Welcome to – The Jewish Holiday Table: A World of Recipes, Traditions & Stories to Celebrate All Year Long

“Food is not rational. Food is culture, habit, craving and identity.” 

– Jonathan Safran Foer

How many times have your memories of beloved family members included the special dishes they cooked and served with love, the evocative aromas that wafted through their homes, and the holidays where a contingent of family and friends gathered to eat and celebrate together?

The Jewish Holiday Table is a delightful compendium of delectable recipes arranged to follow the seasons and the Jewish holiday calendar starting with Rosh Hashanah. It is also a treasury of family histories and traditions from around the Diaspora. A preponderance of them reflects the families’ Sephardic roots in the lands around the Mediterranean and in the Near East, with some excursions into Europe, and other diverse locations including Mexico and Brazil. For this Ashkenazic Jew, with my own family roots in Ukraine, Moldova, and Lithuania – or what was commonly written “Russia” on the U.S. census forms around 1900 – it was a delicious departure to parts somewhat unknown. I didn’t have much exposure to other Jewish cuisines or traditions until I was well into my adult life. Since then, the wide world of Jewish food has opened to me. The Jewish Holiday Table cookbook has helped to enhance my experience.

Of course, I thoroughly enjoyed the kugels, blintzes, and prakas (sweet and sour stuffed cabbage) prepared with love by my mother, grandmother and aunts in Philadelphia, and those dishes and many more relate to memories dear to my heart. And, as a little girl, while I didn’t quite grasp that the carp swimming in my maternal grandmother’s bathtub would soon be incorporated into her gefilte fish, the wonder of their presence is certainly something I will never forget.

This beautifully designed and photographed book offers a very personal look into the odysseys of 30 Jewish families as they moved from country to country, bringing along their family recipes, and adding others as time passed. Each family story is unique, and their take on their holiday recipes and tradition is their own, but each is perfect for sharing, so readers/home cooks can incorporate any or all of these recipes and menus into their repertoires for their own gatherings.

In addition to the stories and recipes, what also makes this cookbook special are the photographs of the very attractive and appealing table designs, with a mix of dinnerware and serveware that has been carefully chosen to enhance the presentation of the dishes of each family. The food styling beautifully shows off each dish, but with an unpretentious heimish approach that makes the table look as inviting as it would in a family’s dining room.

As I read each of these family stories and recipes, I added a Post-It® Flag to each page that featured a recipe I wanted to try, and now my copy is bristling with markers. I have already started making my way through them, generally choosing recipes that featured current seasonal vegetables like zucchini and eggplant, and as we move through the year, and the weather cools, other dishes will make their way to my table – even if they don’t exactly correspond to the holiday they were intended for. 

My husband, who grew up in the “meat and two veg” tradition of British cooking in a non-Jewish home, is fortunately an adventurous and willing taste tester. So far, we have enjoyed the Lieberson’s Red Cabbage, Date, and Beet Salad for its combination of flavors, but also appreciated how well it retained its freshness, texture and taste for several days. The Berrie’s Sautéed Zucchini was an excellent use of the ubiquitous summer vegetable. My supply of the green squash also made its way into the Shefi’s savory Zucchini Pashtida (Zucchini Casserole), which I have found also freezes very well. Another delicious new experience for us was the Almoronía (Baked Chicken with Eggplant and Onions) from the family of Chef Esther Serruya Weyl. I am thinking about having family over during the fall holiday period to enjoy some of the other recipes I have identified and can’t wait to try.

I plan to mix and match menus based on what I know of my family’s preferences. The next batch of dishes I plan to prepare includes: Khoresh e Beh (Lamb Stew with Quince and Dried Apricot) also from the Liebersons; Pantras (Fried Crepes with Chicken), Lubia Meetha (Green Beans with Garlic and Spices), and Spiced Walnut and Apricot Semolina Cake from Max Nye; Cassola (Italian Cheesecake) from Lorenza Pintar; Cauliflower Beignets from Anna Polonsky; and for Passover, Charoset Balls, Spiced Fish Patties with Artichokes, and a Roast Chicken with Spring Vegetables from Rinat Tzadok. I can hardly wait to prepare and taste all of them, and I’m sure there will be more to follow.

The Jewish Holiday Table is a wonderful addition to the cookbook library in any Jewish home and would also make a special gift – for a birthday, engagement or wedding shower, Mother’s Day, Hanukkah, or just because you care. There is something delicious in it for everyone who loves to eat, and inspiration for all those who love to cook and entertain. 

While the renowned TV chef Julia Child ended her programs with “Bon Appetit”, in Yiddish we say “est gezunterheyt”, in Hebrew “b'tayavon”, and in Ladino, "Kome kon gana".

Book details: Naama Shefi & the Jewish Food Society with Devra Ferst; Copyright © 2024 by Naama Shefi and Jewish Food Society.

Published by Artisan, an imprint of Workman Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

With a Nod to Jane A. – Most Ardently Yours by Freya Sampson

Most Ardently Yours is a light and entertaining romance that absolutely cries out for a movie adaptation. I'm just wondering if the very dishy Glen Powell could do a British accent, since I can see him cast as Nick, one of the two leading male characters. 

Zoe Knight is a Londoner who is struggling with her ambition (to be a romance novelist), the loss of her mother, and a break-up with a demeaning boyfriend who has just published a book of his own (which of course she helped write). Zoe is a big fan of Jane Austen, among other writers of classic romances and social commentaries, and her favorite male character is none other than Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pride and Prejudice fame.

She comes across a shop, Baskerville Books, which appears to specialize in what she and her best friend, Bianca, call "dicklit" – those books that feature spies, military exploits, and other features that tend to appeal to men. Per Nick, the owner, there's not a single romance book in his store, and he says he hates romance fiction, which leads to an argument, and Zoe making off with the single copy of Pride and Prejudice she manages to find, much to Nick's consternation.

Then, the fantasy man of her dreams, Darcy himself, comes to life. How Zoe copes with this surprising development, and some very interesting episodes to follow, fills out the plot. Of course Nick, and some other delightful characters join in the story.

At first I found the contemporary British slang a bit too "twee" as my English husband would say, but I got past that, and found this fast-moving book to be very enjoyable. It was the perfect escapist choice for an afternoon's reading after a very frustrating and rather upsetting morning. 

Scenes from the Left Bank –The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher

Sylvia Beach was an American woman who founded Shakespeare & Company, an English language bookstore and lending library on Paris's Left Bank, just after World War I. It was located in the Odéon, an area of avant garde writers, artists, and others, near to the Luxembourg Gardens and other major Paris attractions.

Beach's store became a gathering place for American expatriate writers, including Ernest Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, plus many others, and also attracted French and British writers and customers. What Beach is most famous for, however, was publishing the Irish writer James Joyce's Ulysses, at a time when it was both rejected by mainstream publishing houses and also banned for its sexual and other explicit content. The United States in particular at that time was under the yoke of the very restrictive and repressive Comstock laws that kept the book from coming into the country through legitimate means.

The Paris Bookseller is also a romance. Sylvia Beach was a lesbian, and found her match of many years in Adrienne Monnier, a French bookseller who ran a shop of her own nearby. The two had a circle of writer friends and acquaintances that included Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas and many others.

The American writers in Paris became known as "The Lost Generation", but they produced some of the most influential fiction of the 20th century. Beach was at the center of their society.

This was an interesting and well-researched novelization of Beach's life, through her 20s into her 40s. While I had heard of her, and her store, and of course read many of the works of her era, this book gave me many new insights into the world she lived and worked in. I realized while reading this book that in 1990 I had stayed in the Odéon Hotel, just across the street from the site of Beach's store. In the lobby of that fairly modest establishment, there was a small painting by Picasso, which is not at all surprising, since he was a part of the art scene that was centered in the area, along with its literary figures. She would have known him as well.  

While not affiliated with the original Paris store, I frequented the Shakespeare & Company bookstore in my early years in Manhattan on New York's Upper West Side at 81st street. It was an artsy store with a late hippie kind of vibe – I'm sure Sylvia Beach would have approved. My perfect Saturday night back then might have included an early movie, followed by a casual dinner, a long browse in the bookstore, and finally a visit to Zabar's temple of appetizing for brunch supplies for the next morning. In those glory days, both of those stores, as well as several foodie destinations, stayed open late as was the neighborhood custom. It had just a little touch of the bohemian and avant garde feeling of Beach's Paris. I'm sure she would have appreciated that homage to her establishment. 

It's Just Words – Blank: A Novel by Zibby Owens

Pippa's first book was a bestseller and was made into a successful movie, but now she is stuck, meaning completely stuck, with book number two, and is feeling the heat. She was well into her manuscript but it came to light that another writer had the same idea, and beat her to the punch...so that work hit the trash icon, and now what?

She's in a panic, as her book contract is about to expire, meaning she would have to return the already-spent advance, when she, with an idea from her young son, comes up with a clever solution - submitting a blank book as an ironic statement on the publishing industry.

Meanwhile, her marriage is not feeling at all good, and she is frustrated and miserable. Even her best friend Kelly can't seem to help, and her two other besties, Gabriela and Josie, are there for her, but nothing is solving her problems. 

A series of events, shocking (but also amusing), lead to big changes in Pippa's life. This is a fun, light read. No spoilers here – if you want a break from heavier reading, this is the way to go. 

Zibby Owens is an editor, publisher, podcaster, and all-around book industry maven, as well as an author. I admire her, and just have no idea how she does it all! 

Banned in Manhattan – The Sisters of Book Row: A Novel by Shelley Noble

The Sisters of Book Row addressed the issues of censorship and repression that arose from the infamous Comstock Laws that banned materials that could be deemed "pornographic" or dealt with topics such as birth control, prenatal care, abortion, and the sex trade. These laws stated that even art books showing nudes by artists such as Michelangelo fell into the pornography bucket. These laws originated in the 1870s, and weren't fully struck down until the 1970s. 

Speaking publicly about birth control, disseminating information about it, or printing and mailing such materials was illegal. Instructing women on how to manage their pregnancies was strictly prohibited. The famous birth control advocate Margaret Sanger was hunted down like a murderer. She later founded Planned Parenthood. 

In 1915, the Applebaum sisters of the title operated a used and rare books store on what was once Book Row (Fourth Avenue in Manhattan, which becomes Park Avenue South above Union Square). They had inherited the store from their father, who had dealt in antiquarian books and trained the oldest daughter, Olivia, in bidding for and purchasing books at auction and from private collections, restoring and rebinding them, and working with clients. The other two sisters, Daphne and Celia, worked on the retail side of the business.

Olivia was also struggling with cataracts which would ultimately lead to blindness, since safe and successful surgery was not yet available. She had left a position in rare books at the Metropolitan Museum (and a man she'd fallen in love with) to run the store and care for her younger sisters once their father died.

Daphne was a romantic who found working in the store to be a life of drudgery and lost herself in reading escapist novels, and hoped that a handsome customer would come into the store and rescue her. 

Celia was a secret activist for birth control and worked with a group who were trying to help women take control of their bodies and prevent unwanted pregnancies. She had watched her mother become pregnant and lose the baby over and over, until she became so weakened that it eventually killed her. Celia resented her late father and blamed him since his desire was for a son to succeed him in the store. When that didn't happen, he sent Olivia to college to take on the role, but when she chose to work at the Met, he was bitterly angry with her.

The Applebaums and the other bookstore owners and related businesses were in constant fear of raids from Anthony Comstock, the originator of the pornography laws, and his minions. His thugs would come into a store, trash its stock, whether objectionable or not, damage or destroy its fixtures, and arrest the owners and workers. The store owners were banded together in defiance, but it was not enough to stop the raids.

The book explores the efforts to change the restrictive and clearly absurd nature of the laws, and put an end to the fanaticism, which eventually was overcome, but not without great suffering not just in the book trade, but by women and their families everywhere. 

Over a century later, many Americans are unaware that these restrictions existed. The same politicians who supported the Comstock Laws generally supported the changes to immigration law that would effectively close the door to most Southern and Eastern Europeans, and non-Christians, with the Emergency Quota Act of 1921. Asians were already suffering under the 1917 Asiatic Barred Zone Act which had completely shut them out. These actions are eerily similar to what some political factions are promoting now against certain nationalities. The evils of nativism and censorship continue to haunt us now, in the form of ICE, and actions against the free press. The circumstances described in The Sisters of Book Row may seem shocking, even unbelievable, to us but they serve as a warning against what we currently face.

A Family Examined – This Is Not about Us, by Allegra Goodman

I had quite a wait for this novel – I think there were about 150 people ahead of me on the library's hold list. I'm happy to say it was worth it.Allegra Goodman does not disappoint, whether she is writing about the generations of a Jewish family, as in this book, or in Isola, about a 16th century French noblewoman who is abandoned and stranded on an island in St. Lawrence River in Canada but lives to tell the tale. That shows the diversity of her talent.

The Rubensteins are a close family, but when Jeanne, the youngest of three sisters in their seventies, dies of lung cancer, a petty argument between the remaining sisters Sylvia and Helen over apple cake develops into a long-standing feud between them, and creates awkwardness among the other family members.

That is a kick-off into an examination of the relationships between parents and children, husbands and wives (and that of the family's lesbian granddaughter/niece/cousin and her wife), younger siblings, and cousins. We meet them all in this story: Sylvia's son Richard whose wife Debra is divorcing him, their concerns about their two daughters, and the subsequent developments that impact them; Helen's older daughter Pam and her personal difficulties; Helen's younger daughter Wendy and her protective, loving wife Jill; and, Jeanne's sons Steve and Dan, their marriages to Andrea and Melanie, and their kids, Zach and Nate, and Phoebe.

As in every family, there are conflicts and disappointments, joyful occasions and celebrations. Goodman paints a complex portrait of a Jewish family that many readers will relate to, no matter what their ethnicity or religion.

The writing is beautiful, just descriptive enough to provide context, and cuts straight to describing the emotions felt by the family members as they cope with their individual challenges and find their places in a changing world. For Helen and Sylvia, who towards the end of the book, are now approaching or just past 80, it's also a look back while they continue to move forward.

I was glad to read about multiple characters who are at later points in life, the sisters at 80-something, their children in their 40s and 50s, but also the grandchildren finding their ways through adolescence and young adulthood. It was a multi-faceted portrait, but age and experience, while respected, were not shown to be infallible. A good story, all around.

Looking Back to a Better Time – Postwar Stories: How Books Made Judaism American by Rachel Gordan

This scholarly book examines what the author, Rachel Gordan, calls anti-antisemitism writing, in novels and non-fiction books about Judaism, and in magazines, starting just after World War II and going into the 1950s. One of the most famous examples of fiction of the period is the 1947 Gentleman's Agreement, by Laura Z. Hobson, a novel about a gentile journalist who goes undercover as a Jew to write about the experience of antisemitism and exclusion in New York City and the upper class suburbs of Connecticut. It was a tremendous bestseller, and was made into an Oscar-winning movie with Gregory Peck in the leading role.

Another is the 1958 Exodus, by Leon Uris, about the founding of the State of Israel following the voyage of the immigration ship "Exodus". It too was made into a highly successful film, released in 1960, starring Paul Newman in the central role. Though I was a young child in pajamas in the back of my parents' car at a drive-in theater, I still remember the impression made on me by its stirring music and vivid graphic opening.

Gordan examines other best-selling fiction by such writers as Herman Wouk, the author of Marjorie Morningstar and The Caine Mutiny, who also wrote the non-fiction This Is My God, his interpretation of Judaism (also a bestseller), and similar non-fiction texts by rabbis of the period. Wouk was a practitioner of Modern Orthodox Judaism, and the other books examined Judaism from the Reconstructionist and Reform viewpoints.

In addition, she describes the special features on Judaism (and other major religions) in mainstream magazines like "Time", "Life", and "Look", which were revolutionary in bringing a Jewish perspective into the mainstream of American life.

On the whole, it presents a positive view of the evolution and mainstreaming of Jewish life in America after World War II, and onward, until the last decade or so, when we began to see obvious evidence of increased antisemitism once again, typified by the Tree of Life synagogue attack in Pittsburgh in 2018. It is a highly informative and fascinating book, but it was written before the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas and the ensuing events. Since then, everything has changed, and the hopeful sentiments of this book must, sadly, be viewed as nostalgia.