Back in March, the Jewish Light shared a story about a project called “Taste of Memories” created by the four St. Louis shinshinim. The project honored fallen Israel Defense Forces soldiers and terror victims by cooking their favorite recipes while telling the stories of their lives.
The four shinshinim posted a video to Instagram baking the favorite cake of 22-year-old soldier Omer Nissim Bitan z”l, who died on Oct. 14. They posted a second video a few weeks later sharing the favorite pasta of Raz Peretz z”l, a 24-year-old commander who was killed on Oct. 7.
Now, a similar effort is underway as we approach the holiday of Shavuot. Shavuot commemorates the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and it is traditional to eat dairy products in celebration. With this in mind, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum has released the “Shavuot of Longing” cookbook. This special collection includes 75 recipes of Israeli hostages and shares their personal stories, aiming to raise awareness and support for their return.
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“From the pastry they start their mornings with, to the warming winter soup, to the dessert that sweetens their hearts,” writes the Forum on their website. “This upcoming Shavuot holiday, we invite you to prepare a recipe from the book, place it on your holiday table, and continue to raise awareness for the 132 brothers and sisters who must return home to celebrate this holiday with us.”
The Forum also made a request of all the world’s Jewish newspapers and websites, including the Jewish Light, asking us to publish the recipes and stories from the cookbook to help spread the word. You’ll find a recipe in each Morning Light email from May 31 through the end of Shavuot on June 14.
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If you’re inclined to try making one of the recipes, please take a video or photo and send it to [email protected] so we can share it on social media.
