The Holocaust Survivor Cookbook

"In Memory's Kitchen"

Sunday is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Webster described “holocaust” as total destruction especially by fire. Throughout Europe, during the 1930s and 1940s, a catastrophic explosion of hatred, death, destruction, genocide and madness brought suffering and tragedy to millions. Most of all it was the Jews of Germany, Poland, Belgium, Czechoslovakia and other countries defeated by the Germans that were the targets of the most heinous crimes against any humans on this Earth.

It is difficult to imagine the horrors experienced by a people guilty only of being of a certain ethnicity. They were subject to inhuman indignities, and only a few were able to escape the concentration camps, the unspeakable torture and death without dignity.

Yet there are survivors who recall the dignity, the camaraderie, courage and generosity of those incarcerated in the camps. They comforted each other, shared their courage, faith and hope with one another. Those survivors continue to inspire us with their memories of extraordinary human heroism extended under the most horrendous conditions.

Two illuminating and powerful books have been written about these people and their experience in the camps. Not only do they contain authentic recipes but also insightful and heartrending memories of their experiences and those of family members who perished at the hands of the Nazis.

‘Holocaust Survivor Cookbook’

“We were starved in Auschwitz, and to alleviate our numerous hunger pangs, we invented frequent ‘dream meals.’ This may sound delusional, but during these meal-planning sessions we were briefly transported to a normal world, a world far away from our miserable reality.”

— Lillian Berliner, New York, from the Holocaust Survivor Cookbook

The Holocaust Survivor Cookbook is the incredible contribution of the Caras family, not only to the culinary world, but also a tribute to those determined never to forget the charity and love in a world fraught with pain and suffering.

On a visit to Israel to see their children, Joanne Caras and Gisela Zerykier were taken to a soup kitchen, Carmei Ha’ir. The so-called soup kitchen had waiters and food often found in the best restaurants. Waiters treat all customers with dignity and respect and no check is presented. Instead they is a tzedekah box near the door, and no one is required to pay unless they are able.

Joanne was so impressed with the kindness and charity that she was determined to raise funds to support the soup kitchen. She called on her daughter, Sarah, and son-in-law, Jonathon Caras, for ideas. They formulated an idea to put together a cookbook with recipes from survivors and their families.

This astonishing book, “Holocaust Survivor Cookbook” documents the stories of survivors from more than 100 countries and includes traditional recipes of one of the world’s tastiest cuisines. It is currently in its fifth printing and has been read by thousands who have been inspired by the stories of human endurance and courage.

This recipe appealed to me as an ideal dish to serve with meat and chicken and would appeal to children. The recipe came from Carole Master and was given to her by survivor Henna Master from Poland.

Nana’s kugel

Ingredients

2 packages wide kosher egg noodles, cooked and drained

2 brown farm eggs

1¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1½ sticks of butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

24 ounces creamed small curd cottage cheese (suggests Breakstone)

1 pint sour cream

8-ounce package cream cheese

1 small can crushed pineapple and raisins (optional)

Preparation

-- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large Pyrex baking dish.

-- Combine cooked noodles, eggs, vanilla extract, cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese and, if preferred, crushed pineapple and raisins.

-- Pour into a large Pyrex baking dish. Dot with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

-- Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 to 1½ hour or until browned. Allow to cool before cutting. Serves 8 to 10.

‘In Memory’s Kitchen’

Forty miles from Prague, in town of Terezin, the Germans established a “model concentration camp.” The town was used as propaganda to prove to the world that the Jews were being treated humanly. Instead it was the site of great suffering, torture and a transit camp for victims being sent to Auschwitz and other crematoriums.

In late 1939 it became clear to Anny Stern that she and her family were doomed if they stayed in Terezin. Her husband, David, was already in Palestine, and she pleaded with her mother, Wilhelmina (Mina) Pachter, to join her and grandson, Peter (later renamed David). Mina refused and remained in Terezin.

Hunger, brutal treatment and terrible fear were eased as Mina took up the task of writing a cookbook. Paper was scarce but every scrap was used to chronicle her memories of family meals and the dishes she so lovingly prepared for them.

Mina died in the ghetto on Yom Kippur, 1943. She gave her stepdaughter, Leislel, a nurse in the hospital, her precious cookbook and asked that it be given to Anny. It took almost 20 years for Anny Stern to receive her mother’s most precious gift. This amazing gift has been published in the book, “In Memory’s Kitchen/A Legacy of the Women of Terezin.”

The book, written by Cara de Silva, chronicles the experiences of the women in the ill-fated town of Terezin and their inhuman treatment at the hands of the Nazis. It also gives us an insight into the courage and the power of hope, faith and the will to survive.

The foreword was written by Michael Berenbaum, director of the United States Holocaust Research Institute in Washington. He writes: “This work, unlike conventional cookbooks, is not to be savored for its culinary offerings but for the insight it gives us in understanding the extraordinary capacity of the human spirit to transcend its surroundings, to defy dehumanization and to dream of the past and of the future.”

Mina’s cookbook was written under almost impossible conditions and is difficult because they were conceived from memory. This recipe is exactly as written by Mina and translated into English.

Cold stuffed eggs pachter

(Gefullte eier kalt pachter)

-- Hard boil 10 eggs, cut them in half. Remove yolks and press them through a sieve, a little mustard, 3-4 drops Maggi (liquid seasoning), 1/8 liter whipped heavy cream, parsley, lemon juice. Now put eggs on a platter and pour liquid aspic over.

-- Before pouring on the aspic let fantasy run free and the eggs are garnished with ham, smoked salmon, caviar, capers. One can put the eggs into paper cuffs and serve them with hot sliced rolls.

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Doris Reynolds is the author of “When Peacocks Were Roasted and Mullet Was Fried” and “Let’s Talk Food.” They are available for sale in the lobby of the Naples Daily News. Also available is a four-part DVD, “A Walk Down Memory Lane with Doris Reynolds.” E-mail: foodlvr25@aol.com