Recipe with a Memory

Recipe with a Memory (Matkon im Zikaron) is a unique initiative that commemorates those Israelis who sacrificed their lives defending our Jewish homeland or in a terrorist attack, sharing their favorite recipes and stories – All from The Associated’s partner city, Ashkelon.

The centerpiece of this project is the cooking sessions, where participants gather to cook a favorite dish of a fallen soldier. In addition to cooking, participants learn about the soldier, their family, and more behind the dish through pictures and stories, all while learning more about the observance of Yom HaZikaron.

Taste of Memories stories and cookbook.

Working closely with our friends in the Baltimore-Ashkelon Partnership, we collect these stories so that we may share them with the Baltimore Jewish community.

One of the first stories we received was of Keren Rothstein, who passed away while serving in the IDF shortly after receiving a promotion in February 2002. The recipe was an onion soup, based off an experience when Keren received a high rank in the IDF and wanted to treat her mom to a meal for a change. They shared a bowl of onion soup, and it became Keren’s favorite recipe.

“The idea of the project is to commemorate fallen soldiers with communities who don’t necessarily know them,” explains Maian Rahvalschi, the Senior Community Shlicha through the Jewish Agency for Israel. “It gives people the chance to commemorate the memory of these fallen soldiers, but in a meaningful way that is not too sad.”

“It’s a very visceral way to remember a person,” adds Jake Simone who was one of the first participants in the program here in Baltimore. “It gives us literally a flavor of this person’s life.”

Another participant, Sarah Simone says that “It’s a really special way to learn about someone. To connect to Israel, Ashkelon and to these fallen soldiers.”

Recipe with a Memory

Recipe with a Memory

Subscribe to our newsletter

Keep Reading