“We were starved in Auschwitz, and to alleviate our numerous hunger pangs we invented frequent ‘dream meals’ ranging between coffee klatches, luncheons, informal and formal dinner parties. This may sound delusional I know, but during these meal planning sessions, we were briefly transported to a normal world, a world that was so far from our miserable reality.” – Lillian Berliner, New York
This is just one of the many touching excerpts from the stories and recipes found in The Holocaust Survivor Cookbook, now in its second printing. My friend Dalia Carmel of New York told me about the book when I called her a few weeks ago.
She said, “Although the recipes are not thoroughly edited, this is such an important book and it deserves to be on cookbook shelves everywhere.”
I then contacted Joanne Caras of Port St. Lucie, Fla., who has worked tirelessly over the past two years to collect recipes and stories from Holocaust survivors, compiling them into this unforgettable book. It contains “129 miracles, 250 great recipes,” along with many photos of Holocaust survivors and their families.
Caras told me: “We asked Holocaust survivors to send us their favourite recipe, photos, and also the story of how they were able to survive the Holocaust. We collected 129 stories from all over the world, including Europe, South America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel, and many US states. Each one is a miracle!
“In the introduction to our cookbook, we ask each person who cooks one of the recipes to also read to their family the story that comes with it. That way, not only will we preserve the recipes, but more importantly, we will help to insure that the stories of these brave survivors will live on for generations to come.”
The Holocaust Survivor Cookbook is different from most typical cookbooks, which are organized into sections – appetizers, salads, soups, main courses, side dishes, desserts, etc. Since many of the survivors submitted more than one recipe, the recipes were kept together, even though they might run the entire gamut of categories. So you may find one page with a soup and a dessert recipe side by side. There is a recipe index where you will find the recipes listed by categories and page numbers. There is also a list of survivors and their stories.
Cookbooks can be purchased at the retail price for personal use, or they can be purchased in large quantities at the wholesale price by groups who want to sell them to their members as a fundraiser.
Proceeds from every cookbook sold will benefit Carmei Ha’ir in Jerusalem, the soup kitchen where Caras’ son and daughter-in-law volunteer, serving more than 500 meals each day to poor and hungry Israelis. Those who can afford to pay do so, and those who can’t afford it, don’t. The money is collected after meals in a tzedakah box near the door.
“Our goal is to raise $1 million for Carmei Ha’ir, and millions more for Jewish groups all over the world,” Caras said. “In total, we would like to raise $6 million as a tribute to the memory of those Jews who did not survive the Holocaust.
“Right now the demand is so overwhelming that we had to order more cookbooks from our printer. We have shipped cookbooks from Florida to Canada, New York to California, and all over the world. We have touched the hearts of thousands of people.”
The Holocaust Survivor Cookbook can be ordered wholesale or retail by going to the website www.survivorcookbook.org, or you can contact Caras at 443-604-2643.
The following story was just one of many touching tributes found in the book. It was submitted by Carol Master about her late mother-in-law, Henna Master of Montreal, along with two recipes from Carol’s collection.
Carol Master wrote: “My father-in-law, Ralph, came to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1936, and my mother-in-law followed in 1938. Both were born and grew up in Lublin, Poland. The Pa, as we called him, had two sisters that never made it out, his Dad died at an early age and his mother perished in the camps with his two sisters. His brothers Moshe got out earlier and Maurice followed later after escaping Poland through Portugal, Belgium and ultimately England.
“My Ma had two brothers who never made it along with her folks. Her sister Golda survived the camps. Golda came home with numbers on her arm telling how she had to watch her husband and son being burnt alive, while she was tied up.
“My father-in-law’s brother Moshe, who was a reverend and cantor in Montreal, brought my Pa over to be a choirmaster… Their name was Gelibter, and somehow Master remained, as that’s what the officials heard… My Ma was allowed to come because my Pa was going to marry her… and ‘the Master Family’ came to be.
“My late mother-in-law Henna Master was a wonderful cook. Even her husband helped her, another survivor, to make Shabbat every Friday night even in a Montreal blizzard. I learned all my mamaloshen from her, a little Yiddish, and about family.
“She had riches in her baby’s smiles… if she knew all her children and grandchildren were well and happy… then she was content. When I married her golden son Eli, I soon after asked her for her recipe for her marvelous cookies that her kids and friends would anxiously wait for. Well, she said all the ingredients, and off I went to bake. I put it all together in a bowl, however the mixture seemed very loose. Then I put the cookies in the oven and when I opened it to check – you guessed it, a giant puddle.
“I immediately phoned my Ma. ‘So,’ she said, ‘tell me what you put in.’ I read her back her recipe and she then said ‘So where’s the flour?’ I said you never mentioned flour. ‘How can you make cookies without flour?’ Being that I’d never baked before, I didn’t know that flour was not necessary to tell because I should know that. Between all the great aromas, tastes and laughter, I became a great cook, and I’d like to share what my grandchildren love me to make.”
2 packages wide noodles
6 brown farm eggs
11/4 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
11/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup regular salted butter)
1 small can crushed pineapple/and raisins (optional)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
24 oz. creamed small curd cottage cheese
1 pint sour cream
8 oz. package cream cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Boil 2 packages of wide egg noodles until tender; drain and set aside.
Grease a large Pyrex baking dish (about 15x10x2-inches – 4 quarts).
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add cooked noodles, mixing until ready to pour into baking dish. Dot with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 11/2 hours.
Check the bottom of the glass baking dish, for the kugel to be brownish. Let cool before cutting.
2/3 cup oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
21/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
cinnamon sugar (and/or jam like raspberry or strawberry or apricot, etc., if desired)
Preheat oven to 375. Beat oil with sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Drop from a teaspoon onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and/or a variety of jams. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Norene Gilletz is a cookbook author, cooking teacher and food consultant. For information, call 416-226-2466 or visit her website at http://www.gourmania.com