Culinary Traditions Preserved, Stories Never to be Forgotten
This patiently gathered, touching and important archive of heirloom recipes with their companion stories is a heartwarming must—have gem, that helps preserve the legacy of the Jewish experience during World War II.
—Gale Gand, nationally acclaimed pastry chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and television personality
A book like this, that helps we Jews hand down this central aspect of our culture, the food that has nourished us through the ages, makes an important contribution to the on—going struggle to keep the Jewish faith alive. I am proud to be a part of it, especially because of the connection with the Museum of Jewish heritage, on whose board I proudly serve.
—Dr. Ruth Westheimer
June Hersh offers us a rare gift in this cookbook. It is a testament to the Jewish human condition and its ability to transcend the past and move forward without forgetting. The survivors’ stories of deep love and great loss moved me. The understanding that for many, these recipes are all that remains of large, close, precious families takes my breath away. The juxtaposition of their brave stories with recipes only makes what they endured even more unimaginable. May the food of their memories nourish our spirits.
—Susie Fishbein, author of the Kosher by Design series of cookbooks
Food, Hope and Resilience shows us how preserving one’s cultural cuisine helps maintain the very existence of a people forced into diaspora. Despite hardship and upheaval, the contributors to this book managed to continue representing the food so important to their identity. That was their lifeline, their promise to those who did not survive and one of this book’s greatest gifts… In Food, Hope and Resilience, you will be inspired by stories of perseverance and recipes that will bring a new dimension to your home cooking. The stories are more than just words, and the recipes are more than just ingredients. They speak to the need to embrace understanding and the danger of indifference. Their soulful flavors linger as you embrace their message and strive to create a world where we are truly responsible to and for one another.
—Daniel Boulud, award winning chef and restaurateur
Food, Hope, and Resilience” is the perfect new title for the re—release of this cherished kosher cookbook. While the individual stories retell a time of displacement and loss during war, the recipes serve as memories of happier moments shared with family and friends. When viewed as a whole June reminds us of the perseverance and survival of the Jewish community recorded one dish at a time. —Jennifer Abadi; author of A Fistful of Lentils & Too Good to Passover
There are two things that I am passionate about, Holocaust history and delicious food! Food, Hope & Resilience is a perfect marriage between the two. Reading through the book feels like you are in your bubby’s kitchen preparing something tasty for dinner, while listening to stories from the past. This book takes your mind, heart and stomach, to a kitchen in another world, at a different time in history.
—Nikki Schreiber; Founder, Humans of Judaism
June has relentlessly worked to preserve the stories and the recipes of holocaust survivors and their families. These recipes are treasures that provide us with a glimpse into what we lost, but also what was rescued. More than just being a time capsule of history, they are a gift for the future. As you read this book, start cooking and set the table for your loved ones. The children especially. Pass the plates of food around the table and share the significance of what these recipes really mean. They are a lesson of hope to everyone, and a moment to remember.
—Two—time James Beard award winning chef, cookbook author and restaurateur: Alon Shaya
Written by cookbook author June Hersh, “Iconic New York Jewish Food” was published benefitting Met Council, a New York—based Jewish charity serving more than 315,000 needy people each year. In the book, Hersh writes about Jewish foods that have become New York staples and are closely associated with the food landscape of the city today: bagels, egg creams, cheesecake, hot dogs and much more. The book combines humor, history (the evolution of the hot dog bun, for example) and tons of enticing recipes, like potato latkes made with corned beef and pastrami.
—Shannon Sarna, The Nosher
Sometimes we leaf through cookbooks for dinner ideas, and sometimes we actually read them because we want to learn something, to be inspired. June Hersh’s new cookbook does this and more. Here, in the revised edition of her 2013 book, Recipes Remembered: a Celebration of Survival, Hersh weaves stories and recipes from Holocaust survivors with recipes from notable culinary icons of today — all of which connect us to each other, to our history, and, ultimately, to our shared humanity. The book could not be more timely; it nourishes us both physically and spiritually.
—Beth Ricanati, Jewish Book Council
