“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.
“The more onions, the better,” says Yonit Itach as she slices through a pile of onions with a sharp knife, her eyes red and watering. “This morning, I woke up with the feeling that I was going to make this dish for Liel — I truly felt like Liel would be here, like I was making it just for him.”
“It’s not a dish most children like,” Yonit says, “but Liel loved it from the first time he tried it, at just five years old. He was always ahead of his age, always willing to try and explore.”
Liel was born in 2001 to Yonit and Kobi (Ya’akov) and grew up in Jerusalem and Anatot, the eldest son and first grandchild on both sides. From a young age, Liel stood out — he was “an old soul,” his mother says. Before he was even 2, he weaned himself off diapers, leaving his parents and teachers in disbelief. At three, she found him changing his own sheets after they had gotten wet from his bottle. From that moment on, he kept his room neat and orderly. He was “an easy child to raise,” she adds.
It wasn’t until his three younger sisters were born that Yonit fully realized how unique Liel was. “Even his friends knew Liel was different,” she says. “Sometimes, I’d see him lying on the couch, look at him, and think to myself, how lucky I am that he’s mine.”
Liel carried a sense of responsibility and composure into his final hours on the morning of Saturday, October 7. He was never one for parties, Yonit says, but with four years of mechanical engineering studies ahead of him, he made an exception. Two days before the Nova festival, he decided to join two friends he met during his post-military trip to South America.
At 6:30 a.m., when the sirens began, Liel and his two friends got into their car, trying to escape the party grounds. Like many others, they found themselves stuck in a massive convoy of cars, filled with people desperately fleeing for their lives. Police officers on the scene directed them toward a checkpoint to wait for rescue, but soon realized the checkpoint itself was a death trap and ordered everyone to run.
As his two friends rushed toward a nearby ambulance, hoping to find shelter, Liel made a split-second decision to draw the terrorists’ attention away. His actions caused four of them to chase him. He ran nearly a kilometer before they caught up with him. Meanwhile, the terrorists fired an RPG at the ambulance, killing everyone inside, including his friends and others trying to escape.
“From the videos, you can see Liel helping everyone — giving them water, hugging them, calming them down,” says Yonit. “The responsible adult, as always.” A police officer at the checkpoint later told his family that she remembered him and how he handled the chaos with composure and generosity. “His final moments reflected exactly who he was,” Yonit says.
Since her son’s murder, she has rarely stepped into the kitchen. She hasn’t found the strength to cook, especially not liver with onions. It was something she made only for Liel — no one else in the family likes it. She prepared it for him when he came home from the army, after his travels through South America and whenever she wanted to spoil him. She would serve it alongside what she calls “Liel’s salad” — a simple mix of cabbage, tomato, mayonnaise, and lemon.
“I always knew he would succeed. I imagined his house, always neat and tidy, and that he would have his own company, a wife that I loved — and we were friends — and a house full of people because he loved to entertain. I was sure that’s what his life would be like,” she says with a smile. “I always talk about him with a smile, not with sadness. Even now, he makes me smile.”
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 Liel Itach.
For the liver:
500 grams (1.1lbs) chicken livers
5 tablespoons neutral oil, for frying
4 large onions, white or red, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon turmeric
1½ -2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the mashed potatoes:
7 medium-sized potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into 4cm ( 1½-inch) cubes
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder (no MSG)
70 grams (5 tablespoons) margarine
To serve:
½ head of cabbage, thinly sliced
2 Tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Lemon juice
- Prepare the mashed potatoes: Place the diced potatoes in a pot, cover with water, and add the chicken bouillon powder. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook until completely tender. Drain most of the liquid, leaving a little in the pot. Mash the potatoes until smooth, then mix in the margarine until fully melted and incorporated.
- Meanwhile, prepare the livers: Clean the livers, trimming any tough pieces or stringy tendons. For kosher livers, broil them over an open flame until partially cooked — taking care not to dry them out.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until golden brown. Add the turmeric, mix well and then add the salt and pepper. Add the livers and lightly fry, tossing occasionally, until cooked through but still tender. If the pan is too dry, add ½ cup of boiling water and stir.
- To serve: Plate the livers over the mashed potatoes and serve with Liel’s favorite salad: thinly sliced cabbage and diced tomatoes, dressed with mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper.