Page 22 Berkshire Jewish Voice • jewishberkshires.org March 28 to May 14, 2017 BERKSHIRE JEWISH VOICES Traveling with Jewish Taste No Escaping Echoes of the Past in By Carol Goodman Kaufman designs from Egyptian Revival frieze is that to Art Deco. They represent of Mordechai the wide variety of who Anielewicz. once lived and worked in Kibbutz Yad Warsaw: communists, rabbis, Mordechai in and intellectuals. Among the is named monuments was one for three for him. prominent writers: I.L. Peretz, I wasn’t sure Jacob Dinezon., and S. Ansky, how much of the author of The Dybbuk. vast amounts Since the cemetery was of information closed during the war, much being imparted of it is overgrown, and many the students ac- of the headstones are tip- tually absorbed. ping. A small portion today Not to worry. In my mind’s eye, serves Warsaw’s tiny Jewish That first day, we was a land of gray skies and population, estimated by the talked with Sol- bone-chilling cold – both phys- World Jewish Congress as omon, a tall and ’s Ghetto Heroes Monument ical and spiritual – so going somewhere between 5,000 and ebony-skinned there in February didn’t sound 20,000, most of whom live in student. (Thirty percent of Extended his arm and point- friends were posting photos like the best travel choice one the capital. our Youth students are ing to his hand, he said, “We’re and comments about the could make. However, Joel and Of all the landmarks we from Ethiopia.) Joel asked him all Jews. Just our skin color is trip. Perhaps the most telling I recently had the opportunity saw that day, the ghetto how he felt about visiting sites different.” was the very proud picture of to travel on a heritage mission was for me the most diffi- related to the history of East- And, upon return home, I Lolli’s Israeli passport. Home to that country, accompany- cult. Established in 1940 by ern European Jewry, not at found that my new Facebook again. Safe. ing a group of teenagers from the Germans, it imprisoned all similar to his background. Hadassah-sponsored Youth 400,000 Jews from through- Aliyah villages in Israel. So, out the country in a space off we went. bounded by a nine-foot-tall, And, indeed, almost the eleven-mile-long brick wall. Stuffed Cabbage Rolls entire time we were in that The Nazis forced multiple fam- flat-as-a-board country, the ilies to share apartments, an Adapted for Passover skies were gray, the temps average of six people per room. A long-ago conversation at a family holiday dinner has stuck in my mind to this day. The various hovered around zero, snow And then, of course, came the aunts and uncles were good-naturedly arguing over the “correct” term for stuffed cabbage. The fell, and the winds howled. deportations and mass execu- Poles said “golumpki,” while the Russians said “holipkes” or “holishkes” – or, at least, that is The receiving line of Soviet-era tions. By the end of the war, my memory. No matter what name they went by, the resulting sweet and savory rolls from any apartment buildings along only 11,500 Jews remained in member of the family was consistently wonderful. the road from the airport to Warsaw, most of whom had Stuffed cabbage is found in many forms in just as many countries, from Eastern Europe to the the city center only served to been in hiding in the Aryan Middle East. The following is a recipe for an authentic Polish dish that I have adapted to make reinforce my mental image of section of the city. kosher for Passover. the place where, before World I was shocked to discover War II, fully 30% of the popu- on looking at the map that lation was Jewish, the largest our hotel was within the Ingredients in Europe, and the city was a ghetto walls, only steps away 3 tablespoons olive oil For the filling: vibrant center of culture and from the remnant we had just 2 yellow onions, chopped 2 lbs. lean ground beef intellectual activity. visited. 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes and 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten After settling in at our ho- When the Nazis liquidated their juice ½ cup finely chopped yellow onions tel, we took a walk and did find the ghetto, they force-marched ¼ cup red wine vinegar ½ cup uncooked quinoa some bright spots. Our first the Jews to the Umschlag- ½ cup light brown sugar 1/3 cup ketchup stop was the Palace of Culture platz, a holding area adjacent ½ cup raisins ½ teaspoon thyme and Science, a Soviet-designed to the railway station. A quar- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt ¾ teaspoon kosher salt complex that houses theaters, ter of a million Jews were then ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper restaurants, sports clubs, loaded onto trains headed to 1 large head green cabbage and libraries, and a 30th floor the Treblinka death camp. “viewing terrace” from which From there we began the walk Directions: one can see the city. It is set in along the Path of Remem- The day before: brance that leads from the a park dotted with statues and Remove the entire core of the cabbage with a sharp knife. monuments. Umschlagplatz to the Ghetto Chilled by the winds at the Heroes Monument. Placed Seal the cabbage in a plastic bag and place in freezer for at least 24 hours. top, we descended from the along the Path are blocks of Remove from freezer and thaw. tower and stopped off at one black granite, each dedicated When cabbage has thawed out, carefully remove leaves one by one. of the city’s hundreds of cafes to a significant person or event For the sauce: to warm up. From there, we related to the Holocaust in the continued on to Old Town, ghetto. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, and cook over medium-low heat, until where charming, pastel-col- And at Mila 18 (ironically the onions are translucent. ored stucco buildings house “Pleasant Street” in English) Add the tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, raisins, salt, and pepper. trendy shops and restaurants stood the headquarters of the Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. along the curving streets. Jewish Combat Organization Set aside. We stopped for lunch (and popularized in the Leon Uris For the filling: to warm up – seeing a trend novel of the same name. From here?) at a pierogie restaurant. this bunker, Mordechai An- In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, eggs, onion, matzah meal, quinoa, thyme, salt, and Taking the rose-colored tint ielewicz led the Warsaw Ghetto pepper. off our visit was the fact that Uprising, the last, desperate Add 1 cup of the sauce to the meat mixture and mix lightly with a fork. this was the neighborhood in stand against the Nazis. A Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. which most Jews lived before large mound built from rubble the World War II. In fact, the of the once thriving commu- To assemble, place 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a large Dutch oven. intersection of Nalewki Street nity stands there in silent Remove the hard triangular rib from the base of each cabbage leaf with a paring knife. (now Street of the Ghetto He- memorial. Form 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling into an oval shape and place near the rib edge of each leaf. Roll up roes) and Franciszkanska was In the park near the Palace toward the outer edge, tucking the sides in as you roll. stands the Ghetto Heroes one of the busiest in a vibrant Place half the cabbage rolls, seam sides down, over the sauce. city. Monument. Designed by We met up with the kids at Polish-born Nathan Rapoport, Add more sauce and more cabbage rolls alternately until you’ve placed all the cabbage rolls in the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery. the 36-ft.-tall sculpture the pot. One of the largest Jewish cem- evokes both the Ghetto walls Pour the remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls. Cover the dish tightly with the lid and bake eteries in the world, it dates and the Western Wall in for 1 hour or until the meat is cooked and the quinoa is tender. Serve hot. from 1806 and contains over . In the sculptor’s 250,000 marked graves on 83 words, “The great stones acres of land, as well as the would thus have framed the mass graves of ghetto victims. memory of events in Warsaw Headstones and mausoleums in the iconographic figure of Carol Goodman Kaufman is a psychologist and author with a passion for travel and food. She is cur- range from the simple to the Judaism’s holiest site.” The rently at work on a food history/cookbook, tracing the paths that some of our favorite foods have tak- elaborately carved, sporting central standing figure of this en from their origins to appear on dinner plates and in cultural rites and artifacts around the world. She invites readers to read her blog at carolgoodmankaufman.com and to follow her on Twitter @goodmankaufman.