Yesterday, I accidentally stumbled upon a diary entry from exactly a year ago. It’s in Hebrew, so I translated it for you:
Sunday, October 8, 23 (in London at Ruby’s) The situation in Israel is dire. More than 600 people were killed, almost 2000 wounded, and over 130 kidnapped. I avoid watching the videos circulating on the Internet. There’s no point. It was an intense day, but being with Ruby’s daughters distracts me from the disasters and pain. I don’t really want to write. We ate delicious food. Ruby and I prepared lunch together. I roasted vegetables in the oven and Ruby made a delicious salad. In the evening, Julian prepared sashimi and sushi. It was excellent.
When I wrote this last year, one day after October 7th, we had no idea how brutally they were murdered. We also didn’t know that the number of people massacred and kidnapped would double. It’s been such a nightmarish year for so many. It still is, and will continue to be until Hamas releases the hostages and the war ends.
If it ever ends. After reading The Postcard book—in just five days—I lost hope. I knew antisemitism still existed, but I didn’t think it would flood out minutes after Hamas committed its atrocities. Antisemites worldwide didn’t even have the “courtesy” to wait; they jumped at the opportunity to express their hate while Jews hadn’t even begun to process their trauma.
Please don’t say that anti-Zionism isn’t antisemitism. It’s the same thing. If you believe Jews don’t deserve Israel—the country they received from the British and had to fight for since—then you’re in denial. (The Palestinians were offered their own country as well but rejected it.)
One thing’s for sure: this outrageous hate towards Jews and Israel only makes me patriotic and unapologetic. Should I walk around wearing a t-shirt saying, “My ancestors didn’t choose to leave almost every country they lived in, they were forced to”? If you don’t believe me, look at my DNA report. It didn’t matter how much they tried to blend in, contribute, or keep a low profile.
Any criticism or antagonism towards Zionists should be directed at the antisemites in Europe and Arab countries who forced their hand. People can no longer expect Jews to be a propaganda punching bag. Enough is enough.
Now, let me tell you about this comforting and nourishing soup:
It’s not your typical pumpkin soup. This one got lentils in it which means it has some protein.
The original idea was to top the soup with the caramelized onion almonds mix, but the pumpkin wasn’t as sweet as I expected, so I pureed them too and added coconut milk for sweetness.
If you make it with pumpkin, add one large sweet potato and skip the coconut milk. The soup is creamy as is. Next time I’m adding raisins to the onion and almond mix next time. I love my orange soups sweet.
Simple Pumpkin & Orange Lentil Soup
Equipment
- Hand blender or blender
Ingredients
- 1 pound pumpkin - or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
- 1 cup yellow or orange lentils - thoroughly rinsed
- 1 large sweet potato - peeled and roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion - halved and sliced
- ¼ cup raw slivered almonds
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup coconut milk - optional
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Combine pumpkin, lentils, and cumin in a medium soup pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam, then reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover and simmer until pumpkin and lentils are tender, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool before pureeing.
- In a skillet, warm olive oil and sauté onions for 10 minutes. Add almonds, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt, cooking until onions are soft.
- You have two options:1. Puree the soup and serve topped with the onion-almond mix. 2. Puree the onion-almond mix with the soup.
- Serve with a generous sprinkle of cilantro. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
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