“A Place at the Table” is a commemorative project that documents the favorite dishes of those lost on October 7 with the help of their families.
All year long, Yuval Ben Yehuda eagerly awaited the moment she could eat her mother’s bastille dumplings. In keeping with family tradition, her mother Orly, would only prepare them on Passover, the day after the Seder. “It’s a festive dish that requires quite a bit of work,” Orly explains. The seasoned meat filling must be prepared first, then wrapped in mashed potatoes, before each dumpling is coated in flour or matzah meal and beaten eggs, and fried until golden.
Yuval loved all of her mother’s cooking, but bastille were her favorite. Orly always made sure to set some aside just for her. Once, Orly decided to surprise her with a plate of freshly fried dumplings. The hugs and kisses she received were worth every bit of effort, Orly recalls as she cooks them for “A Place at the Table.”
Orly spreads a little mashed potatoes on her palm, places the meat filling in the center, tops it with more mashed potatoes, and carefully shapes the first dumpling. “That girl was in my veins,” she says.
Since Yuval’s passing, she hasn’t been able to make the dumplings. “It’s hard for me. I don’t know if I’ll ever eat this dish again,” she says, struggling not to cry. “It’s impossible to believe that I’m making something she loved so much, and she’s not here with me.”
Yuval was born to Orly and Yair Ben Yehuda in 1997 and grew up in Pardesiya with two older siblings, Orel and Shalev. When she was 17, her father passed away suddenly, and the family relocated to Ramat Gan to be closer to her mother’s family. Losing her father and moving to a new city as a teenager was challenging for Yuval. Despite this, her mother says, she was always full of joy and surrounded by friends — she had an uncanny ability to connect with everyone. She was in the Girl Scouts from fourth grade until her army service.
Yuval also loved karaoke and music. That’s why she loved outdoor music festivals so much. They brought her joy and symbolized freedom, liberation, and love. Orly, who doesn’t particularly enjoy the kind of parties Yuval often attended, made an agreement with her daughter: she would only go to the ones that were truly worth it.
Yuval hadn’t told her about the Psyduck music festival in the south. “If I had known, she wouldn’t have gone,” says Orly. When she woke up on Saturday, October 7, to the sound of sirens, Orly discovered that her daughter’s room was empty. After trying to reach her through her friends, Orly and Yuval’s brother realized she was at a party in the south. For four agonizing days, Orly stayed awake, waiting. Then, on Tuesday, there was a knock on her door, and the family received the tragic news of her death.
When the sirens sounded early in the morning, Yuval had tried to rush home to her mother. On Highway 232, the terrorists stopped her, dragged her from the car, and shot her three times. “She was the light in this house,” says Orly. “It was as if one day they just turned off the light switch. I have nothing. Complete silence.”
There is one small memory that manages to cheer her up. A month before her daughter was murdered, Orly helped her daughter open a dog grooming salon. Dogs, and animals in general, were Yuval’s passion. She always took in abandoned dogs and cats. Orly will never forget her daughter’s big, green eyes, beaming with joy that day when they sat on the porch and she told her about her decision to attend an animal grooming school. “I take comfort in the fact that her friends told me that my decision to send her to school brought her light and joy, and that it was her happiest month,” Orly says.
Did you prepare the dish? Share a photo of it and tag it #A_Place_at_the_Table to honor the memory of the late Yuval Ben Yehuda.
6 russet potatoes
1 tablespoon salt
For the filling:
500 grams (1.1lbs) ground beef
1 medium-sized potato, diced
1 medium-sized onion, diced
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
A pinch of cinnamon
For frying:
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups flour/matzo meal
1 liter (4 cups) neutral vegetable oil
- Prepare the potato: Boil the potatoes in a pot of water salted with 1 tablespoon salt for about 40 minutes, uncovered, until tender. Peel and let cool, then mash into a smooth purée.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling: In a medium-sized pot, combine the ground beef, diced potato, and onion. Add enough water to cover about half the height of the meat and bring to a boil. Season with chicken bouillon powder, black pepper, salt, and a pinch of cinnamon. Cook uncovered over medium heat for about 30 minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated.
- Assemble the dumplings: Lightly wet your hands, take a heaping tablespoon of the mashed potatoes, and flatten it in your palm. Place a flat tablespoon of meat filling in the center, then add another layer of mashed potato on top. Gently press the edges together to seal the filling inside, then roll between your hands to shape the dumpling.
- Fry the dumplings: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Prepare two shallow bowls — one with beaten eggs and one with flour or matzah meal. When the oil is hot (you can test it by dropping in a small piece of the mashed potato mixture, bubbles should form around it), coat each dumpling in flour, then dip in the beaten egg to evenly coat. Working in batches, deep-fry for about 5 minutes on one side, then turn and fry for another 3 minutes until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon and remove to a plate lined with a paper towel. Serve hot.
