& a direct link to contribute to families and soldiers in the South of Israel in need.

Can we talk about food at a time like this?

Israel is at war.

My children, my parents, my whole family live in Israel, except for a handful who don’t. They are fulfilling their dreams and a biblical imperative to live in the Land of their fore-parents. Yet, that right, though our inheritance, is hard-won and hard-fought for, and people are dying tragically and brutally.

Tragically, one of our community members was killed, a young man of 20 who ate at our table, was in youth group with my daughter, and helped Daniel once to schlep a fridge across London. And yet he is no longer. How?

And how can I speak about food at a time like this? 

Our daughter has said she has lost her appetite. 

Yet to me, food, Jewish food, Israeli food is a sign of resilience, as is Israeli music, Israeli art, Israeli comedy, and prayer while children defend our borders. We watch from the sidelines and can’t do anything to help. We can donate money, blood, dedication, and tears, but not sweat. So, after calling them all, I will step into my kitchen and lose myself in my cooking. It’s often a quiet space where I concentrate on the task at hand, and all the other thoughts in my head quiet down.

A sweet snippet of Israeli history, which sounds adorable, but in truth is the epitome of resilience:

Israel, the People, the Land, and the State have never been a straightforward proposition. People tell the story of ‘Ben Gurion’s Rice’ as if, “Isn’t that cute? They were hungry. Let’s look for a solution.”

Let’s look at stories with a bit more maturity than that. From the establishment of the State of Israel and for the following ten years, Israel went into a period of austerity. This wasn’t about tightening their belts and waiting it out. They were hungry. All. The. Time. There wasn’t enough food to feed the people of Israel. A WIZO Cookbook my grandmother had from 1952 doesn’t have in it any milk, eggs, or in fact, any animal protein that wasn’t in powdered or canned form. Recipes called for powdered eggs and powdered milk, and the use of eggplants and lentils instead of meat or chicken. My grandparents, who owned a bakery and a small grocery shop, had nothing to sell and eventually had to move to America in 1959 to make ends meet and support their family. And from this point of incredible hunger and empty shelves, the story of Petitim emerges.

Ptitim (called Israeli couscous outside of Israel) – here is the first thing to share: Israelis don’t call them Israeli – that is like going to France and ordering French toast; all toast in France is French (if you do want to order French toast in France, ask for “Pain perdu”), and secondly, it isn’t couscous. Israel, with a massive North African Jewish community, knows what real couscous is. And Ptitim aren’t. Ptitim are just Ptitim. As ubiquitous as a bag of dried pasta in most Israeli homes and cooked just as often.

In 1953, as Israelis lined up outside grocery shops to get a few basics, David Ben Gurion turned to the food manufacturer Osem and asked for a cheap substitute for rice, which was prohibitively expensive for most Israeli households. The result was a toasted pasta, initially shaped exclusively like rice. With time, new shapes emerged, the favourite being the pearl-shaped kind.

The Benefits of Ptitim:

I thought it would be worthwhile to list some of the best benefits of Ptitim that are rarely mentioned, aside from it being cheap.

• They are cooked through absorption rather than tons of water the way regular pasta is, which in Israel, a country where every drop of water is precious, is no small matter.
• Though delicious, fresh and warm, there’s something satisfying about eating it cold straight from the fridge when no one is looking and can’t judge because sometimes, we all need to sneak into the fridge and grab a handful of Ptitim.
• Also beneficial for that middle-of-the-night snack is that cold Petitim lump together, so your midnight snack doesn’t actually require cutlery.
• The best Ptitim are made with another Osem product, Parve Chicken Soup Powder. That is it, two ingredients (actually, five, if you count a bit of oil for toasting, water for absorption, and salt just in case your sodium-deprived taste buds require an extra shot of salt after you have added the soup mix), and you have one of the most comforting foods imaginable. 
• And aside from anything else, I would assume that 80% of Jewish homes in Israel at this moment have a packet of Ptitim and a container of soup mix in the cupboard, so comfort is only 10 minutes away.

To Contribute:

If you would like to contribute to the relief of families in Israel especially when it comes to food, clothing and equipment, please see the message below. It is from Rav Yosef Tzvi Rimon, Chief Rabbi of Gush Etzion, a family friend who is 100% reliable and effective in ensuring that relief and funds make it directly to people in need.

From Rav Rimon:

Financial Assistance Greatly Needed! Am Yisrael Chai!
We are in the throes of a most difficult war. Sadly, I have a great deal of experience
from past wars and campaigns. Soldiers and civilians from the South are turning to us.

There is a shortage of many items, such as food, clothing, different kinds of equipment and more. We are doing our utmost to purchase most of these things in the
South in order to help give parnassa to stores in the area.

We have received repeated requests and calls from many Jews around the globe asking to come to the aid of families of the victims and soldiers on the front lines. Many are missing basic necessities. After consulting with official military and civilian
bodies it became clear that there is great, immediate need to take action. My teams at Sulamot and La’Ofek, have undertaken this mission as a top priority. A professional task force has been assembled to coordinate all calls for help and map out
the needs of soldiers and families.

We have established a designated fund to provide financial support for soldiers and
families who are affected by the situation – for their immediate needs as well as future needs.

This is the time for Am Yisrael to unite and bring crucial help to our brothers and sisters. We need your significant support.

Every donation is meaningful and enables us to help more soldiers and civilians.

https://www.jgive.com/new/en/ils/donation-targets/110057

חזק ונתחזק בעד עמינו ובעד ערי אלוהינו

Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon
All donations through the link are tax deductible in Israel, USA, UK, Canada.

For tax deductible Australian donations:
Chai Charitable Foundation Ltd
Bank NAB BSB: 083028
A/C: 580178146
Ref: Sulamot
ABN: 82617023293
Deductible Gift Recipient

Credit card:- https://chai.org.au/donations/
 
Thank you for your support. Besorot tovot

No menus this week, no gadgets, just prayers for safety and security, and that our children come home safely.