Remembrance

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, a designation given to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau 65 years ago by the Soviet Red Army. When I first saw the Holocaust Survivor Cookbook, I was momentarily taken back. It was hard for me to associate a time of food shortage, unthinkable starvation and terror with food and a collection of recipes. Finally it came to me that my first reaction was precisely why such a cookbook was needed.

Our first reassurance is being fed. Held in loving arms, our basic needs are met and all seems right with the world. Cooking and preparing food is an act of generosity and an expression of love. We grow up remembering the cookies lovingly baked, the soup that was made for us when we were sick, the celebratory meals and special dishes made for holidays and family get-togethers. In my heart and memory, the world's most perfect sugar cookies belong to my Aunt. Vegetable soup always makes me think of my mother and although I've never tasted any to match, pan-fried chicken always brings loving memories of my Grandmother.

Many of the survivors of the Holocaust who contributed to this cookbook were able to honor the families they lost by the contribution of family recipes. The dishes and the hands that prepared them were a part of their family's time of togetherness and a statement of their love for one another. There is no doubt those memories played a part in survival of many. Food related traditions are as important of a legacy as any memento and they need to be preserved. The cookbook does exactly that. All proceeds of the cookbook go to charitable organizations.