“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.
Whenever Or Mizrahi visited his grandmother Esther Sharon, the first thing she would say was, “Stand still and don’t move.” She would rush and grab a little stool to place next to him, climb up, and wrap her arms around Or. He was so tall, that this was the only way she could hug him, she says. And every time he came over, she would make ghormeh sabzi, especially for him. She learned to make the Persian dish from her mother-in-law and Or loved it. “Or and I had a very special bond,” Esther says. “He was a very curious child, and I enjoyed every moment of his company.”
Born to Michal and Yair in 2003, Or had two brothers, Ron and Roee. When he was 3 months old, Michal returned to work and her mother, Esther, cared for him. From a young age, his grandmother recalls, it was easy to see how bright he was, a curious child who wanted to know everything. “I used to walk with him along Bialik Street in Ramat Gan, and he would get excited whenever he saw a bookstore,” she says. By the time he was four years old, he could identify countries’ flags and name their capitals, and by six he knew the route from Tel Aviv to Rehovot. At Ohel Shem High School, he was an outstanding student and a respected athlete who excelled at running.
After he was killed, his classmates’ stories revealed how much he helped them. During COVID, when many kids struggled with Zoom classes, they said he taught them, and thanks to him they passed their exams.
In the army, Or served as an observation balloon operator in the Gaza Division’s Intelligence Collection Battalion. On October 7, he was on weekend duty at the Erez outpost. When the sirens began at 6:29 a.m., they were ordered over the loudspeakers to go to safe rooms, but when they reached them, they were locked — they had been turned into offices. As they tried to seek shelter in the base’s operations room, the terrorists caught up with them and massacred them. Or was shot at the entrance to the operations room; he was among the first to be killed. By 7 a.m. he was no longer alive, but for five days he was listed as missing.
“He felt he wouldn’t come back,” Esther says. For months, Or and his battalion mates reported that some of the surveillance balloons weren’t working, and at the same time warned that something was wrong on the other side of the fence, but they were ignored. For a whole year, he warned that he was seeing training and forces moving, and no one paid attention.
Despite the constant ache of grief and longing, she tries to see the good. “There were thousands at his funeral,” she says. “Everyone, listen to Or’s message: ‘Let’s be united, let’s stand by one another, let’s love one another.’ I believe in that with all my heart.”
For the stew:
- 3 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
- 1 large white onion (or 2 medium-sized), finely chopped
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) beef muscle cut, diced
- 2 cups (500 grams) red beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
- 2 bunches parsley, finely chopped
- 2 bunches cilantro, finely chopped
- ½ bunch dill, finely chopped
- 1 bunch celery stalks, finely chopped
- A handful of spinach, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 dried Persian limes
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
For the rice:
- 4 cups Persian white rice
- 4 tablespoons coarse salt
- About 8 cups boiling water
- 2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
- 2–3 potatoes, peeled and sliced into rounds
- Prepare the stew: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot (about 26cm/ 10” in diameter) over medium heat. Sauté the chopped onion until golden, about 30 minutes.
- Add the diced beef and brown them on all sides.
- Cover the meat with water, place a lid, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the red beans and cook for 1 hour, partially covered.
- In a separate pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the greens and sauté until they wilt and their color darkens. Remove from the heat.
- At the same time, soak the dried Persian limes in boiling water. Once they puff up and soften, break them open and remove the seeds (they are bitter).
- Once the meat and beans are tender, add the sautéed greens to the pot. If the stew looks dry, add 1 cup boiling water.
- Add the soaked, deseeded limes to the pot and stir.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste, and simmer for 30-60 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
- Prepare the Rice: Soak the rice in plenty of water with the coarse salt for 1 hour. Drain and rinse.
- In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add the soaked rice, stir and cook until al-dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.
- Dry the pot thoroughly, pour in 1 tablespoon neutral oil, and line the bottom with the potato slices. Place the half-cooked rice on top, then drizzle with another tablespoon of oil. Cover with a kitchen towel and the pot lid. Cook over very low heat until steam rises from the pot, 20-40 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Invert the rice onto a large round platter and place in the center of the table. Serve the stew in individual bowls or ladle it over the rice.
