Jewish Light - 2023 Lifestyle magazine

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2 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

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lifestyle CONTENTS

08 12 14 20 24 30 32

Beyond bubbIe & zayde: Families get creative with grandparents’ nicknames Adafina: The Shabbat stew of Spain’s

20

Conversos

14

Cherished Judaica: Collector immerses in Jewish history, one antique at a time

At home with Terrie & Arnie Robbins:

Modern home keeps link to old St. Louis

A taste of Israel: Expat brings Israeli food, sense of community to St. Louis Humans of St. Louis : Nonprofit compiles

compelling portraits in new book

30

Arts + Eats: Five things we’re looking forward to this spring

32 Call or Email to schedule a private tour of St. Louis’ beautiful and historic Jewish cemetery.

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8 4 3 0 G r a v o i s R o a d • 3 1 4 - 3 5 3 - 2 5 4 0 • I n f o @ N e w M t S i n a i C e m e t e r y. o r g 4 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

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Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light | MARCH 2023 5

FROM THE EDITOR

and subscribe to about a half dozen of them. I used to get many more, but I’ve cut down on the number in recent years. I just felt too guilty about having them stack up without being thoroughly read, especially the New Yorker, which regularly has articles upwards of 10,000 words. As worthy as many of these articles are, they are a significant time commitment, especially if you read as slowly as me.

We created the St. Louis Jewish Light Lifestyle magazine with busy readers in mind, hoping to provide enough interesting content to command your attention, but not take up too much of your time.

To that end, writer/photographer Bill Motchan does double duty, introducing us to Marc Lapp, whose 30-year hobby of collecting antique Judaica provides a primer on how to get started as well as a history lesson based on his incredible finds. Bill also shadows a few native Israelis in their quest to find food and grocery products from their homeland so that they can cook familiar dishes for their family and friends here in St. Louis.

Writer Amy Burger visits retirees Terrie and Arnie Robbins, who pur-

chased three adjacent lots in the city’s Grove neighborhood to construct their custom-built contemporary home, which features plenty of natural light, two bedrooms and no wasted space. Avid travelers and art collectors, the Robbins’ home is filled with unique modern art, including several pieces from local artists, as well as mementos they brought back from their far-flung adventures.

The Light’s longtime food writer Margi Lenga Kahn turns back time to Spain during the pogroms of 1391, when thousands of Jews were murdered while thousands of others chose to convert to Catholicism to save themselves and their families.

These Conversos remained Jews at heart and observed the laws of kashurut, creating a Shabbat stew that came to be known as Adafina. It was inspired by Spanish Catholic’s traditional Olla Podrida, but eschewed its pork products for chicken or beef, and no one, it seems, was the wiser.

Then there’s the story that begs the question: What’s in a name? Well a lot, if you’re a grandparent, given the seemingly endless amount of possibilities.

We hope you enjoy these stories and others in our Lifestyle magazine, which aspires to showcase the vibrancy and diversity of the St. Louis Jewish community and of lives being well-lived. As always, we welcome feedback and ideas; feel free to contact me at efutterman@stljewishlight.org or 314-743-3669.

Warmest regards,

OUR BOARD AND STAFF BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS Bethe Growe, President Laura K. Silver, Immediate Past President Laurie Chod, Vice President Beth Manlin, Vice President Ben Weiss, Vice President Justin Krachmalnick, Treasurer Debra Klevens, Secretary Joan Silber TRUSTEES Dan Bindler, Jerry Ehrlich, Richard Flom, Mark Gershenson, Caroline Goldenberg, Mia Kweskin, Debbie Lefton, Lauren Murov, Kara Newmark, Ryan Rich, Steve Rosenzweig, Bruce Sandweiss, Adam Schneider, Alan Spector, Todd Taylor, Dan Winograd JEWISH LIGHT PAST PRESIDENTS Milton I. Goldstein*, Morris Pearlmutter* (founder), Morris Moscowitz*, Melvin Newmark*, Rabbi Alvan D. Rubin*, Vivian Zwick, Joseph Edlin*, Michael Newmark, Richard Stein, Yusef Hakimian*, Sanford Weiss*, Philip Isserman*, Linda Kraus, Richard Flom, Marvin Schneider, Barbara Langsam Shuman, Terry Bloomberg, John Greenberg, David Grebler*, Milton Movitz*, Gianna Jacobson, Jenny Wolkowitz, Gary Kodner, Jane Tzinberg Rubin, Steve Gallant, Laura K. Silver * Of Blessed Memory

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6 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

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8 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

BY ELLEN FUTTERMAN | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

D

uring an interview in 2016 with author Dawn Lerman about her new book “My Fat Dad: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Family, with Recipes,” we got to talking about her maternal grandmother who Lerman would spend Friday nights with as a child. Each Shabbat her grandmother would race down the front porch stairs in a matching lacy nightgown and bathrobe, and scream with excitement, “My little beauty, my little beauty!” Lerman thought when she heard her grandmother say “beauty” over and over again, she was trying to tell Lerman her name. So Beauty is what Lerman called her.

At the time my eldest grandDawn child, who is now 7, was just a Lerman month old. I loved the idea of her (or really anyone) calling me “Beauty,” so I would try to work it into my conversations with Evelyn as she grew into a toddler, hoping she’d pick up on the moniker.

When she started saying words and realized that I was someone she saw on a consistent basis, she’d looked at me one day and said “Gaga.” And so, I am Gaga. My husband is Poppy, the name I called both my grandfathers.

Myrna Meyer Myrna Meyer is also Gaga to her grandchildren.

“When (my daughter) Debbie had Jason (Meyer’s eldest grandchild) I told her I was fine about being called whatever, as long as it wasn’t (insert creative expletives here),” said Meyer, who belongs to Congregation B’nai Amoona and Central Reform Congregation.

“When he said, ‘Gaga,’ I said, ‘I’ll take it.’”

Practically speaking, there are only a couple ways for grandparents to get their names — either out of the mouth of babes (in this case, their grandchild) — or the grandparents, or parents, choose.

Lynn Wittels, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Center, said she and her husband got their grandparent names, Nana and Pop-Pop or Lynn Pops, from their son and daughWittels ter-in-law.

“They wanted terms of endearment for us, so they kind of gave us those names,

Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light | MARCH 2023 9

G-Pa, Sharon Osbourne is Shazz and though they asked us what we wanted,” Martha Stewart . . . wait for it, is Martha. said Wittels, adding that their grandchilWhat else would you expect? dren’s maternal grandparents, who are Retired businessman, entrepreneur Israeli, are called the Hebrew counterand author Alan Spector, who parts of grandma and grandpa, Savta belongs to Congregation and Saba.

Shaare Emeth, is currently Typical among Jewish grandparent at work on a book about names is the Yiddish for grandmother and nicknames, including ones grandfather — Bubbie and Zayde (each for grandparents. In his replete with a myriad of spellings, much introduction, he explains like Hanukkah). Margie Weintraub, who how this project began in his splits her time between central California 94-year-old Aunt Leah’s home and Clayton, looked forward to her grandwhen he, his wife Ann, her sister sons calling her Bubbie until her daughMarti and her husband Harvey and ter-in-law, who grew up in Panama, Leah’s daughter Laura all got thought sure, that’s fine, they together. could call her “BOOB-e.”

“During one particular visit, When Weintraub heard the the subject of grandparenting pronunciation, she quickly came up as it often does, and decided “Mimi” was a betfrom Aunt Leah’s perspecter alternative. tive, that includes greatAnd while Grandma and grandparenting,” Spector Grandpa still lead the pack Margie Weintraub writes. “During this conversain popularity, a spate of webtion, which involved four grandsites, books and news articles mothers, two grandfathers, and a greatnow tout endless possibilities. grandmother, we realized we According to Babycenter.com for examwere in the midst of Nana, ple, favorite name choices for grandma Gaga, Bubbe, Bumpah, are Nana, Grammy, Granny, Mimi, Gram, Memaw and Pepaw.”

Nanny, Oma, Mamaw and Gran. For In the last chapter of his grandpa, there’s Papa, Granddad, book, titled “Grandparents,” Gramps, Pop-Pop, Poppy, Papaw, Pop, Spector details the origin of Opa and Pappy. several unusual grandparIn a 2017 article on PureWow.com ents’ names including Turbo about celebrity grandparents, we learned — a nod to a motorcycle loving that Goldie Hawn, who reportedly grandfather — and Granddude, which refused to be called grandma because of apparently is what Beatle Paul its connotations of old-age, goes by McCartney’s grandchildren call him.

Glam-Ma, Susan Sarandon is Honey, Like Bubbie and Zayde, some grandKris Jenner is Lovey, Lionel Richie is

parents’ names pay homage to cultural significance. If you’ve ever watched “Daniel Tiger,” you know that Daniel calls his French grandfather “Grandpere.” Fans of “Dora the Explorer” likely have met “Abuela,” the title character’s Spanish grandmother.

Sherri Frank Weintrop comes from a long line of Sherri Babas, with Baba short for Frank “Babusia,” which is grandWeintrop mother in Ukranian. When Weintrop’s grandson Brayden was born in 2019, her mother stepped in and laid down the law.

“We had this family discussion of what to be called, and everyone was coming up with these cute grandparent names,” recalled Weintrop, a member of Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Community.

“My mother then said, ‘Excuse me, but I’m a Baba, my mother was a Baba, her mother was a Baba, and you shall be, too.

“But you know what? These Eastern European women were brilliant because the first word that came out of Brayden’s mouth was ‘baba.’ He said my name before anyone else’s.”

Meanwhile, Weintrop’s husband, Danny, had finally settled on being called Alan Pawpaw rather than his first Spector name (Danny), which had been his original choice. Unfortunately, when Brayden tried to pronounce Pawpaw, it came out “Poopoo.”

But the name stuck. The Weintrops are now Baba and Poopoo.

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PHOTO: MICHAEL KAHN

Adafina

The Shabbat stew of Spain’s Conversos

By Margi Lenga Kahn | Special to the Jewish Light

“Food is who we are in the deepest sense, and not because it is transformed into blood and bone. Our personal gastronomic traditions—what we eat, the food and foodways we associate with the rituals of childhood, marriage, and parenthood, moments around the table, celebrations—are critical components of our identities. To recall them in desperate circumstances is to reinforce a sense of self and to assist us in our struggle to preserve it.”

— Cara DeSilva, “In Memory’s Kitchen: A Legacy from the Women of Terezin”

S

o much of our Jewish culinary heritage has been determined by where our people have lived in the world, and in many cases where they suffered through pogroms or expulsions—England in the 1200s, France in the 1300s, Spain in 613 and again in 1391 and again in 1492, and Portugal in 1497. Through each of these tragedies, our ancestors struggled to preserve their culinary traditions and, when their lives were at risk, adapt those traditions in ways that turned their food into virtual lifeboats.

12 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

While there are many examples of how Jewish culinary ingenuity was valuable in helping to preserve Jewish tradition, there are two examples that stand out for me. I covered the first one back in March of 2019, in a column about the Portuguese “Jewish Sausage” known for centuries as Alheira. This clever (and delicious) sausage masqueraded as a typical pork sausage, which, when hung outside the home in backyard smokehouses, signaled to their neighbors and the Portuguese government officials that these Jews had fully converted to Catholicism by abandoning the laws of kashrut.

A second example was in Spain during the pogroms of 1391, when many thousands of Jews were murdered, and tens of thousands of others chose to convert to Catholicism as a way to save themselves and their families. But many of these Conversos, known as Crypto-Jews, remained Jews at heart and still observed the precepts of Judaism, including holidays, Shabbat, and of course, the laws of kashrut. A fine example of their resolve is evident in their Shabbat stew.

The traditional stew of Spain is called Olla Podrida. It is made

Padrida could be prepared in a few hours, while Adafina with pork, ham, pork sausages, and lard (rendered pork fat) required 12 hours. That’s because our Converso ancestors along with chickpeas, vegetables such as cabbage and carrots, needed to assemble their stews prior to sundown on Friday and garlic, and bay leaves. The Spanish Catholics typically served this cook them on a very low temperature thus not requiring them stew as a family meal on Sunday after Church services. But the to be reheated. This allowed Conversos to maintain the laws of Crypto-Jews would substitute olive oil for lard, and beef or the Sabbath. However, these families, unlike their Catholic chicken along with whole eggs in their shells (known as huevos neighbors, enjoyed their stew on Saturday, and thus caution was haminados) in place of the various pork products. Chickpeas, of the utmost importance. vegetables (whatever greens were available), a grain, garlic and Adafina, just as its Ashkenazi relative cinnamon. To suspicious neighbors cholent, is still made by Jews around the and the authorities, this world, perhaps with adjustments dependConverso stew—which came to be known as Adafina— Margi Lenga Kahn is the mother of five and ing on the availability of ingredients. New world vegetables such as potatoes and could pass for the Olla grandmother of nine. While teaching virtual tomatoes, a variety of beans, and spices Podrida eaten by their cooking classes and preparing meals for Catholic neighbors. the local “Meals on Wheels” program, she such as ginger, allspice and turmeric, Another difference continues to work on a project to preserve have become more common ingredients.

For example, Sephardic Jews make their between the two stews the stories and recipes of heritage cooks.

She welcomes your comments and is the cooking See ADAFINA continued on page 34 suggestions at margikahn@gmail.com. method. Olla

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Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light | MARCH 2023 13

cherished St. Louis collector immerses in Jewish history, one antique at a time 14 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

St. Louisan Marc Lapp (below) collects vintage Judaica. His collection includes carved wooden lion (from the mid-1900s) and the silver Torah finials (1800s, Poland) shown on the opposite page.

Collectors love to find rare items.

When Marc Lapp was growing up, he collected coins, always looking for unicorns like a 1955 double die penny.

Lapp is still collecting, but he specializes in antique Judaica.

Lapp, a member of Congregation B’nai Amoona, first got hooked on vintage Judaica nearly 30 years ago on a trip to the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. He and his wife were visiting Lapp’s father-in-law, and he visited a Judaica shop run by Arthur Feldman.

“I walked in, and I was just awestruck by all of the Jewish objects I saw,” said Lapp, 60. “I could tell they were antiques. And I started up a conversation with Mr. Feldman. He explained how to buy pieces, and I went to visit him every time we went up there.

“I said, ‘I want to start a collection.

What would you suggest?’ He went downstairs and brought up about 100 auction catalogs from Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Swan. He said, ‘You need to study these catalogs so that you have an eye for whatever you think you’re going to collect, because there’s a lot of fake stuff out there.’ ”

Story & Photos by Bill Motchan Special to the Jewish Light Lapp, a lawyer who is naturally inquisitive, was eager to begin collecting after careful research and verifying the authenticity of items. Proof of provenance is a key for collectors of any antiquity, Lapp said, and he makes sure that the pieces he buys at auction are legit.

Like many collectors, Lapp enjoys the thrill of the hunt and the sometimes nerve-racking anticipation during online bidding. Mostly, though, he loves Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light | MARCH 2023 15

learning as much as he can about the artifacts.

“I enjoy the stories,” Lapp said. “I’m collecting the stories, the understanding of the piece and its relationship to Judaism. Sometimes I’m able to trace the piece to a family who used it.

There are stories that each one has. That’s the fun part for me about collecting them.

A good example is a small silver cup from Lapp’s collection that could have been used as a kiddush or Passover seder cup. It appears unremarkable until you turn it over.

“On the bottom, it’s got all the clues,” Lapp said. “The ‘zwaggle’ (zagged line) denotes the purity. The initials tell who the maker was, and the strawberry is the city mark for Augsberg, Germany. The 40/22 is where the real story comes in. It was seized by the German authorities from a Jewish family. The 40 was 1940, and the 22 means it was the 22nd item seized.”

Lapp did some additional research to confirm more of the cup’s history. The initials “PS” stand for Phillipp Stenglin, a German silversmith who produced a number of works between 1717 and 1734.

Other pieces in Lapp’s collection are authentic but they have a vague history. One is a Torah pointer, or yad.

“It’s a solid piece of silver from Amsterdam from around 1800,” Lapp said. “If you look closely at the finger, you’ll see it’s worn a little

Lapp said the inscription on the bottom of this silver cup indicates it was seized by German authorities in 1940.

tAKing A closer look Spice holDer Date: circa 1801-1809 Origin: Budapest Material: Silver

Key (Possibly to A synagogue or a cemEtery gate) Date: Post-1945 Origin: Ukraine Material: Iron

Yad (images of top and bottom) 16 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

Date: 1800s Origin: Amsterdam Material: Silver

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Yad (inscriptions from book of psalms) Date: circa 1850 Origin: Iraq Material: Brass with ribbon bit. That’s an important sign on authenticity, the wear on the tip where it passes over the parchment line by line on the Torah. It may have belonged to a wealthy family and was used with a smaller Torah in someone’s home.”

Lapp gingerly held up another delicate, thin yad with a red ribbon attached.

“This one is really special,” he said. “It’s made of brass and has inscriptions on all four sides from the Book of Psalms. It’s from Iraq, made around 1850. It has beautiful flowers on top and is hand-hammered.

It’s a piece of folk art.”

PITCHER & BOWL Date: 1960s Material: Copper

Tips for new collectors Antique Judaica takes many forms, and a new collector can enter the market by purchasing items starting at a few hundred dollars. Like any antiquity, the price goes up depending on the rarity of a piece. Lapp said the rarest items sell at auction for up to $50,000. Some collectors stick to specific types of pieces, including menorahs, mezuzahs and Torah pointers.

Lapp’s collection includes a wide variety of antiquities. He selects them for their uniqueness, beauty, craftmanship and history, if he can find it. One of his more unusual pieces is a tall, intricately designed spice box. It is made of hand-turned silver and dates back to about 1801. It was made in Budapest and is, he said, “museum quality, with fine filigree work.”

If you’re thinking about diving into antique Judaica collecting, Lapp recommended staying away from eBay. Authenticating items is important and it’s difficult to do buying online from a seller you don’t know. Lapp also suggested working with an expert to provide assistance.

“You need to form a relationship with that

18 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

CANDELABRA Date: Early 1900s Origin: Poland or lower East Side of New York Material: Brass

person, like the one I started with Mr. Feldman,” Lapp said. “When I would find something, I would sometimes buy it and show it to him, or show him a picture and ask him, ‘Is this authentic?’ and get an opinion. I also bought things from his store.

“And I continued to collect catalogs from the auction houses, like J.

Greenstein Galleries, which is about 25 years old. It is run by a gentleman named Jonathan Greenstein. He’s an Orthodox Jew in his mid 60s. He has learned the marketplace really, really well and he’s become the guy that I’ll either buy from or show pieces to so I can make sure that what I’ve got is authentic.”

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Robbins nest Couples’ modern home in The Grove keeps a link to old St. Louis

By Amy Burger | Special to the Jewish Light

Terrie and Arnie Robbins’ modern house, built by UIC Homes, features large plate glass windows and is sided in corrugated metal. The Robbins’ opted for simple, low-maintenance landscaping of rocks and bushes, designed by friend and former owner of The Bug Store, Ken Miller.

ALL PHOTOS: BILL MOTCHAN

20 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

For more than 20 years, Terrie and Arnie Robbins lived in a beautiful turn of the century mansion in the Central West End, remodeling its main living areas and decorating it with their eclectic mix of furniture and art.

“Everything was done,” Terrie says.

So why, in the midst of retirement, did they decide to start over and build a new, modern home in the Grove?

“I wanted an adventure,” Terrie says. “I love modern and contemporary, and our older mansion was not that.”

Both retired from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Terrie and Arnie have no children and love to travel. They briefly considered moving out of town, to Denver or Santa Fe or Washington, D.C., but ultimately decided to stay in St. Louis. Relocating seemed too daunting a challenge, and St. Louis’ central location made travel to other destinations convenient.

Once they decided to stay, the couple began determining where in the city they wanted to build a

smaller home. They considered Grand Center and the Hill, but they really loved the vibrancy of the Grove. They purchased three adjacent lots on a quiet street.

Partnering with pioneering local designbuild firm UIC Homes — based in the neighborhood — made sense.

Arnie and Terrie were familiar with UIC and its design principal Sarah Gibson through some friends who had a UIC home built.

“We sort of interviewed them about it,” Arnie says. “Then we met Sarah and just really connected with her, and she connected with us.”

Their goal was to build a house that was very contemporary with plenty of natural light, two bedrooms and no wasted space. Gibson started by visiting the Robbins’ Central West End home and discussing things they liked and things they didn’t. For example, Terrie says, “I had a reading nook I loved at that house, so now I have one here.”

Gibson presented two rough sketches. One leaned toward a midcentury modern aesthetic.

But they chose a contemporary design incorporating the shell of an original 1890built home on one of the three lots. Gibson left what she refers to as “traces” of the old house, mostly areas of exposed brick from its frame and its original brick exterior. The new half of the house is clad in corrugated metal siding.

The Robbinses sold their fully furnished home in the Central West End in 2019 and moved into the Woodward Lofts in the Grove while their new

LEFT: In the dining area, a series of nine black ink drawings by St. Louis artist Peter Manion hangs alongside a glass-topped sculptural Cappellini Branch dining table designed by Jakob Wagner. The table, HOLA chairs and light fixture by Flos were all purchased at Centro in the Central West End. RIGHT: A playful fuchsia meerkat statue in the living room made of recycled plastic is from a company called Cracking Art, based in Milan.

Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light | MARCH 2023 21

home was being built.

In July 2021, they moved into their sleek, 2,100-square-foot home. It features an open main living area that is flooded with light from huge windows at each end, and a more private bedroom wing in the shell of the old house. The glass front doors and uncovered windows often draw the curiosity of passersby, who pause and peer in, apparently mistaking it for a storefront or restaurant.

Arnie and Terrie don’t mind the attention.

With clean white walls, tall ceilings and soft-maple floors, the home serves as the perfect gallery for the couple’s extensive art collection, which includes pieces by local artists such as Peter Manion, Charley Blood and Scott Leisler, as well as art and artifacts they’ve collected on their world travels. The furnishings and light fixtures are art in and of themselves, all designer pieces selected specifically for the home.

“We kept two chairs, an old table in the foyer and a chest that was Terrie’s grand-

22 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

father’s,” Arnie says. “Everything else is from Centro. [Co-owner] Todd Lannom was fabulous to work with.”

A pair of Poltrona Frau Archibald red leather chairs are the focal point of the living room, and Terrie delights that they are as comfortable as they are beautiful. A quilted Moroso Gentry sofa provides texture and additional visual interest. Terrie’s reading nook, in a corner overlooking a sunken foyer, is outfitted with an orange B&B Italia Metropolitan Swivel lounge chair and ottoman, and a painting hung at seat level for admiring.

They styled the kitchen in simple black and white, with all of the upper cabinets banked on one wall to allow for an unobstructed view of the backyard. An expansive island is topped in honed absolute black granite for a soft finish. In an adjacent dining area, a series of nine black ink drawings by Peter Manion framed in rows See HOME continued on page 36

TOP LEFT: The side of the neighbors’ garage faces in to Terrie and Arnie’s backyard, so they commissioned local artist Peat “EYEZ” Wollaeger to paint a colorful mural on it. The blue glass sculptures are from The Bug Store. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: The sunny foyer of the Robbins’ home. • The Robbins’ home is filled with unique modern art. • An old wood table in the foyer is one of only a few pieces of furniture the Robbins’ brought over from their previous home. • The Robbins’ home includes bright spaces with colorful art and accents. • A covered concrete patio in the backyard includes bright modern outdoor furniture and planters from The Bug Store. ALL PHOTOS: BILL MOTCHAN Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light | MARCH 2023 23

A

f o e t s a tt Expat brings Israeli food, community to St. Louis STORY & PHOTOS BY BILL MOTCHAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

24 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

T

Orly David Peters

he aroma of sesame seed-coated schnitzel fills the kitchen along with pungent Hungarian sweet paprika and savory za’atar. On the dining room table is a bowl of labneh (Lebanese cheese), a dish of tangy Galil brand pickles, a plate of piping-hot bourekas (mushroom-filled popovers) and a chopped cucumber salad. This is a typical Israeli lunch. But the bakery bag bearing the Schnucks logo is the giveaway: We are in Chesterfield, not Tel Aviv.

Welcome to the suburban home and kitchen of Orly David Peters who has lived in St. Louis with her husband, Nir, and their three children since 2015. They arrived here from Israel, not knowing much about the language and culture of the Midwest. The differences were especially pronounced with food.

“When we came here seven and a half years ago, we struggled a lot,” said Peters, 49. “The kids were little, but they were big enough to remember their lives in Israel so the adjustment was a big struggle, especially for food. We had to beg our kids to go to restaurants and try different foods, and they didn’t want to come with us. They only wanted traditional food that we used to make in Israel, my mom’s recipes like the soup we had in Israel. But nothing tasted the same here.”

St. Louis delicacies such as toasted ravioli, gooey butter cake and frozen custard weren’t quite what the Peters family craved. Even something as simple as rice proved challenging. Lia Peters was 9 years old when the family came here. She was always a picky eater but, after the move, she couldn’t find much of anything she liked other than corn and rice.

“A few weeks after we got here, we received a shipment from

Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light | MARCH 2023 25

At left a nd belo w, Orly David P eters c ooks in her hom e kitch en.

Israel with some of the food products that had been stored in our pantry there,” Peters said. “There was a package of a Sogat Persian Rice. Lia claimed that this was the ‘real rice,’ the rice that has the taste of home. So my mother started sending us care packages filled with Sogat rice and other Israeli products that I couldn’t find in St. Louis.”

It wasn’t just Lia who had a difficult food transition. The family missed Israeli bread and Israeli couscous. Spices proved elusive. Hungarian sweet paprika, Peters said, tastes entirely different than the paprika found at Schnucks.

Peters practiced law in Israel. But she would have had to go back to school for additional courses to pass the bar here. She was more concerned about making sure her children were happy, which led to developing her skills and her real passion: cooking. Peters refined favorite dishes and became something of a food detective.

Now she knows which stores have the ingredients required to cook Israeli recipes.

Grocery shopping became something of a scavenger hunt for Peters. She knows exactly what’s available in the kosher food section at Walmart, Dierbergs and Whole Foods. Another regular stop is the Global Food Market in Kirkwood, which offers a vast supply of food popular around the world.

“Thankfully, food is my passion,” Peters said. “I like to cook, and I was 26 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

good at it. I was really happy to see the satisfaction in my family’s faces, and their friends started to like my food, and of course my husband and our friends.

Over time, it became more fun, and I got adjusted to it. This is our life, but every time I travel to Israel, I come back with a suitcase full of products.”

A TASTE OF HOME

Early last year, Peters had a brainstorm. Why not make food transition easier for other expats. She is developing an online community called “Habuyta: A Bite of Home” (online at www.habuyta-abiteofhome.com).

Habuyta is a Hebrew word that doesn’t really have an English equivalent but means roughly “home sweet home.”

“I always had the passion for food, and if I have a problem, I have to solve it,” Peters said. “That’s how I’ve always been in my life. I don’t like to ignore a problem. I told myself it doesn’t make any sense that we can’t solve this.”

In a stretch class at the Jewish Community Center, Peters started chatting with a woman who turned out to be a certified life coach. They began working together to define Peters’ vision and figure out how to make Habuyta a reality.

Peters learned the ins and outs of creating a startup. Fortunately, St. Louis has an ecosystem favorable to technology

entrepreneurs in the Cortex central corridor of the Central West End. Peters also began forming connections. She met with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which helped her find the BALSA Foundation.

“These are programs that provide resources and capital,” Peters said. “I won a grant, it’s not big, only $1,000, from BALSA, but they also introduced me to mentors. As a mentee, they also helped me to network and to know where to go and apply for other grants. I have two mentors from CORE, where I just graduated in November, and I was chosen as the most

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Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light | MARCH 2023 27

their dream to the forefront and decide to promising new business. They want to start working on it,” he said. “COVID was continue working with me one-on-one. It’s a trigger event for many people that got for six months, and they’re going to prothem to take the dreams that have been vide funding and continue to give me mensitting in the back of their heads for years torship. It has been a huge help.” and say, ‘Why not now?’ ” As she began planning Habuyta, Peters Peters’ primary goal with Habuyta is to connected with Steve Epner, a veteran help transplants stay connected when entrepreneur and mentor who has writthey come from far way. It’s not just ten nine books on the topic and teaches Israelis or other international expats. corporate entrepreneurship and innova“Even Americans who move from state tion at St. Louis University. Epner, who to state could benefit,” she said. “I attends Congregation Shaare Emeth, said learned when I he helped guide Peters through the discovery and research process. a .

“We suggest that startup es tak oven a entrepreneurs go out and n e Yo of th lly interview people who may She ka out be potential customers, and bab ask them open-ended questions,” said Epner, 71. “One of the things Orly would do was talk to people. If she could tell by their accent they were from somewhere else, she said, ‘What do you miss from home?’ without leading them immediately to food or cooking.”

Peters asked the question of random shoppers at Global Food Market. Sure enough, many replied that it was the food they associated with their home city, region or country.

Epner said the timing of Peters’ decision to create her own startup early last year may well be related to a post-COVID return to normalcy.

“Sometimes, it takes a trigger event to make entrepreneurs bring

did customer discovery that people who move from another part of the country miss the food from home. They say pizza from New Jersey isn’t the same as it is here. That’s true for New York bagels or barbecue from Texas. It’s not just an Israeli problem.”

A PLATFORM TO SHARE THEIR FOOD

The other key element of Habuyta is to provide opportunities for home cooks with a platform to share their food.

Shelly Yona is excited about that portion of the online community. She is a talented baker who sells her homemade babka, challah and sufganiyot through Habuyta though her customer base comes largely from word-of-mouth.

Yona, 51, an Israeli transplant, is a fitness instructor at the J. Originally from Tel Aviv, she arrived in St. Louis in 2011 after a long distance courtship with her future husband, Moshe, also Israeli.

Moshe Yona has lived in the United States for 26 years, moved to St. Louis to work for a moving company and now is in the diamond business. He is a food lover and an accomplished cook. His specialty is known among the west St. Louis County Israeli community simply as Moshe’s Salad. It’s a variation of the chopped Israeli salad (chopped cucumber, tomatoes, and red, green and yellow peppers) that Peters prepares for her family.

Asked about the biggest differ-

Email: jewishemployment@mersgoodwill.org

28 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

See HABUYTA continued on page 38

Congregation Temple Israel #1 Rabbi Alvan D. Rubin Drive, St. Louis, MO 63141 314-432-8050 Lifestyles | St. Louis Jewish Light | MARCH 2023 29 www.ti-stl.org

Humans of St. Louis turns a page

Nonprofit compiles portraits and stories in a new book

By Bill Motchan | Special to the Jewish Light Lindy Drew didn’t know much about St. Louis when she moved here 10 years ago to attend Washington University. Now she has hundreds of friends, many of whom she’s photographed and written about. Her stories have also generated more than 130,000 social media followers.

Drew, 44 who is Jewish, is the co-founder of the storytelling organization Humans of St. Louis, which was created in 2014. Humans is a nonprofit group that shares first-person stories and portraits of people and places throughout the metro area.

In December 2022, Drew and her collaborators celebrated the launch of a book featuring 400 photo essays.

The book launch event began with a panel discussion with Drew and her co-authors at the Schlafly Public Library, followed by a signing at Left Bank Books. The “Humans of St. Louis” book is “heavy,” Drew said, both in terms of weight and subject matter. These stories about real people don’t always have happy endings, but they have a gritty realness.

A few of those people joined the Humans storytellers to talk about how they connected. Those included one family who bought a house in the city to rehab. The owners were on the roof surveying what repairs were needed when Drew called up to them from the street. She asked if she could photograph them and get their story. They agreed and a long-term friendship was forged.

30 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

The Humans of St. Louis website (www.humansofstl.org), and the book have a goal of creating understanding, particularly on issues of racial equity, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. The Humans team regularly posts online photo essays (facebook.com/HumansofSTL) and (instagram.com/ humans_of_stl). They are first-person stories accompanied by an environmental portrait of the subject.

For several years, Drew and her storyteller/photographers have been turning those stories into the Humans book. It was so popular, it quickly sold out.

Pre-orders are now being taken through the group’s website, with a spring reprinting planned.

Above, Lindy Drew is the cofounder of Humans of St. Louis, a nonprofit group that shares photos and stories of people and places through its website, social media, and, as of December, a book. The book quickly sold out, but a reprinting is planned for this spring, with preorders available.

PHOTOS: HUMANSOFSTL.ORG

Below, Lindy Drew is shown at a book launch in December at Left Bank Books with the Reese family, who are featured in the book.

PHOTO: BILL MOTCHAN

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Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light | MARCH 2023 31

ARTS + EATS

H

ere are five of Editor-inChief Ellen Futterman’s top picks for upcoming goings-on in the arts, dining and entertainment world this spring.

Find an extensive list of upcoming arts events in the Light’s Winter/Spring Arts Guide, published Jan. 25 and available on our website: visit stljewishlight. org/2023-arts

Opening of City Winery

FIVE THINGS WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS SPRING 32 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

Washington University graduate (class of ’84) and Jewish businessman Michael Dorf was definitely onto something when he founded this eatery/urban winery/concert venue in 2008 in New York City. Today, City Winery boasts multiple locations in cities like Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia and the Hudson Valley, with a new one, offering seating for up to 200 patrons, slated to open March 18 at the Foundry STL in St. Louis.

Guests can enjoy dinner and cocktails while watching a live show, as well as flights of wine in the tasting room before and after concerts. The whole club can be converted into a private event space that accommodates up to 300. For a detailed schedule of shows, menu options, drink info and more, go to citywinery.com.

1

‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ Max and Louie Productions will bring playwright Heidi Schreck’s memoir play “What the Constitution Means to Me” to the stage April 6-23 at the Kranzberg Arts Foundation’s Marcelle Theatre. Nominated for two Tony awards and winner of an Obie and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, the play traces the profound relationship among four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives.

Tickets are $45-$55 and can be purchased at maxandlouie.com.

2

At left: The Missouri Botanical Garden will present the colorful blown glass art of Dale Chihuly during ‘Chihuly in the Garden 2023’ from May 12 to Oct. 15.

PHOTO: SCOTT MITCHELL LEEN

Lizzo at Enterprise Center We’ll never get over missing Lizzo when she played the Pageant in 2019 — clearly having missed our chance to see her in an intimate venue without paying a small fortune. The good news is that she’s coming back to town, albeit in a much larger venue, the Enterprise Center, on April 25th, with tickets starting at $36.50 and costing up to a large fortune. That said, the singer/ rapper/flutist extraordinaire rarely disappoints — her Grammy winning Record of the Year “About Damn Time” is only one of many reasons we are excited about this show. For more info, go to enterprisecenter.com.

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3

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A corporate event that feels like anything but.

An artful fundraiser that becomes a virtual experience.

No matter the occasion, in person or online, our spaces are designed to inspire.

Chihuly in the Garden 2023 In 2006, the Missouri Botanical Garden presented “Glass in the Garden,” an exhibition of blown glass sculptures by renowned artist Dale Chihuly. This year, from May 12-Oct. 15, the Garden is hosting “Chihuly in the Garden 2023,” which boasts thousands of pieces of blown glass forms in 18 dramatic installations throughout the Garden’s grounds. Daytime viewing is included in the Garden’s admission price. “Chihuly Nights,” however, feature dramatically illuminated works of art with live music, cocktails and pop-ups Thursday through Sunday from May 12-Aug. 27. Adult tickets are $20-$25; member tickets are $10-$15 and children $8 to $10.

To purchase tickets and for more information, go to missouribotanicalgarden.org.

4

Photos courtesy Festive Couture Floral and Zoe Life Photography

Call 314.533.9900 or Visit TheSheldon.org April 13– June 24, 2019

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ADAFINA

continued from page 13 Dafina (as it is called by Moroccan Jews) with potatoes, chickpeas, and wheat berries, and others with sweet potatoes and dried fruits such as dates, raisins, and dried apricots. The Moroccan version of the stew is served over rice, while the Algerian and Tunisian versions, called Tafina, are served over couscous. All of this convinced me that so much can be learned about a cuisine simply by looking into a potful of stew and inhaling the aromas!

One quick aside: while you can still make Adafina in an oven at a low temperature, you can also make it in a Crock Pot, thanks to the Jewish inventor Irving Naxon, (originally Nachumsohn, the surname of his Russian immigrant parents).

Inspired by the Ashkenazi Sabbath stew cholent, he created the Naxon Beanery.

And while the Naxon Beanery never gained popularity, Rival Manufacturing acquired it in 1970 and trademarked it as the Rival Crock-Pot. While I have prepared cholent before, I had never made Adafina. I found different recipes and ended up putting together my own, borrowing what seemed like the best ideas from the many I had read. If there are ingredient in my recipe that don’t speak to you, leave them out or substitute something you prefer.

After making my Adafina (and serving it to six friends), we found that the sweet potatoes disintegrated after the long slow cooking process. I would not include them again. In my adjusted recipe below, I substituted carrots cut into big chunks

for the sweet potatoes. We did like the apricots, though raisins would have been a better choice than dates, which also also disintegrated. Because the stew needed a kick, I included an additional 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper along with freshly ground black pepper at the end of my recipe. Feel free to increase the amounts or omit them altogether.

Everyone enjoyed the condiments, which allowed each person to add the flavors they most enjoyed.

Please do not be put off by the long list of ingredients. This recipe comes together quickly with little effort. Furthermore, the thrill of creating a meal of such provenance is uplifting and enjoyable! Disfrute de su comida! (Ladino for “enjoy your meal.”)

Recipe: Adafina (also known as Daphnia, Skhina) INGREDIENTS

3/4 c. dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained 1 1/4 c. wheatberries, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained For the sausage: ½ lb. lean ground beef 1 slice bread, crusts removed, soaked in warm water and squeezed dry 1/2 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1/4 tsp. ground allspice 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/8 tsp. ground cloves 2 tbsp. uncooked white rice To assemble the adafina: 1/3 c. olive oil 2 medium onions, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 tsp. coarse kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste ½ tsp. ground turmeric ½ tsp. sweet paprika ½ tsp. cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 2 lbs. flanken, brisket, or beef stew meat 6 Yukon gold or red new potatoes, halved 34 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

1 bunch lacinato kale, rinsed, ribs removed and greens torn into 3- to 4-inch pieces 1 lb. carrots, cleaned and cut into 3-inch chunks ½ tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground allspice ½ tsp. ground cumin 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 6 saffron threads ½ c. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley 1 whole head (bulb) of garlic, loose papery covering removed, head kept whole ½ c. raisins 6 dried apricots, halved 6 large eggs in their shells Water (or water and half beef or vegetable broth) to cover 1/3 c. honey Optional condiments: • Fresh mint leaves •Pickled red onions • Muhamarra sauce (a middle-eastern condiment made with roasted red peppers) • Harissa (North African pepper paste)

Note: You will need both cheesecloth and kitchen twine to prepare this recipe, along with a large pot that has a lid and is oven safe.

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut two 12-inch pieces of cheesecloth and set each one in a small bowl. Pour the soaked chickpeas into one bowl, pull the edges of the cheesecloth to the center and tie tightly, making sure to leave lots of space for the beans to expand as they cook. Set aside.

2. To the second cheesecloth lined bowl, add the wheatberries, again bringing the edges of the cheesecloth to the center and tie tightly, making sure to leave space for the wheatberries to expand. Set aside.

3. To make the sausage, mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Cut a double layer of aluminum foil paper, 10x16-inches. Place the sausage mixture on the center of the foil paper, forming it into a sausage shape. Roll the foil paper tightly around it to look like a sausage.

Set aside.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof pot over medium heat. Add onions and 1/4 tsp. salt and sauté until Recipe continues on opposite page

translucent, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Spread onions out to evenly cover the base of the pot. Set aside.

5. Combine 1/2 tsp. salt, the turmeric, sweet paprika, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Rub the mixture onto the meat and evenly layer it over the onions. Top with both the bean and wheatberry packets, on different sides of the pot.

6. Top with kale, followed by the new potatoes and carrots. Sprinkle evenly with 3/4 tsp. salt, cinnamon, allspice, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, saffron threads and parsley. Set the whole head of garlic in the center of the pot, pushing it down enough into the layers so that it is secure. Place the sausage in the center of the pot, pushing down on it lightly.

7. Scatter the dates and apricots evenly as the next layer and, using a tablespoon, push down through the stew to make 6 spaces for each of the eggs. Very gently tuck in each of the eggs into the six spaces. Add enough water (or half water and half beef or vegetable broth) to cover and drizzle honey and 1/2 tsp. salt over the top.

Bring mixture to a light boil on the stovetop, cover with a lid, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour.

8. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

9. Transfer lidded pot to oven and bake for 5-6 hours. (Check after 4 hours to make sure there is still liquid in the pot. If there isn’t, add another cup of water. If there is too much liquid, remove the lid and continue cooking for the additional hour.) Alternatively, oven can be set to 200 degrees and the Adafina can cook overnight for 12 hours.

10. To serve, unwrap the beans and wheatberries and place at either side of a large platter. Unwrap the sausage and cut into 6-8 pieces. Arrange the beef (slice brisket, if using) next to the beans and grains and place the remaining portions of the stew in the center, topped by the sausage. Arrange the eggs evenly around the platter.

11. Pass small dishes of the condiments, if using, around the table.

Makes 6-8 servings.

TOP TEN TOP TEN TOP TEN TOP TEN AGENT TOP TEN TOP TEN BETH MANLIN

314.954.3999 BETH.MANLIN@DIELMANNSIR.COM

“Your Place to Celebrate” The Lodge Des Peres 1050 Des Peres Rd. (314) 835-6150 desperesmo.org Located at I-270 and Manchester Rd. Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light | MARCH 2023 35

Above, Terrie and Arnie Robbins in their home in the Grove neighborhood.

At right, the Robbins’ home is filled with unique modern art, such as this exclamation point sculpture by local artist Charley Blood made of individual sticks of wood painted black.

PHOTOS: BILL MOTCHAN

36 MARCH 2023 | Lifestyle | St. Louis Jewish Light

®

HOME

continued from page 22 of three hang alongside a glasstopped sculptural Cappellini Branch dining table designed by Jakob Wagner.

Glass doors lead from the kitchen to a cozy covered concrete patio fitted with built-in heaters and colorful outdoor seating, including a pair of pink and red Moroso Banjolli woven chairs made in Africa and procured from Centro Modern Furnishings.

The Robbinses had extensive gardens surrounding their former home, but they kept the landscaping simple, modern and low-maintenance at the new house with only rocks, bushes and hardscaping.

They commissioned friend and former owner of the Bug Store, Ken Miller, for the landscape design. A backyard rock garden is punctuated with fiery red ceramic ball fountains and tall blue glass sculptures from the Bug Store.

The side of the neighboring home’s garage faces into the Robbins backyard, and rather than stare at a plain brick wall, they got permission to have a mural painted on it, commissioning local artist Peat “Eyez” Wollaeger, who had previously worked for Terrie in the art department at the Post-Dispatch.

The colorful mural features two of Wollaeger’s signature stenciled “eyez” flanking a large honeybee — Terrie’s favorite insect.

“It has a lot of intricacies,” Terrie says.

Building and moving into a new home during a global pandemic had its challenges.

“We had to wait four months just to get a permit,” Arnie says.

But they are finally feeling settled and have become active members of the Grove community.

“And we’re still friends with Sarah,” Arnie says. “We think she’s a great architect. We’re thrilled with the house.”

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HABUYTA

continued from page 28 ence between Israeli and American food, Yona said many Americans eat a lot of junk food. Shelly Yona added that American food tends to use a lot of butter and sugar. Israeli foods are not unlike the Mediterranean diet, consisting largely of plant-based foods, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Herbs and spices add flavor, and olive oil is the main source of fat.

Israeli cooking also displays subtle nuances. Shelly Yona favors finely ground unsweetened coconut rather than the sweet, sticky variety usually found in grocery store baking goods aisle. Unable to find it at larger grocery stores, Yona discovered a reliable source at a smaller specialty store, Mideast Market at 14345 Manchester Road.

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store,” she said.

Sure enough, during a recent visit, Yona was so excited to find golf ball-size eggplant and tiny okra, she grabbed a few items before remembering to get a shopping cart. She immediately began thinking about what she could cook for Moshe and her two teenage daughters. Yona favors the dishes she remembers from Israel.

“We had stuffed peppers and stuffed vegetables,” she said. “Also chicken in the oven and a lot of fish. We had a wide variety of really good food. My grandfather loved seafood. My aunt and her husband own a very good seafood restaurant in Tel Aviv. I love stuffed zucchini. My grandmother used to make it especially for me.”

Yona is looking forward to Orly Peters’ Habuyta for both its tips on finding Israeli food and as a platform to market and sell her own cooking. Yona has developed into a baking expert and sells her baked goods to a number of hungry St. Louis customers.

“I love to bake,” she said. “I bake challah, sufganiyot and I do a great babka.”

Peters hopes Habuyta will provide a virtual community where cooks like Yona can broaden their market.

“Shelly bakes at home and sells her pastries and Jewish holiday treats from her Facebook business page,” Peters said. “She is an amazing baker!”

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