered about. This Shabbat, I’ll combine my white and gold dishes with the blue for a more festive feel.

Last week I sent John to the store to get a few things. One item on the list was fresh ginger. He returned with this:

O.K. I can’t blame him. It does look like ginger. But what the heck are these knobby things? Turns out they are Jerusalem artichokes, or what we called Sunchokes back in California. Actually here they are called tapuah Yerushalmi, or Jerusalem potatoes. They are not potatoes, and I don’t think they grow in Jerusalem, at least I’ve never seen any in the ground there, but…what to do with them???? I can’t believe I actually came up with this recipe, but it was the best, silkiest, richest, most decadent soup!!!! Please, try this one sometime this winter. You must. You won’t regret it. It’s dairy, but you can use plant-based milk if you want to keep it vegan. We always have one complete dairy day during Chanukah to commemorate the heroine, Judith. She vanquished the Seleucid army by plying their general, Holofernes, with warm milk, honey, cheese and wine until he fell into a stupor. Then she cut off his head. When the army saw her come out of his tent holding the head of their top general, they all fled. (Did you know that after the Madonna paintings this is the most widely represented piece of art in both sculpture and oil painting? Botticelli, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Donatello, Artemesia Gentilleschi and Gustav Klimt to name but a few). Now for the recipe:

Jerusalem Artichoke & Chestnut Soup

Ingredients :

  • 1 leek, sliced thinly, white part only
  • 3 medium white or yellow carrots, peeled, cut in chunks
  • 4 cups sunchokes, peeled & cut into chunks
  • 2 cups (4 100gram pre-packaged) roasted chestnuts
  • 5 cups water or veggie broth
  • 2 veggie boullion cubes, if not using broth
  • 2 large sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1 large sprig (5-7 leaves) fresh sage, plus some for garnish
  • Sea salt, pepper
  • 1 cup milk or half and half (can use Rich’s large milk or cream substitute or plant milk)

Sauté leek slices in bottom of heavy pot. When translucent, add veggie chunks and water or vegetable stock, herbs, and spices. Bring to a gentle boil, then let simmer about 30 minutes or until vegetables become tender. Blend thoroughly with an immersion blender until the consistency is silky smooth. It will be on the thick side. Add the milk or milk substitute. Serve hot with a garnish of chestnuts and a sprig or two of rosemary or sage.

Yes, I shall serve the French brisket and techineh cookies from my last blogpost on the last night of Chanukah, which is also Christmas. Hans and James, you will be well taken care of. Friday night Shabbat, we will have turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and sweet potato latkes. I’ll do regular potato latkes and applesauce on Sunday. But as an appetizer for both evenings, I shall serve these amazing Levantine meatballs with Whisky Fig Old Fashions as a cocktail. I’m calling them Levantine because they have claim not just by the Israeli, but also the Lebanese or Moroccan or Persian or Syrian. In any case, they are decidedly Middle Eastern and incredibly delicious – and easy to make. You can serve them as a main dish over rice with a green vegetable on the side. I will give each guest a small plate of four meatballs with toothpicks to enjoy before the festive meal gets underway.

Levantine Meatballs with Pomegranate Glaze

  • makes 30 ping-pong sized meatballs

Ingredients:

For the meatballs-

  • Large red/purple onion peeled and chopped fine, reserving 1/4 cup for glaze
  • 1 pound ground lamb (if you can’t find lamb, substitute beef, but seriously try to get lamb)
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander, ground
  • 1 1/2 heaping tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/2 cup bulgur wheat (burgil)

For the glaze-

  • 1/4 cup red/purple onion, reserved from above
  • 1 cup pomegranate syrup (found in MidEast stores) or pomegranate concentrate
  • 3 Tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tsp baharat (mixture of allspice, cumin, black pepper, ground cloves, salt, ground cinnamon)

The first thing is to cook the glaze while all else is getting ready. In a small saucepan, add in all above ingredients for glaze. Heat over medium heat until just before a boil sets in. Then turn down heat to low and simmer while meatballs are prepared. The volume of the sauce will be reduced.

Place uncooked bulgur in a medium bowl. Pour about 1cup (or a little more) boiling water over top and let sit. In a large bowl, combine ground lamb, onion, chopped herbs, eggs and spices. When bulgur has puffed up and absorbed the liquid, drain well with a colander. Add grain to meat mixture and mush together all the ingredients with your hands. In a large skillet, heat up a bit of olive oil until hot and shimmery. Form meat into ping pong sized balls and add to skillet. Brown meatballs on all sides. Transfer to a baking dish. Pour reserved pomegranate glaze over top. Finish cooking by baking 20 minutes in a 350*F/170*C oven. To serve, pour a bit of the glaze over meatballs and garnish with pomegranate arils and mint leaves.

My last recipe can be served as a hearty lunch or as a side dish. It’s pareveh, which in Kosher talk means it’s neither meat or dairy: it’s a neutral food that can be served with everything. It, too, uses bulgur, which really is a staple food here. I figure, why leave you with an open bag of bulgur, which you might not use up, so here’s another healthy, hearty dish (served cold or at room temperature). And yes, I brought back 3 bottles of Brianna’s dressing with me. Go figure-

Harvest Bulgur Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup uncooked bulgar wheat
  • 3 cups boiling water
  • 1 medium orange sweet potato
  • 1 small red onion, peeled and chopped fine
  • 1 avocado, medium ripe, diced
  • 1/3 cup dried cherries or cranberries
  • 2 red gala apples, diced
  • 1/3 cup Brianna’s Blush Wine vinaigrette dressing (or recipe below)

Preheat oven to 400*F/200*C. Bake the sweet potato until just tender (20-30 minutes depending on size). Don’t overtake! In large bowl, pour boiling water over bulgur. Let stand about 30 minutes to puff up and absorb the water. Drain very well using a large colander. Transfer bulgur to large bowl. Peel and diced baked sweet potato. Add in chopped onion, avocado, apple and sweet potato cubes. Add in dried fruit. Mix gently just to combine. Toss with Brianna’s dressing or with dressing recipe given below.

Vinaigrette: mix well following ingredients-

  • 1/3 cup sunflower or canola (or avocado or pumpkinseed oil)
  • 1/4 cup sweet blush or white wine
  • 1/4 cup champagne or white wine or forest fruit vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • juice of 1/4 onion (hack: use a garlic press to squeeze out onion juice!) and reserved pulp

Combine above ingredients. Using funnel, pour into nice bottle. Cap. Shake well before using.

And to all my readers out there in Blogland-

Welcoming the Light

Almost three months of travel!! We went to England (at the time of the Queen’s funeral) which was indescribably lovely. The occasion: to meet my daughter’s fiancé – who is every bit the quintessential Victorian gentleman – and his family. We fell in love with them all!! So much fun touring the Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire areas. Then my husband and I toured the Lake District of Northwest England, home to Wordsworth, Coleridge, Beatrix Potter, Charlotte Mason, standing stones, and the natural beauty of mountains and lakes just as the leaves were beginning to turn: it was a dream! Our son met us and it was on to Scotland with its castles, whiskey distilleries and highlands. We visited friends in the Highlands, toured Pluscarden Abbey and the Highland Heritage Center (Outlander!) and learned so much about the history and culture of the Scots. Later that month, our daughter got married in St Andrews, Scotland. We were amazed at the family and friends who came from California, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia & Maryland, Italy, France and Israel. I’m sure I left people out. The wedding itself was the most holy, meaningful, thoughtful ceremony with gorgeous music provided by Tristan’s sister, a trumpet player with the London Phil and my daughter, an opera singer. And the reception was nothing less than an outpouring of love with everyone in attendance helping put it all together the day before and during…. I’ve never experienced such a coming together of friends and families from both sides.

After the wedding, we flew to Los Angeles to welcome our oldest daughter’s newborn baby into our family. The latest little blessing was named after my father and is the easiest, best baby I’ve ever seen. My husband and I were blessed to be able to take him overnight for over a week, and it was pure joy and love. It was hard to give him back. We visited our other daughter north of LA and stayed with a couple super fun grandkids while my daughter and her husband were at work. It was warm enough for my husband to take them swimming, and we watched them, too, for a week. Super fun. We now know every Superhero in the Marvel Universe and can sing Baby Shark in our sleep. On to Seattle to visit our youngest daughter and her wonderful family. Heavy frost on the ground each morning and a brilliant display of color as G-d’s majesty was on full display made for glorious walks with our other granddaughter. The last couple weeks was spent relaxing on a small island off the coast of Northern Florida visiting my husband’s 95 year old father and the Dunbar Clan there. Family, food and football marked our American Thanksgiving in the States.

Unfortunately, my back started to give out again in Los Angeles, limiting our visit to just family in our hotel room. Next time we shall see our friends in California. It finally gave up the ghost in Florida and the 12 hour flight back to Israel was intense to say the least. It’s interesting that we usually have no problem traveling in Europe or America on our Israeli passports or telling people where we are from. There’s so much antiSemitism now and anti-Israel bias that we used our U.S. passports exclusively and told people we were form Los Angeles. Not a lie, but…. How sad is it that there is so much division, mistrust, and baseless hatred in the States currently!!! I’ve never experienced anything like it before. And that it a topic I shall cover in my next blogpost after the holidays – but for now let’s celebrate!!!

It’s holiday time in Israel again, and this year the days are concurrent on the calendar as we welcome the Season of Light in the Holy Land. During the darkest point the of the year, it’s a time of great rejoicing and light. The Jewish people are celebrating the victory of the Maccabees over the Greco-Syrians in 150 BCE and of the Rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, which had been defiled. There was only one small cruze of oil found to light the giant menorah. Only enough to last one day. The first major supply chain shortage. To bring the pure olive oil from the Galilee to Jerusalem would take a week. Miraculously, that little bit of oil lasted eight full days until more oil could be had. Therefore, the celebration of Chanukah lasts eight days and nights. We light our chanukkiahs, our nine- branched menorahs, eat fried foods and jelly-filled donuts, sing songs, play dreidels, spinning tops, and have fun.

Northern Israel is where the majority of the Christians live. Most are Maronite Catholics. The Aramaeans who dwelled in the Galilee region alongside the Jews, and with many Jews in that area, followed Jesus as their Messiah two thousand years ago. They became the first Christians. There are also Greek Orthodox and Byzantine rite Catholics up here. Today, they are full Israeli citizens with all the rights and privileges that offers (except they serve in the army only voluntarily and are exempt from property taxes). The Christian towns of Fassuta and Ma’Ilya and the city of Nazareth are all lit up with Christmas trees and decorations. Christmas markets have just become a thing. And tourism to the area is growing as many of the more secular Jewish population are drawn to the celebrations.

These Christian families are celebrating the birthday of the One who proclaimed to be the Light of the World. As a Jew living in the HolyLand (home to Christians as well as Jews), Jesus was worshipping and celebrating Chanukah at the Temple Mount in the gospel of John. So, in light of unity, we celebrate a common ancestry with each of our Festivals of Light. The Christians here commemorate Christmas differently from Europe or America. Many erect huge nativity scenes in the living rooms of their homes or apartments. Sometimes, they move out much of the furniture, spending much of the Advent weeks building rocks and deserts, inns and villages in miniature with a crèche or manger scene as the focal point. From the midst, the Christmas tree (a more modern tradition) rises.

We have Lebanese Christian friends in Tiberias. Paula makes many varieties of cookies, cakes, puddings and sweets for Christmas. (Their apartment is the above middle photo. You can see the elaborate scene they made – and if you can look out the windows, you will see a magnificent view of the Sea of Galilee at night). My favorite cookies, which are actually kosher, dairy, are the techineh and rose water balls. Melt in your mouth delicious. One bowl. They can’t be easier to put together. I’m making a batch now and can’t wait until they come out of the oven. These cookies freeze well, so I’ll be sure to have them around when my son and his friends come home for Chanukah.

Techineh (tahini) Rose Cookies

(Makes about 50-60 cookies)

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup techineh (tahini)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 6 tsp rose water (found in large supers or MidEast stores)
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1 stick butter, room temperature
  • optional: sesame seeds, dried rose petals (MidEast markets sell them)

Preheat oven to 150*C/3255*F. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with you hand until the dough sticks together nicely. Form into balls a little smaller than a ping pong ball – about the size of a large walnut. You can roll some in sesame seeds at this point. Space on parchment or slip at lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. C when they come out of oven, you can gently decorate with pieces of rose petals, dried, organic. Or dust with powdered sugar, sanding sugar or leave plain.

The next recipe is from Lily Cohen. Lily moved here with her husband and three children from just north of Paris about two years ago. They are fairly secular Jews living in Herzliya, a suburb of Tel Aviv. Even though the boys, ages 9 and 11, do not wear a kippah (yarmulke), they were constantly getting bullied in school because of their name. Etienne was on his way home, when he was beaten up by a throng of other boys, kicked numerous times, pelted with stones. The family decided it was time to leave. Daniel, the father, was a fairly respected university professor, and he, too, was feeling the effects of antiSemitism. Now the family is thriving. My son was invited to dinner at their house and called me absolutely RAVING about Madame Cohen’s delicious brisket. I have always made my brisket smothered in onions and a tomato sauce. Very heavy. This is a much lighter, dare I say, French version. I will definitely serve this for Chanukah this year. Can’t wait!!! It’s become my new favorite way to make a brisket.

Lily Cohen’s French Brisket Au Jus

Ingredients:

  • 1 4 pound (2kg) brisket
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 cup white Zinfandel wine (or white grape juice)
  • 1/3 cup strong Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tsp dried tarragon
  • 1/2 tsp rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
  • 7-9 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 10-12 mushrooms, sliced medium fine
  • Sear brisket in skillet over high heat on all sides until browned. Sauté shallots and mushrooms in leftover brisket drippings, adding a little oil if needed. In large bowl, stir Dijon into broth incorporating well. Transfer meat to a Dutch oven or baking pot. Pour mustard broth over. Add in wine or grape juice and seasonings. Cook, covered, at 325*F/150*C and bake 25 minutes per pound (50 minutes a kilo). Add in shallots and mushrooms over top in last 15 minutes. The natural gravy is fantastic over the brisket or rice. I’ll be pouring mine over potato latkes.

No matter what feast you will be celebrating, I wish you a happy, healthy and peaceful one. Thank you for your continued readership and I shall see you in 2023.

Holiday Food

Where did the summer go? It’s still pretty warm here in the MidEast upper 30*sC/90*sF and now the humidity from the Mediterranean has kicked in making for balmy (sounds more romantic than miserably sticky) nights. We’re headed off to the UK for cooler climes and my daughter’s wedding to the most wonderful English gentleman! Then it’s off to the States to meet our new grandbaby and visit family for a little bit… so I’ve prewritten and scheduled some posts for when I’m gone. In the meantime-

Last week I had to drive my son up to his old base in the Golan Heights because he had reserve duty. Men and women are called up twice a year for a week or two to retrain and fill in spots as needed. This happens until they are in their 40s, depending on the unit. It’s a necessary part of defense here: one needs to be ready to go at a moment’s notice in case of emergency.

Anyway, I love the drive into the Golan. It’s so wild and pristine and gorgeous up there. Free roaming Angus cattle. Fruit orchards. Horses and cowboys. Tanks and soldiers in training. Mountains. Open space. Military bases. Crusader fortresses and Biblical ruins. Druze men roadside selling carob and date honey, apples, olives, and other local delicacies. I could tell it was the end of summer and only a few weeks until the Jewish New Year and fall festivals because…. Pomegranates!! Apples!! The trees were heavy with fruit and the orchards open to pickers. So I just HAD to. Pick. Waaaay too much, but the prices were so cheap! Like $0.60/pound or 4NIS/kg.

Rosh HaShannah, the Jewish New Year is celebrated both religiously and culturally. To represent the sweetness of the year, we eat apples dipped in honey. We eat apple cakes, apple fritters, apple noodle casseroles (kugels), apple salads. You get the idea.

So I came home with my boxes and boxes and immediately set to work. I wanted to do things I could preserve or freeze for when we get back from our trip. So, here are two of my creations: Apple Butter and Apple Lukshen Kugel. Enjoy!

SPICED APPLE BUTTER

The apple butter works great with cream cheese and peanut butter on bread. Or just plain bread. Or stirred into oatmeal on a cold winter day.

Ingredients:

  • 5 pounds (2.5 kg) apples, unpeeled, washed and cut into chunks
  • 4 TBSP apple cider vinegar
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 TBSP cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup bourbon, whiskey or brandy (optional)

Place all the above ingredients into a large pot and cook uncovered over medium heat. Stir occasionally. In about an hour the apples will have become very soft. Blend thoroughly using an immersion blender. Reduce the apple butter to lowest flame. In a separate pot, boil Mason jars (I use 1/2 pint jars) and lids (not screw-top bands) for 20 minutes to sterilize. Ladle the hot apple butter into the hot empty jars. Place lid on top. Then screw on the sealing ring band. You should get 7-8 jars per batch. Submerge filled jars in a hot water bath (not boiling- just a simmer) for 20 minutes. Remove jars and let cool. Keeps up to 1 year in dark pantry. Refrigerate after opening.

SWEET NOODLE PUDDING WITH APPLES: LUKSHEN KUGEL

This is THE quintessential dairy comfort food for Ashkenazi Jews. You can eat it hot or cold, for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks. It’s a main dish. it’s a side dish. It’s a dessert. But ask 5 Jewish mommas how they make it and what you’ll get is a headache: raisins or no raisins? Apples, pineapple, dried fruit or plain? Streusel crust, cornflake crust or plain? And then there’s the spices….oy vey! Is it a crime to use ginger and nutmeg or do we just tick to cinnamon? Full fat or low-fat. Everyone has their own opinion….and of course, mine is the best (wink wink). The best thing about it is that if you make a big batch, it freezes and defrosts incredibly well, so I do 3-4 at a time (and have a kugel to send back with the university kid).

This recipe makes 1 9X12 inch (23X30cm) baking dish which cuts to 12 generous pieces.

Ingredients:

  • 1 12 ounce package extra wide egg noodles
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
  • 4 ounces (114 grams) cream cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup sugar (I prefer coconut sugar)
  • 6 TBSP butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 3 small apples, peeled and sliced thinly
  • 1 cup cornflakes

Boil noodles in salted, boiling water for no longer than six minutes. They should be al dente, not mushy. Drain noodles and rinse well. Return the noodles to the pot along with 3 TBSP of the butter. keep heat on low flame just to melt the butter. Stir noodles until coated. Preheat oven to 350*F/170*C. Grease the Pyrex baking dish. In a very large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add in eggs, sour cream or yogurt, cottage cheese, spices and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Fold in noodles, then raisins and apple slices. Pour into prepared baking dish. In separate bowl, lightly crush the cornflakes. Add 3 TBSP melted butter, 1/4 cup (coconut) sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Mix well and spoon over noodle pudding. Bake for about an hour or until the kugel is firm and crispy on the top. A cake tester should come out clean- Delicious!

I’d now like to introduce you to a very special young lady. Batya Deltoff is 16 years old. We became friends with the Deltoff family because we moved to Israel around the same time and the Deltoff kids played Little League baseball on my husband’s team. That was over 7 years ago. Batya is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This straight-A student hopes to be a anesthesiologist one day, but until then she’s happy to hang with her girlfriends. And cook. Cooking is her creative outlet. She has this intuitive sense of what goes with what and is both experimental and fearless. Ethnic foods from Asian to Middle Eastern specialties are the most exciting for Batya to prepare. And she doesn’t use a recipe! It’s all done from memory of what she’s eaten and enjoyed and from taste. She cooks regularly for her parents and 3 siblings – “but they pay the fee of cleaning up after me,” she jokes. I had the good fortune of watching her and cleaning up after her last week.

This recipe has Iraqi origins and is called Kubbe. It’s a hearty soup or stew and can be eaten by itself as an appetizer or meal or served over couscous. The kubbe makes a huge pot and it freezes well. Man, is this delicious. perfect for the holidays, especially the cooler nights of Sukkot.

To me Batya’s Kubbe tasted like a hybrid Jewish-Mexican style borscht. It has lovely vegetable chunks in a tomato-beet broth. Then there are these dumplings that look just like matzah balls. One bite into the balls gives a meaty taste explosion because they are stuffed with a magnificent ground meat mixture. It’s delish and healthy and oh-so-satisfying. I was worried that it would be too spicy for me, but the range of spices complement the soup. And you can always add sriracha or Tabasco for added heat.

BATYA DELTOFF’S AMAZING KUBBE

Ingredients:
SOUP-

  • 1 large yellow or white onion
  • 3 large carrots, peeled
  • 3 medium potatoes, peeled
  • 1/2 large cabbage or 1 small cabbage
  • 4 medium roasted, peeled beets or 1 large prepackaged cooked beets
  • 2 TBSP olive oil, plus extra for oiling hands
  • 200 grams canned chopped tomatoes in juice
  • 6 cups water
  • 4 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 3-4 tsp cumin
  • 2 squeezed lemons, pips removed
  • 1 TBSP slat
  • 1 TBSP sugar

MEATBALL DUMPLINGS-

  • 1.5 lb ground beef (3/4 kg)
  • 2 TBSP sweet paprika
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 onion, minced fine
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ginger

DOUGH FOR THE KUBBE BALLS-

  • 3 cups white semolina
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups very warm water

Instructions:
Peel and cut carrot and potatoes into bite sized chunks. Slice cabbage. Peel onion. Reserve 1/4 onion, and cut the rest into bite sized pieces. In a large stock pot, heat up the olive oil and when shimmery add the above veggies. Cook over medium heat to soften. Add in the cooked beets, also cut into bite size cubes. Pour in the canned tomatoes with the juice. Add enough water to completely cover the veggies (about 6 cups). Stir in the spices. Let come to a boil, then after 3 minutes, turn the flame down to medium low. Begin the dough: in a large mixing bowl, add the semolina and salt. Mix to incorporate. Add in 1 1/2 cups of very warm water, stirring as you go. Let sit for about 10 minutes. It will set up to be a granular gooey paste. To make the meatballs: in another large bowl add the ground beef, onion, garlic and spices. Mix well.

To make the Kubbe balls, oil your hands and a ladle well with olive oil. Pinch a golf-ball sized piece of dough and flatten in the palm of your hand, making special care to flatten out the edges. Place a nice ball of the ground meat mixture in the center of the dough (in your hand). Pull the ends of the dough up to cover, and pinch off the ball at the top, completely surrounding the meat. Make sure there are no holes. Place kubbe in a greased ladle and lower it down into the hot soup. Continue for the rest of the balls. You can also put in plain meatballs without the dumpling coat. See photos-

Let the soup come back to a slow boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cover. Let cook about an hour on low. This is best eaten the next day, and makes a great Shabbat lunch.

If you are keeping Kosher, serve it with a generous dollop of Tofutti imitation sour cream. If you are not worried about Kosher status, sour cream is a great add for the top.

City of Peace: The Pearl of the Galilee

We visited Israel for the first time in 2011, when I was still a homeschooling mom. Because we used a modified Classical curriculum, my children and I immersed ourselves in history, literature, art, philosophy, ancient languages (Hebrew and Latin), and culture. Israel, a land steeped in Biblical, Hellenistic, Jewish, Roman, early Christian, Byzantine, Muslim and Crusader history was a place where my young son and I could actually walk out much of what we had learned in books. For us, it was truly exiting, and I knew we had to somehow be a part of this fantastic place. We first stumbled upon Tzippori in 2011, and wound up moving to a town just 20 minutes to the north. Last winter, my husband, John, and I decided to visit once again. Come with us to one of the most phenomenal archaeological discoveries in the 20th century (right in our back yard!!).

Perched like a bird on top of a high hill in the middle of the Lower Galilee is the city of Tzippori (which means bird in Hebrew). It was first built by Hellenistic (Greek) Jews around 125 BCE, and was chosen for its prime location on the main trade route between Egypt and Damascus, the Via Maris. It was also on the route from Akko on the Mediterranean to the Sea of Galilee. On several occasions, the city was attacked by marauding bands, and finally Herod Antipas, the great builder, undertook its reconstruction in 37 BCE. He employed many different tradesmen from stonemasons to carpenters and the top artisans of the day to create what the historian Josephus would call “the pearl of the Galilee.” As it is only 3.5 miles (a 45 minute walk) from Nazareth, it is more than probable that Joseph the carpenter and foster-father of Jesus was employed here, as was Jesus himself.

Lower Tzippori, a sprawling city adjacent to modern-day Nazareth, in background

By 4 BCE, the Romans were fully entrenched in the Holy Land. Many times they were fought off by zealots, but Tzippori was different. The newly remodeled city was full of Roman sympathizers, often times at odds with the local Galileans. Because Sephoris (as it was called by the Romans) was a “City of Peace,” it was spared destruction from Vespasian and Titus like most of the other towns and cities that were razed by the Legion between 66 and 73 AD. In fact, at one time, Vespasian had over 7500 troops quartered here. For its time, Tzippori was a very wealthy city as evidenced by the many magnificent buildings and especially the mosaics…some of the best in the world! Craftsmen were not only locals, but employed from Egypt, Greece, Rome, experts in the latest styles of carving, fresco painting and tile work. Let’s visit, shall we?

The archeological ruins in the lower part of the city included a colonnaded cardo, the Roman term for the large main thoroughfare. On either side of the cardo, merchants’ shops stood. From the excavation, we get a wonderful picture of daily life in the first century. Glass bottles with remnants of exotic perfumes were discovered; ceramics and stoneware vessels containing grains and pulses; exquisitely crafted jewelry (a gold earring with gemstones, bracelets, an olive leaf head wreath of gold) have been uncovered in situ. Historians note that farming in the rich Jezreel Valley soil and shepherding was done outside the city walls. Fish were brought in fresh from the Mediterranean and Sea of Galilee. In the center of the city were government buildings, a synagogue, and a bank or treasury. Most citizens in this mixed Jewish and Roman city worked for the government under Herod Antipas. There were scribes, tax collectors, judges, lawyers and merchants.

A large villa was unearthed in 1987. The many rooms contained floors of magnificent mosaics. It is called “The Nile House” because the floor in the main hall has a large mosaic depicting the celebration of the Nile River, with a number of separate scenes of different events. In one corner, the river flows from the mouth of an animal on whose back sits a Nile god. In another a reclining female holds a basket of fruit. There are papyrus and lilies in the stream, and the center figure is a picture of a man on a column with a rod called a Nilometer, which measured the height of the river. Surrounding are mosaics showing wild animals in hunting mode. In the room adjacent, the mosaic floor depicts Amazons hunting. The Amazons were a mythical race of female warriors originating from the Caucasus, they settled in Cappodocia (Turkey) and mated with the neighboring Gargarensians, keeping only the girls that were born. The word Amazon comes from the Greek ‘a’ meaning without and ‘mazos “ meaning breast. Legend has it that these women cut off their right breast in order to be better archers…. Anyway, you can see the Greek (Hellenistic) as well as the Egyptian influences in this ancient metropolis (The Greeks invaded Israel in about 150 BCE influencing many Jewish people in Israel to adopt their culture. Centuries before, the Jews were scattered throughout the ancient world in the First Diaspora, hence Hellenized Jews).

One of my favorite places is the tile merchant’s/ mosaic artist’s showroom. Just as we would go to a carpet warehouse or flooring store today, people in the first century could visit the tile showroom and see samples of floor designs. It’s absolutely great!! The ‘warehouse’ had sample designs in little cubicles, offering a variety of geometric shapes, borders, floral and figurative designs. Plus a sample board to choose the colors and sizes of the tesserae!! I don’t think you can find this anywhere else in the world!

Close up of tesserae samples… 68 varying shades in all

For those of you who are interested in feats of engineering, one of the first considerations when building a city is water. How does a team of engineers get water to a city without digging wells? Israel is situated in a desert/sub-Saharan zone. It only rains in the winter: the rest of the year is bone dry. Especially in ancient times, cities were built atop hills and mountains for obvious defensive reasons. So getting water uphill was quite the engineering problem. In the Nazareth mountains nearby flowed underground springs. These springs were channeled in six separate aqueducts which converged outside Tzippori into an enormous hand-hewn cistern or reservoir. This huge underground storage chamber is 260 meters long and 12 meters deep with a volume of 4300 cubic meters. It was in use from the first through the seventh centuries. From the reservoir, the water then ran into a sedimentation chamber, and filtered into another reservoir or holding tank. Enormous amounts of water then exited via a large lead pipe with a filtering sluice at one end. It is truly a marvel to see this sophisticated system! From the reservoir the fresh water was carried by aqueduct into Tzippori. The tremendous build up of water pressure from the reservoir to the small viaducts propelled the water uphill. The remarkable engineering feat actually carried running water through the town and into each house, providing fresh water for drinking, cooking, washing, sanitation, and the ritual Jewish purification baths called mikvaot as well as to the Roman bathhouse in the lower city.


There are just so many interesting things to see here. Let’s head back to the cardo: we were smitten with the actual tracks made by the heavy wagon wheels on the stone streets. A representation of an ancient cart built upon wheels and axels found there is on display. Seeing this really brings the place to life as we could envision a bustling city teaming with life and wagons laden with building materials.

Back in 2011, Max and I got most excited over our tremendous ‘discovery.’ As soon as we saw this graffiti etched into the paving stones on the wide city street, we knew exactly what they were. We had read about this in our Rome studies, so to see it up close for reals: WOW!!! Before I explain, I’ll let you look at the photos and you can try to guess what they were-

So what are all these odd markings? They are street games. During times of boredom, children, merchants, and soldiers alike used to throw knucklebones. Small bones or cubiyot, like dice would be rolled into a designated area etched into the street and points would be racked up. For the adults (and street punks?) it was a game of great skill and often involved placing bets. Sometimes, as in the photo uppermost right, the grids would be stacked in a line and the game resembled cribbage or backgammon as the player would move their pieces from grid to grid. Is this super cool or what???

Now we make our way up the mountain to the upper part of Tzippori. Again, we can see the influence of Rome. Every metropolis needs entertainment, and as one would expect, there is a nice sized amphitheater carved into the north side of the mountain. It was built in the late first or second century AD and had seating for 4000. On ground level in front was the orchestra (the place for the chorus during the Greek period, reserved for honored guests during Roman times. The elevated stage or scena was made of marble and wood. Behind would be large scaffolding for the backdrops with costuming below and balconies for soliloquies above. At this particular site, metal scaffolding has been added so one can get a general idea of the design. Rows of seating were hewn out of the bedrock and covered with marble slabs. Most have been raided and repurposed for building by other civilizations, a very common occurrence. The bottom rows remain intact.

The remains of a spectacular Roman residence built at the beginning of the third century AD were found towards the mountain’s plateau. This villa, along with most of the other structures in Tzippori, was destroyed in the great earthquake of 363 AD. The villa would have had most spectacular views, and because of its proximity to the theatre, indicates a high status of the owner. It has now been enclosed to preserve what is left including Israel’s finest mosaic, the Mona Lisa of the Middle East. The mansion was built according to a popular Roman floor plan. The main room of the sprawling villa was the triclinium, or dining room walled on three sides open to spectacular views and a colonnaded portico facing the Mount Carmel Ridge of Haifa. Cubiculum, or bedrooms, were located off the main hall. Also, just off the dining room, was an indoor bathroom (picture below) with running water below the latrine hole. The walls of the villa were once covered in beautiful frescoes as evidenced by the remains of paint on the existing walls. Many of the rooms had mosaic floors with colorful patterns, the most ornate in the dining salon contains scenes from the life of Dionysus, god of wine. The mosaic is comprised of 1.5 million stones in 23 colors.

Now for a bit of interesting history. The Romans finally decided to subjugate these living in Israel. Why after so many years? The Jews paid taxes at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The taxes exacted by the Romans were exorbitant and bleeding them dry (hence the “render unto Caesar…” speech). Many refused or just could not pay, which oftentimes led to enslavement. The Romans worked seven days a week except for State/religious festivals. The Jewish people insisted on keeping the Sabbath: every Saturday was a day of complete rest in which no work at all was done. When in the early 30s-70 AD, this new cult of Jewish believers in Yeshua (Jesus) as their promised Messiah started springing up, not only was Shabbat kept, but now Sunday was held by these nascent Christians as the Lord’s Day. The Romans were losing a day’s labor from the Jews and two days labor from the Messianics. It was going too far! Plus bands of Jewish zealots were springing up trying to shake off their hoke of bondage to Rome.

In 66-68 AD, the Roman legions led by Vespasian and his son, Titus, landed on the shores of Akko in Israel. They spent the next two years routing out all the Jewish people living in the towns and countryside of the Galilee region. It was during this time the Jewish general Mattityahu Ben Joseph was captured (later becoming Josephus Flavius, the historian to Rome). Many Jews were expelled. Many were taken as slaves. Many killed. Many traveled south towards Jerusalem. By 70 AD, the Romans captured their prize jewel, the eternal capital of the Jewish people: the city of Jerusalem. The walls were breached after a long siege and after a bloodbath, the Roman army seized the city and razed the holy Temple (see Arch of Titus in Rome). This marked the beginning of the great diaspora in which most of the Jewish people were either taken into captivity or were dispersed throughout the world.

Jerusalem, the Holy City since King David, had always been the spiritual or religious center for the Jewish people. It was where the Sanhedrin (the main body of the court of law) assembled. Home to the great priests, rabbis and Torah scholars of the day. it was a major center of learning in the ancient world. Many of these great sages of old (khazal) escaped Jerusalem and went south to Yavne (south of modern day Tel Aviv) or north toward Tzippori. For the first part of the new millennium, the Oral Law or Mishnah (companion to the Torah), which had been handed down from generation to generation, was codified, much of it in Tzippori. Great sages of Judaism, Yehuda haNasi and Rebbe Eliezer lived in this city arguing, discussing and writing the heart of the Talmud. The remains of a large synagogue from the first century are here, but the structure was mostly destroyed in the great earthquake.

Early Christianity/Catholicism also had their own Oral Traditions that had been handed down from generation to generation (Dormition and Assumption of Mary; home of the Holy Family; sites of miracles). One of these traditions states that Mary’s parents (grandparents of Jesus), Joaquin and Anna, were originally from the city of Tzippori. During the times of the Crusaders, a large church and monastery were erected at the site of their purported home. It was called Deir Anna or the Monastery of St Anna.

There is a Crusader fortress at the very top of the mountain. It was destroyed by the Mamaluks under Baybars, then rebuilt in the 18th century by Daher Al Omar, the Bedouin ruler of the Galilee. During this time period, Tzippori, called Sephoris by the Romans, was now renamed Safouriyeh thus Arabizing the Hebrew.

Last, are the ruins of a large synagogue from the second century. It was a center of activity for the sprawling city, and reflected not only its Jewish heritage and connection (commemoration of) the destroyed Second Temple, but also has Greek, Roman and Eastern influence as seen in the mosaics. There is a large central medallion of the zodiac with both Hebrew and Greek writing. Side panels depict the accoutrements of the Temple worship: shofarim (trumpets), menorah (lamp stand), incense table, showbread table, bulls for sacrifice, jars of olive oil, baskets of fruit containing the seven species of plants native to Israel. At the other end of the synagogue floor are mosaic representations of the Biblical story of Abraham: Abraham feeding the angels, Abraham and Sarah, and Father Abraham’s ascent up Mt Moriah with his son, Isaac on the donkey. A side band in Hebrew reads that the floor was “donated with generous funds by ….. in memory of their son, …. “ So it keeps the tradition of a memorial plaque. The geometric design is more Eastern than Western. Even though the synagogue is now a museum, pre-arranged weddings and Bar Mitzvahs can take place on the site. When we were there, a group was gathering for a Bar Mitzvah. A portable ark with Torah was being wheeled onto the main floor and a bima was being set up. It’s another example of living connection to the past.

Israel’s Got Talent

When we moved from the greater Los Angeles area to Israel, we really felt we’d be giving up a lot. We were pretty spoiled, because LA/Hollywood is supported by “The [Entertainment] Industry” and so many of our friends and neighbors were connected in some way… stunt men, costume designers, editors, composers, musicians. We had so many musical genres represented from pop to hip hop and rap to Broadway, jazz and the best in classical with the Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Master Chorale and smaller opera companies, choruses, and conservatories. We were never at a loss for entertainment from rock concerts to childrens’ choirs and loved our summers at the Hollywood Bowl and season tickets to the opera.

I really didn’t know what to expect culturally when we first moved, but I was told that each large city had its own first-rate music conservatory. This was important, as our son was a trumpet player, and I wanted to afford him the opportunity to continue his lessons and have performance venues as well. In addition, throughout the year different cities and kibbutzim host all types of concerts and festivals featuring both local Israeli talent as well as talent brought in from abroad.

Music speaks to the soul and as such, is so important across cultures. We’ve had the chance to experience firsthand the local flavor of the Arabic music and have visited some of their music schools. We’ve enjoyed Yemenite bazooki concerts and French café style entertainment. The Ethiopians have brought with them their own heritage in liturgy and contemporary music and the immigrants from the former Soviet bloc countries are known for their early training in the classical arts. We’ve found Arab Christian bagpipe bands in Nazareth, a hold-over from when Scottish missionaries came to the Holy Land in the 1800s. And we even have a good friend who is the promoter of heavy metal concerts coming to Israel.

Each year, our local music conservatory hosts a fundraising concert with all the proceeds going back into community programs. At first, we were reticent to go, but now look forward to this event as the range of musical talent is representative of the diverse fabric of our society. There is a beautiful women’s chorus made up of religious Jewish, Arab Christian and Druze and secular young ledies. They sing liturgical, folk and classical chorale pieces.

There are several sopranos, who sing the standard art song repertoire in Italian, French, German and even Arabic:

Our mid-sized city has so much talent, including a young woman cellist who has won several international competitions and will go on to study music after her army service; Russian siblings, ages 11 and 13, pianists who both perform solo and duets; a flutist from Canada and a Ukrainian balalaika player who has been performing professionally since he was six and now serves in the IDF, but made the time to play at this concert.

Karmi’el is one of several cities that prides itself on its Children’s Village. There are 200 children from grades 1-12 who live on the spacious and well-manicured campus. Some are orphans, but many come from broken, abusive or disfunctional families. Separated into 16 “mishpachtim” or family groups, they live in large, specially designed homes with sponsor parents and their families. All the kids attend the public schools, but return to the village for afternoon activities, clubs, music and dance lessons, therapy and sports. In this well-rounded program, the older children help with volunteer service projects within the city. Their success rate in academic excellence, reintegration into society, military service, sports and entertainment is unparalleled. One of the young men recently won Israel’s version of The Voice, Junior. Each year, they put on an amazing show for the community at our local theatre arts complex.

Just before the first wave of lockdowns due to the pandemic, John and I went to a hands-on drumming workshop in Nazareth. It was tremendous fun learning about the darbouka, made of wood or aluminum and covered with leather from donkey, goat, camel or skin, each having a different sound. Demonstrations even included a fish-skin covered tambourine, a bandir, based on the ancient models. The last clip in this series was an ancient Aramaic song from the book of the prophet Jonah: the prayer he made from the belly of the fish. The melody itself is centuries old.

During the summer, neighboring Tsfat hosts a three day Klezmer music festival. At Kfar Blum, a kibbutz in the Upper Galilee, there is a weeklong classical music festival. The kibbutz operates a first class hotel and the venues, for both indoor and outdoor concerts are said to be quite pleasant. The festival features vocal and instrumental music with world class guest artists from throughout the world. Jerusalem hosts an international oud festival (an ancient stringed instrument), and the Red Sea resort city of Eilat is famous for its international jazz festival.

In years past, in the Galilee, there was the twice annual Jacob’s Ladder Festival with the best in bluegrass, Celtic, and blues. Most festivals here are very family friendly with activities and workshops for even the youngest. In the early summer, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee at Ein GeV kibbutz, there is an choral music festival of mostly Hebrew and European choirs. It also includes a competition.

Speaking of competitions, Israel has been placing first in the Eurovision Competition, a huge international “Who’s Got Talent?” show broadcast throughout Europe. Israel hosted last year in Tel Aviv. The Abu Ghosh Music Festival (just south of Jerusalem) is home to a classical vocal competition in the Spring. Vocalists come from all over the globe. Performances are held in ancient churches and cultural arts centers in the area. Master classes are open to the public.

We had tickets to the Liturgical Festival, but because it was during the pandemic, the events were all livestreamed.

There’s something here for everyone. If you’re into indie, the InDNegev Festival each October is the place to be. The event has grown each year since 2007, and now includes art exhibitions, poetry readings, movies, and huge parties lasting all night. As with several of these types of festivals, camping is strongly encouraged. Every winter, there is also a Grateful Dead festival with live music cover bands as well as dance tents and hippie art shows. If raves are your thing, then there’s the Minus 424 (meters below sea level) Dead Sea Rave. Electronica, lots of DJs and laser light shows have festival goers dancing from sunset to sunrise with the red desert mountains as part of the surreal backdrop. And not to be outdone by America’s Burning Man Festival, there is the infamous Midburn Festival in the Negev Desert each October. A combination Woodstock, Coachella and Burning Man, the participants themselves are the ones who create the performances. They set up an entire weeklong installation in the desert. It has become so popular, that you need to know someone who is part of the event in order to get a ticket.

Israel is truly a crossroad of the world. Because of its proximity to Africa, and due to the influence of our Ethiopian, Eritrean, Nigerian and Ugandan immigrants and visa holders, there are several AfroBeat, AfroJazz, heritage and Reggae concerts throughout the year. Every city has multiple entertainment venues, and most events are free to the public, like the Nuite Francaise which even included a wine and cheese bar and ballroom dancers!


And of course, we have our own mega stars singing pop, hip hop, and indie folk. All during the summer, our Israeli entertainment icons perform concerts in amphitheaters all over the country, many are free, sponsored by the municipality.

(Warning: the next two video clips include bright, flashing lights-)

The very popular Hatikvah 6
Static & BenEl, a high energy boy band, is extremely popular here

Saving our favorite Israeli performer for last: John & I first heard the music of Idan Raichel in Los Angeles in 2010. We saw him at different locations in California and we haven’t missed one of his concerts here (which always sell out in hours). Idan first started performing (accordion) at age 12. He’d play for the dancers at the Karmi’el Dance Festival every year. Last year he, most deservedly, received an honorary PhD in philosophy from BarIlan University and has been named Israel’s Poet Laureate. His music is not only beautiful, but the words! About the beauty of life, of love and friendship, of peace and unity. Many international recording stars have teamed up with Raichel to form the world-beat Idan Raichel Project. It truly is peace through music. So I leave you with this- Enjoy!

Solo performance at the Elmaa Arts Center, Zichron Yaakov

It’s Fig Season!

The days are sweltering, sizzling hot. At night a breeze picks up bringing with it the fragrance of ripe fruit and sages. John and I have been spending the middling of an Israeli summer driving around the lake (Sea of Galilee) buying fresh fish as it comes off the boats and picking fruits. Lychees, mangoes, passion fruit and figs! Of course, this means creating delicious new recipes, canning, drying and freezing to have produce on hand in the winter months. So for all you foodies out there, here goes!!!

Let’s start with an easy to assemble and totally decadent salad. I add blue cheese, but you can leave the cheese out if you are sticking to a kosher meat menu.

ROASTED FIG SALAD (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

  • 8 fresh figs
  • 4 cups arugula or rocket lettuce
  • 2 cups butter lettuce or baby spinach
  • 1 small red onion, sliced thin and quartered
  • 1/4 cup walnut pieces
  • 1/4 cup candied/spiced pecans
  • 1 small wedge blue cheese (about 1/3 cup)
  • 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 TBSP balsamic vinegar

Set oven to 200*C/400*F. Quarter figs and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool. Reserve juices. In a large bowl, add the arugula and lettuce. Mix in the sliced red onion and cheese crumbles. Add the nuts. Place the figs on top. Drizzle with the reserved fig juices. Serve.


The next recipe was given to me by my oldest daughter. I love it that all my children have become first rate cooks. Katie raved about this one, so I had to try it. It calls for a mild white fish. We used St. Peter’s Fish, which is tilapia. I also bought a nice mild Levrak (it’s the Hebrew name so I have no clue what it’s called in English, but it was buttery, flaky and extremely mild with no fishy taste at all). There are two keys: fresh picked fig leaves and timing…. It gets baked for 6-8 minutes only.

FIG FISH

The ingredients are simple. A nice mild white fish, cleaned, de-scaled and sliced in half down the middle. A bunch of fresh fig leaves, olive oil, salt, pepper and some toothpicks.

Preheat oven to 200*C/400*F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Drizzle olive oil over the fish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap in the fig leaves and secure with toothpicks (see photos), making sure the leaves also line the middle in between the two layers of fish. Bake in oven for just 6-8 minutes. Remove and unwrap the leaves. This is seriously amazing! If there are any leftovers, it makes dynamite fish tacos! (I bring 4 large packs of corn tortillas from this US each trip and freeze them).

The next two recipes are a collaboration between Katie and myself. She came up with the first, and I tweaked the second recipe to make it truly Israeli. The result is a satisfyingly rich and filling couple of breakfast shakes.

KATIE’S FIG FITNESS SHAKE (serves 1)

Ingredients:

  • 3 fresh figs
  • 3 pitted dates
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup coconut cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 TBSP honey
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • lots of ice

Mix all the ingredients in a blender or Vitamix. Pulse until smooth and creamy. Pour into a glass and enjoy. If there is any leftover, you can pour into popsicle molds and freeze for a cold summertime treat.

ISRAELI FIG AND DATE SHAKE

Ingredients:

  • 3 fresh figs
  • 2 dates, pitted
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 cup almond milk or fresh low-fat goat yogurt
  • 1 small individual serving packet of Turkish coffee with hel (if you live in Israel! if not, go to next 2 items) –
  • 1 TBSP powdered espresso if no Turkish coffee powder
  • 1 tsp powdered cardamom if no powdered hel or Turkish powder
  • 1/4 cup techineh (‘tahini’)- if you can find Ethiopian dark techineh, all the better
  • 1/4 cup silan (date syrup, at Trader Joe’s) or honey
  • lots of ice

Put all ingredients in a blender or Vitamix and pulse until smooth and creamy. Pour in a tall glass and top with crumbled halvah. Makes a great dairy dessert!

BAKED CHICKEN WITH FIGS AND ROSEMARY

I forgot to take a picture when it came out of the oven! This was after we ate and added in the leftover rice-

This was dinner tonight. The secret is to prep it in the morning. Let it marinate in the “sauce” all day, and then pop it in the oven. Of course, I served it with the fig salad (but this time I left the figs raw and didn’t add blue cheese) and a heavenly Middle Eastern spiced rice with lentils. Oh my word!! This was just super flavorful! It smelled so good, we just dug in before I could remember to snap a picture-

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole skin-on chicken, cut up
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 small red onion, cut up
  • 1/3 cup silan (date syrup… Trader Joe’s) or honey
  • 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp powdered cloves
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Rinse and pat dry the chicken pieces and place in a large freezer baggie. Cut up the red onion into bite-sized pieces and add to bag. Add the liquid ingredients, then the dry spices and the rosemary. Seal the bag tightly and squish the ingredients around to evenly distribute. At this point, you can freeze the bag of chicken for later use or let it marinate at least 6 hours in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 170*C/350*F. Place the entire contents of the what is in the chicken baggie in a large baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 10-12 minutes. Serves 4-6.

So glad I took a preliminary photo this morning!

FIG BALSAMIC GELATO

This was our weekend dessert. Can’t believe I gave away my ice cream maker before we moved. I bought another the first summer we were here. Nothing speaks lazy summer nights than fresh fig gelato on the terrace.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound/1/2 kg fresh ripe purple figs
  • 10 ounces/284 grams mascapone cheese in Israel I use Gad Dairy)
  • 2 cups 32% sweet cream (in Israel, there’s nothing comparable to Yotvata Dairy)
  • 1 14 ounce can sweet condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup honey (or coconut sugar)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • juice 1 small lemon
  • 3. TBSP brandy
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200*C/400*F. Trim and halve figs & place on foil lined baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and purée until mushy using an immersion blender. In blender or food processor, add cream, canned milk, cheese, honey. Blend thoroughly. Transfer both the container of figs and cream mixture (I use Mason jars) to fridge and let chill overnight. When all is really cold, shake the jar and put the cream mixture into the ice cream maker. Add the salt. Let churn for about 15 minutes. Scrape down sides and add fig mixture, cinnamon and squeezed lemon juice. When rich and thick, drizzle in the brandy and balsamic. Finish churning and pour into glass or plastic containers. Put a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the gelato. Let it freeze for a couple hours to become firm. This makes about 24 small scoops. Adorn with a quarter slice of fresh raw fig and a ginger wafer to serve.

The Three Weeks: The Latest Conflict

The past three weeks have marked a period of collective fasting, prayer, charity or alms-giving and mitzvot, or doing good deeds for the Jewish people of Israel. It comes at the hottest, driest time of year when all a person wants to do is sit in front of a fan and eat ice cold watermelon. The period starts on the 17th of Tammuz, the Hebrew month. On this day, thousands of years ago Moses came down from Mt Sinai to see drunken orgies and the people worshipping an idol, the golden calf, so in anger, he smashed the tablets with the Ten Commandments. A year later (1313 BCE) 12 spies were sent out into the Promised Land to scout out the lay of the land. On the 9th of Av, 10 spies came back with a bad report. Instead of proclaiming a land filled with natural goodness – super huge fruits, date honey, goats, cows, milk, rich soil, a land with which they were bequeathed, they spoke of walled cities. They spoke of appearing to be like tiny grasshoppers in the eyes of giants. They said it was untamable. Wild. Dangerous. Instead of relying on the L-rd, they fell into despair. And they took an entire nation into absolute hopelessness and despair with them. Instead of being filled with gratitude and strength and optimism, they were defeatist. So the entirety of the Children of Israel were made to wander in the desert for forty years.

From that time on, it seem those three weeks would be an infamous swamp of bad karma for the Jewish people. Biblically, the 10 Northern tribes were taken by the Assyrians during this time. Then the Babylonians swept in, breaching the walls of Jerusalem on the 17th Tammuz and taking the city. On the 9th of Av, Solomon’s Temple, the First Temple, was razed and the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were led into captivity for 70 years. The Temple was rebuilt under Cyrus and lasted until 70AD, when it was leveled by the Romans. Most of the Jews were scattered throughout the world in the Great Diaspora. Fifty two years later, the walled fortress of Beitar, held down by the last Zealots against the Roman regime was breached on 17 Tammuz. Again, after a three week siege, the Romans killed the thousands of remaining Jews and destroyed the city (just outside Jerusalem near Bethlehem) on 9 Av. It marked the end of a Jewish homeland for almost 2000 years.

The tragedies of Tisha b’Av ( Hebrew for 9 Av) and the three weeks continued throughout history. European Jews were burned alive in synagogues in Italy, Germany & France in the 1100s-1200s; the Jews of England were expelled by King Edward “Longshanks” in 1290; King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella expelled the Jews of Spain in 1492; on Tisha b’Av in 1914, Germany declared war on Russia thus beginning World War l; in 1942 Hitler’s Final Solution was announced; on that same day, the deportations of the Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to the death camps commenced. In more “modern times,” the deadly bombing of the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires by Iranian-backed terrorists killed 86, seriously wounding over 300. And in 2005, on Tisha B’Av, in the name of “land for peace” Israel forcibly and permanently removed the remaining Jewish residents of Gaza (they had until then been living relatively peaceable lives with their Arab neighbors), in essence handing the territory over to Islamic militants like Hamas (the word actually means VIOLENCE!!!) and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. There has been no peace ever since.

With that brief history, we’ve been watching events unfold over the past few weeks. Israel had been seeing a sharp uptick in Palestinian violence recently. There were car-rammings, stabbing, shootings, the throwing of projectiles onto the windshields of cars, and other incidents of violence. Hotbeds of illegal weapons, cash and drug smuggling were uncovered in the cities of Nablus, Um-Al-Fahmm and Jenin. In an IDF raid, on which I reported several weeks ago, the journalist Abu Ahkleh was shot. Despite video that showed evidence to the contrary, TikTok clips released by the Islamists in real time, her death was blamed on Israel’s attempt to assassinate an Arab reporter. Things were heating up again as the summer sun blazed on.

During this years’ Three Weeks period, several more surprise raids were made by the IDF to try to curb the violence. Entire terror cells were taken into custody. We were closely following the news, as friends of mine in Tekoa and Gush Etzion in Judaea (West Bank near Jerusalem) had their gate guarded communities breached by men wielding guns. Last Tuesday, 2 August, in Jenin ( the West Bank) the IDF arrested Bassam al-Shaadi, the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Founded in 1982, the PIJ is an internationally recognized terrorist organization which has direct backing by the Iranian and Syrian regimes. After Hamas, it is the second largest terror group in the region, ruling over much of Gaza. Its sole purpose of existence is to destroy Israel and make it free of Jews. Al-Shaadi had been directly involved in planning and executing several deadly attacks against Israeli civilians. Bags of cash and illegal weapons were found upon his arrest and the arrest of two other wanted terrorists.

Marches of protest and cries of revenge sprang up immediately in the Arab towns and cities. The PIJ, in return, threatened to commence the bombing of Southern and Central Israel where 70% of the Israeli population lives. As a precaution, all the roads leading up to and within the Gaza envelope were closed off to any traffic. Roadblocks were set up. The citizens living within the area were all told to remain inside and lock down, staying close to the nearest bomb shelters. The following day, a senior PIJ military leader announced, “We have every right to bomb Israel with our most advanced weapons.” They threatened to attack the most populous areas including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, 80 km or 50 miles away. The rhetoric intensified on Thursday, as many residents remained hunkered down, not going to work, not going to the market, not sending their children to summer activities.


Special cabinet meetings were held. Israel was attempting to appease the PIJ, to stop their threats to now carry out attacks across the country. Later it was reported that there was actionable intelligence of an imminent attack by the PIJ using an anti-tank missile to blow up a bus. The chatter was recorded. The launcher was found along with the ten terrorists headed to the border to instigate the attack. In a well-coordinated, heavily-planned preemptive strike, Israel entered into its latest conflict, Operation Breaking Dawn, on Friday afternoon just before the Sabbath. Also struck with absolute surgical precision, was the apartment of PIJ senior commander in Gaza, Taysir al-Jabari. Al-Jabari was killed and in return, the PIJ immediately started their missile barrage against the citizens of Israel. The missiles rained down on Central Israel continuously for over 50 hours. In all, over 1,100 were fired. Just stop for a second or two and think of that. Over 1100 missiles in just over 2 days!!

Although heavily inconvenienced, many in shock from the trauma as the bombs whistled overhead and shook the ground upon impact, the Israelis stayed resolute. All were united behind the IDF efforts to take down this most recent threat. In an almost supernatural answer to the prayers and fasting of the people, and much thanks to Iron Dome, there was not one Israeli casualty. Several cars and a couple buildings were hit and a few people were treated for falling while on the way to shelters and for shock. But there were no major injuries. This was a Tisha B’Av miracle. Still, sirens wailed throughout the center of Israel nonstop. Another huge miracle, not to be underestimated, is that Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, decided to sit this one out. Perhaps it was because the knew that the IDF was only targeting PIJ. Maybe it was because they were pummeled last conflict and did not want a repeat performance. A miracle, nonetheless.

We were completely unaffected by this in the North, but still, the people were all on edge. Last year, many of the surrounding Arab villages and mixed cities experienced uprisings and violent riots which saw the destruction of Jewish property and resulted in several deaths. The government had well-prepared for this scenario, and this year made sure the police were out in advance to quell any disturbances before they could take hold. Simultaneously, the IDF was making military incursions into places like Nablus and Jenin arresting terror cells and confiscating stolen and homemade illegal weapons. It was a well-coordinated effort.

The Israeli army has a policy to go out of their way to avoid incurring civilian damages. Both PIJ and Hamas go out of their way to hide their bomb and rocket launchers behind their own people: in schools, hospitals, mosques and inside high-density housing units. Israel has every right to defend its people. What would you do if a neighboring state started attacking your city? There is a popular narrative that is being spread by many mainstream news outlets and by members of the US government: that there is an imbalance of power. That the Iron Dome affords Israel a unique advantage. This narrative is both misleading and dangerous. Iron Dome definitely saves countless lives and property. It is because of the strength and accuracy of Israel’s army that Hamas, Hezbollah, PIJ and other terror organizations that have genocidal racism as their epithet have not proliferated and taken over in the region. Their goal is not to “resist the occupation.” Their goal is to make the entire MidEast, especially Israel free of Jews, free or Christians, free of homosexuals and free of any other group they do not approve of. Their goal is to make the entire Mideast a vast wasteland of their religious intolerance and supremacy as can be seen in countries like Iran, Afghanistan and Yemen. They have no desire in making life better for their own people, who live in abhorrent conditions under a militaristic religious dictatorship.

All the violence could be stopped in a single instant if the Islamist terrorists would just put down their weapons to live in peace. We all want peace here. We do not seek conflict. We just want to live normal lives. All they have to do is accept our existence, something they all have been given the opportunity to recognize officially on many occasions, but refuse. There is no easy answer. Usually the blame falls on Israel. For example,, early on in the conflict, Gaza reported that 7 civilians including 5 children were killed in the Jabalia refugee complex when an Israeli bomb struck the tenement housing. They even released footage of the strike. Upon inspection, it can be seen that their own missile completely backfired, making a slowly arching u-turn before crashing down and hitting the Jabalia site. The news, first broadcast by AlJezeera then picked up by international mainstream media was debunked as fake news within the hour. More footage released shows that not only did this bomb fail to reach its target, but that over 20% of the launches misfired, falling back into Gaza.

Late Sunday evening, a ceasefire, brokered by Egypt, was announced. So far, it has held, but things are tenuous at best. The PIJ has called for the release of al-Saadi and other “political hostages.” As of this morning, Tuesday, 9 August, Israel special ops were in Nablus encountering extreme and wild fire power. So far 11 terrorists including the head of the AlAqsa Martyrs’ Brigade have been killed with zero IDF casualties with the exception of a counterterrorism dog. A large number of explosives and additional weapons have been located at the site. Hopefully this will deter the terrorists and help break the wave of recent violence. We pray for peace and security and for the wisdom of our government. We pray for truthful reporting. And we thank G-d that this Ninth of Av we were spared.