What is it about friendships that intertwine and connect generations? As a young man, my grandfather was sent from the bustling city of Baghdad to the sleepy village of Al-Azair, the mystical burial place of the prophet Ezra. A pilgrimage site that is holy to both Jews and Muslims, the large compound sits on the…
Recently, Rachel and I were picking up some flowers at the French Florist on the corner of Bedford and Pico Boulevard in the ‘hood and we noticed the bright blue exterior of Star Juice. We wandered in and discovered an oasis of fresh juices, fruit smoothies and açaí bowls. We met the young owner Yitzchak…
It was late June and one of those perfect Israeli Summer days, with clear blue skies. My friend Judy and I were strolling through the old and beautifully restored Sarona Market. The old stone buildings built by the German Templars in the late 19th century and early 20th century were bathed in a gorgeous golden…
I met Rachel when she was a sophomore at Beverly Hills High School and I was a junior at YULA Girls High School. Brigitte, Molly and Shira were all friends in high school. Brigitte married Jonny who was in my graduating class. He was also good friends with Yosi. Esther married Yosi, who’s grandmother was…
Crispy, golden and delicious, Moroccan cigars are a traditional favorite of the Moroccan kitchen. Served as appetizers at celebrations or holiday meals, cigarim have become especially popular in Israel. They can be found on the menus of Mizrahi restaurants, freshly fried and ready for take out in the Shuk or in the freezer section of…
Every good food story starts with a grandmother: one of Leonardo Nourafchan’s earliest memories is standing on a chair, stirring a huge pot of polenta in the kitchen of his Italian grandmother. Nowadays, you’ll find Chef Lenny in his own industrial kitchen, overseeing a dozen busy cooks chopping and grilling for Lenny’s Casita and Lenny’s…
Every Friday afternoon, the entire student body of Vaucluse Primary School would walk up the hill to Christison Park, a huge green reserve high atop a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We would play cricket or softball or run around the grass, under the shadow of the splendid white Macquarie Lighthouse, Australia’s first and oldest…
Sharon’s Turn: Hanukkah commemorates the miracle of the little crucible oil that lasted eight days and nights in the rededicated Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Hanukkah is a celebration of our continued faith in G-d and our dedication to Judaism. Hanukkah lights up our life when the days are short and the nights are darkest. There…
Sharon’s Turn: I started reading Seventeen Magazine as a young girl in Sydney, Australia. I was fascinated by the glimpse into American culture, American products, American marketing, American celebrity and American fashion. I learned that it was chic to wear pearls with a basic white t-shirt and to pair grey clothing with a pop of…
Little 7 year old me arrived in Los Angeles from Casablanca one week before Halloween. My uncle took me to get a costume and off we went trick or treating at the home of Elvis Presley. Lucille Ball handed me a Hershey’s Chocolate bar and I was convinced: America is paradise. Little did I know…
My best friend’s wedding was a joyous celebration. Friends and family were thrilled that two such amazing people had found each other. The bride was beautiful in her stunning white lace gown and the groom was handsome in his bow tie and tuxedo, the bridesmaids wore lavender, matched by the pretty pinks and purples of…
Every culture has a great recipe for chicken soup, but nothing beats a really fluffy matzo ball floating in a rich golden chicken broth. In these tumultuous times, one of the most overused phrases is “comfort food.” But truly, is there any dish more comforting than a hearty Chicken Soup? Could there be a better…
White beans cooked in a tomato broth and served over rice are the quintessential Sephardic comfort food. And they are the perfect food to cook for these crisp, cool, short Autumn days. Domesticated in the New World, white beans soon became beloved staples in the Old World cuisines of the Mediterranean, North Africa and the…
Someone once said that rice is the food equivalent of khaki pants—it goes with anything. Anthropologists are divided over whether the popular Asian rice we consume today originated in China or India. Archaeologists working in East and Southeast Asia argue that the cultivation of rice began along the Yangtze River and spread from there to…
Every Friday morning, my phone would ring. “Boker Tov!” my grandmother would greet me. “You’re coming for dinner?” “Of course,” I would reply. “You’re making Shepherd’s Pie?” She would ask, knowing the answer. And every Friday night, I would have the honor of going to my grandparents home with my husband, my son Ariel, my…
Recently, when Rachel and I did a Zoom cooking demonstration for the young women of the Jewish Federation’s Emerging Philanthropists group, I was really embarrassed. Not because of how we performed on the Zoom: that was great and fun. But because my husband and kids couldn’t stop eating the soup that Rachel had made for…
If you lived in New York in the ’80s, you experienced a city on steroids. From the hit Broadway shows “Les Miserables,” “Dreamgirls” and “Phantom of the Opera” to some really cool and quirky off-Broadway productions; from blockbuster art exhibitions featuring the works of Van Gogh, Rembrandt and the Impressionists at the Metropolitan Museum of…
The highlight of the Sukkot holiday has always been nabbing an invite to the Sheff family’s sukkah party. Every year explored a new theme, ranging from “Mariachis and Margaritas” to “Western-Style Beers and Barbecue” to “Moroccan Cigars to Cuban Stogies,” not to mention the memorable night that famous Armenian singer John Bilezikjian brought his oud and we…
Sharon Gomperts: My family is visiting the apartment building in Israel where my uncles and their families live. I awake in the middle of the night and hear adult conversation in the living room. I jump out of bed to find my parents and my Uncle Naim and Aunt Dalia standing by the second-floor window, looking…
When Rebekah Sheff left for her freshman year at Chapman College, she took with her a special recipe book. Her Moroccan Spice Girl mom, Rachel, printed “Rebekah’s College Cookbook,” featuring all of her favorite recipes. Rebekah often baked while at home. Now that she’s away at college, she’s been cooking her way through the book. …
In an era when most marriages were arranged by parents, my grandparents were a romantic match. He was dashingly handsome; she was beautiful with dark, curly hair and ruby-red lips. He was from the bustling city of Baghdad, the son of a doctor; she was from the tiny village of Azair, the daughter of the…
