Israeli Chefs Bring a Taste of Home to Displaced Israelis

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, some 200,000 Israelis from northern and southern Israel have been evacuated from their homes and are being hosted in hotels across the country. An American news outlet’s employees visited three of those hotels, where it was immediately evident that these displaced people are yearning for home comforts – especially homemade meals.

At the Ibis, the Lady Stern, and the Herbert Samuel hotels, all in West Jerusalem, the chefs are dedicated to offering menus and meals that evoke the tastes and memories of their guests’ home cuisines.

Khalil Adila, the Lady Stern Hotel’s head chef, said that among the displaced people in the hotel are many of Moroccan Jewish descent. He said he learned to prepare their comfort meals, particularly emphasizing the significance of fish made traditionally for their Friday evening meals.

Khalil said the guests showed heartfelt gratitude when they received their familiar dish. “When we made the recipe for them, they ended up clapping for us, and they felt like they were home for once. You can say they were very satisfied with the meal,” he said.

Noam Nitzan, executive chef at both Ibis hotels in West Jerusalem, explained that a hotel needed to prepare three meals a day for more than 160 displaced people.

“The base includes couscous, fish balls with oriental sauce, and shawarma,” he said. “They crave a diverse array of dishes, not fixating on one item, but schnitzel, our chicken cutlets, is a consistent favorite. It undeniably stands as their go-to comfort food.” (JPost / VFI News)

“For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” - 1 John 3:11