“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.
“If Gaya could see me standing here, cooking and being photographed, she would burst out laughing,” says Sigal Halifa, wiping away tears of both pain and laughter. “Gaya loved the kitchen; it was her domain, not mine,” Sigal recalls. Gaya knew her mother wasn’t much of a cook, so when she wanted a treat, she would ask for pigs in a blanket and ptitim (Israeli couscous). “She knew I couldn’t handle much more than that,” Sigal adds with a smile.
In the kitchen of their home in Kiryat Ono, Sigal rolls out the thawed puff pastry on the counter, cutting strips to wrap around chicken sausages. Soon, she’ll brush them with egg, sprinkle sesame seeds on top, and bake them until golden. Sigal admits she doesn’t make complicated dishes or use precise measurements — quite the opposite of her daughter. “Gaya loved to bake and dreamed of opening her own bakery one day. Everything she made was carefully measured and precise, and if the flavor or appearance wasn’t perfect, she wouldn’t serve it,” Sigal recalls. “But Gaya was forgiving of my cooking, because food has a way of uniting and comforting. When a mother cooks, it’s more about compassion and understanding,” she adds.
Those attributes were central to Gaya’s character. She was full of love and empathy, but also had a sharp, witty sense of humor. “She was a calm and quiet girl who was easy to raise,” Sigal says. After completing her military service as a medic in a special forces unit, Gaya embarked on a trip to South America, where she fell in love with music. It was that love that led her to the Nova music festival in Re’im, near Kibbutz Be’eri.
On Saturday, October 7, at 4:30 a.m., Gaya arrived at the festival with her best friend, Romi Gonen. Two hours later, the sirens started to sound. During this time, her parents, Sigal and Avi, were in constant contact with her by phone. Initially, Avi told them to stay away from their car and find cover. “We hadn’t realized the magnitude of the event yet,” Sigal says. But as the situation became clearer, they realized the area was swarming with terrorists and that police were blocking the exit, Gaya and Romi began fleeing on foot. All the while, Avi guided them on the phone, telling them which direction to run and where to hide.
“They managed to hide for quite a long time,” Sigal recalls. At 10:00 a.m., Gaya said that a friend with a car was coming to pick them up. She asked her father to meet them in Ashdod, but he only made it as far as Rishon LeZion. At 10:12 a.m., Gaya called again, and Avi heard her say, “Dad, they’re shooting at us.” He heard the gunshots over the phone and then his daughter’s last two breaths.
Romi was kidnapped and held hostage for 472 days. She was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza.
Gaya didn’t live to see her 24th birthday. She was 23 years and 11 months old when she was murdered. “It’s symbolic and chilling because her date of birth is November 23,” Sigal says through tears. Gaya always dreamed of having five children and even had names picked out for all of them, though the only one she ever revealed to her parents was Be’eri — another sign, Sigal believes.
When the pigs in a blanket are golden and ready, Sigal carefully removes them from the oven, revealing a tattoo on her arm as she holds the hot pan. After the Shiva, Gaya’s parents, along with her two siblings, Noga and Ido, went together to get the same tattoo she had etched on her own body five months before she was murdered — a gramophone with a human heart inside. “It symbolizes so much of Gaya,” her mother says. “Her heart was in music, and it was at a music festival where her heart stopped.”
Sigal places the ptitim on the family dining table, along with the pigs in a blanket and pours a glass of raspberry juice, which Gaya liked. “Every time I talk about Gaya, my heart contracts and my stomach churns, but preparing her favorite food feels like touching my own soul,” she says, struggling to hold back tears. “It’s knowing she won’t come to eat, and that’s the hardest part.”
Did you prepare this meal? Share a photo of it and tag it #A_Place_at_the_Table to honor the memory of the late Gaya Halifa.
For the ptitim:
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 onion, cut into small cubes
500 grams (17.6oz) ptitim (Israeli couscous)
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups boiling water
For the pigs in a blanket:
1kg (2.2lb) frozen puff pastry, thawed according to the package instructions
800 grams (1.76lb) small pre-cooked chicken sausages
1 egg, beaten
Sesame seeds, for sprinkling
- Prepare the ptitim: Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and fry, stirring frequently, until golden.
- Add the ptitim, salt, and black pepper, and mix until they are well coated.
- Pour in the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce to a low heat and cook for 7-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the pot rest, covered, for 3-4 minutes before serving.
- Prepare the pigs in a blanket: Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (350°F, convection if you have it, 400°F if you don’t) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Roll out the thawed puff pastry on the work surface and cut it into 1 cm (½-inch) strips across the width of the sheet.
- Wrap a strip of puff pastry around each hot dog and place it, seam side down, on the baking sheet.
- Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Bake in the oven until the pastry is golden brown (10-15 minutes if you have a convection setting, 20 minutes if you don’t).
- Serve alongside the ptitim and raspberry juice, as Gaya loved.
* This recipe remains true to the family recipe. No modifications were made.
