I think that since what happened in Gaza, the Iran war, and above all what is happening with the never-ending war and the

When I moved to Israel thirteen years ago (armed with precisely three recipes and a concerning attachment to takeout containers), I never imagined food would become my language for processing everything from everyday chaos to national trauma.

Living in this land transformed my relationship with cooking. Here, the markets overflow with stories, each pomegranate and olive connecting me to this ancient soil. My “bride who knew nothing” days (for those of you who don’t know, I used to store sweaters in my oven!) evolved into something deeper as I learned that Jewish food isn’t just sustenance, it’s resistance, memory, and healing rolled into one delicious package.

My journey from CNN producer to kosher cooking personality and then to building up a massive social media following at a Jewish educational institute wasn’t exactly planned (G-d has quite the sense of humor!). But this unexpected path taught me that quick meals aren’t just about convenience, they’re about creating space for what matters. When hostage mothers shared recipes of their children’s favorite foods, I recognized the universal language we speak through chicken soup and chocolate chip cookies, one of resilience, where enjoying one’s favorite food, or the favorite food of a missing loved one, is actually fighting trauma from taking over.

Today, when I share my 5-minute recipes or 20-minute miracle meals with busy moms, I’m really sharing something deeper: permission to find joy in feeding those we love, even amidst heartbreak. Jewish kitchens have always been command centers for processing both celebration and grief, one measuring cup at a time. This is especially true now, when keeping Jewish customs and traditions in one’s home, or in public, has become not only an act of self-declaration but one of defiance of those who wish to silence us and attack us. We will keep our Jewish traditions alive, one meal at a time.

Jamie Geller, the “Queen of Kosher,” is an eight-time bestselling cookbook author and chief communications officer and global spokesperson for Aish.