“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.
Anat Elkabets is standing in the kitchen she’s calling home for now in Rosh HaAyin cooking a dish beloved by daughter Sivan, who was murdered on October 7. Into the rich simmering stew, she gently cracks each egg, creating space for the golden yolks to cook amidst the green peas.
“It’s an unconventional dish in terms of flavors,” Anat explains. “It’s a blend of sweet and salty that Sivan adored since she was little. But it’s also simple, humble, and comforting, much like Sivan herself,” she adds.
Sivan was born 23 years ago to Anat, an art therapist and journalist, and Shimon Elkabets, a former army radio commander. She was the youngest daughter in a family of four children. “Sivan received a lot of love from everyone and gave a lot of love in return,” her mom says. “She was a smiling, joyful girl who always knew how to find the bright side in everything.”
The family originally lived in a high-rise in Ashdod with a view of the sea. But, after the two oldest boys married and moved out, they decided to relocate to a small home on kibbutz Kfar Aza. “From the 16th floor, close to the sky, we moved to a ground floor house where we walked barefoot on the grass,” Anat says. This move was driven by Zionist ideals as well as a desire to be part of the close-knit community of the kibbutz, she explains.
The new life suited the family perfectly, and they adapted easily to community living. As they grew up, both of her daughters moved into small apartments for young adults on the kibbutz while one of her sons and his family moved to Kfar Aza. And Anat opened a clinic for art therapy amidst the kibbutz’s green paths.
The entire family celebrated the evening of Simchat Torah together at the Anat and Shimon’s house, marking not only the holiday but also their 36th wedding anniversary. Sivan’s partner since high school, the late Naor Hasidim, who was 23 years old, also joined the festivities. Anat recalls it as a very special family evening, the last hours they would spend together. Sivan and Naor gifted them 36 wooden blocks with family photos and lingered with them after the guests had gone.
On the morning of October 7th, at 11:12 AM, Shimon received a final message from Sivan on WhatsApp: “Dad, promise me you’re okay, there are terrorists at the window.” A minute later, Naor messaged that they were hiding under the bed while their house was under attack. “Sivan didn’t want to worry us,” Anat recalls. “But I felt a knot in my stomach and told Shimon that I knew they wouldn’t make it out alive.” At that moment, she explains, she felt as if a part of her had been torn away, and life would never be the same again.
Although Anat sensed that Sivan was no longer alive, she initially refused to evacuate the kibbutz and searched for her daughter and Noar, showing Sivan’s photos to soldiers in the field, who told her they had tragically been murdered.
When Anat returned to the kibbutz 15 weeks later, she brought her camera and documented the devastation, capturing also the remnants of life left in her daughter’s apartment. And decided to turn these images into an installation. It was her way of ensuring people would understand and remember what happened, while also coping with her profound loss.
While other nearby apartments were closed to the public, Anat placed a sign above Sivan’s home: “The family invites you to come in and visit.”
Today, Anat says she feels she is here to live out Sivan’s life. “It’s important to me that we sit with our future grandchildren and always talk about Sivan so that she continues to live inside us.”
The recipe Anat made in her honor comes from her own mother, who emigrated from Morocco. But everyone in the family makes it slightly differently. Anat’s mother made it with a ¼ cup of sugar — some family members add meatballs to the stew, others prefer eggs. Sivan’s favorite version was with eggs served over rice with corn on top.
Did you make this recipe? Share a photo of it and tag it with #a_place_at_the_table to honor the memory of the late Sivan Elkabets.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
2 ½ cups water
800 grams (1.76lb) frozen peas
½ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
10-12 eggs
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden. Add the black pepper and cumin and mix well.
- Pour 1 ½ cups of water and bring to a simmer. Add the frozen peas and cook for several minutes, just until they start to soften. Add the sugar.
- Dissolve the chicken bouillon in 1 cup of water, add to the stew and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low heat and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Using a wooden spoon, create a well in the stew and crack an egg into it. Repeat with the remaining eggs, cover and cook over low heat for 5-6 minutes, until the egg whites have turned opaque, similar to poached eggs.
- Serve as is, or over white rice with corn, like Sivan liked to eat it.
**This recipe appears exactly as the family makes it; it has not been edited.
