“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.
Annie Levy rubs a chicken with spices before it goes into the oven. It’s always been the family’s traditional Friday meal, she says. “Even when the kids were little, they’d bring their friends over to eat my roasted chicken.” Her daughter, Sigal, often made it at the home she shared with her fiancé. She would always call her mother while cooking, asking questions about how to get it just right.
Sigal also loved popcorn and beer. After she was killed on October 7, her close friends had matching popcorn-box tattoos inked in her memory. Family and friends also brewed a beer infused with violet liqueur, called sigalit in Hebrew; and a family friend who opened a bar in Berlin added a violet-based cocktail to the menu in her honor.
The youngest of four siblings and the only daughter among three older brothers, Sigal was known for her sharp wit, sparkling blue eyes, and deep desire to give and help others. As a child, she was the natural mediator at school, stepping in to help classmates resolve conflicts. “She always wanted to understand people,” her mother says. As she grew up, Sigal set her sights on becoming a social worker and supporting at-risk youth. That same calling led her to volunteer at the Nova music festival as part of the mobile unit run by the nonprofit ELEM, through the Good People Project, which provides emotional first aid to young people in distress at outdoor parties and festivals.
When the sirens began, Sigal and her team tried to gather as many festival-goers as they could into the ELEM van, hoping to escape. Her parents didn’t know she had volunteered at the festival. They only found out early Saturday morning. Three days later, they were informed that her body had been identified near the exit from the festival grounds, along Route 232. Two other ELEM volunteers, Yonatan Richter and Lior Hadad Atias, were murdered alongside her.
Sigal’s funeral was one of the first held for the victims of the Nova massacre. Crowds came to say their goodbyes, and the ceremony was even broadcast on French television. Among those who accompanied her on her final journey were many of the young people she had helped.
“If there was a kid without a home, she would move heaven and earth to find them a place to sleep,” her mother says. “She truly invested herself in those kids, and they asked to come to the shiva and to every memorial.”
Sigal had been in a relationship with Yossi for nearly three years. Together they raised a beagle named Niko, had set a wedding date for January 2024, and dreamed of having three children. Sigal also dreamed of opening a café with a vegetable garden, where she would employ at-risk youth. She often said that helping these teens wasn’t just about talking to them, it was about bringing them into real life, giving them work, and helping them connect with mainstream society.
Now, her family is trying to carry that vision forward. “We really want to open a coffee cart that will employ at-risk youth,” says Annie. “It’s important to us that people know about Sigal’s giving spirit. She was kind-hearted, she loved everyone, and she believed there was something good in every person.”
When it came to working with kids, Sigal used to say: “There are no bad kids, only kids who are hurting.”
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 Annie Levy.
1 whole chicken, (about 2 kg/4 ½ lbs)
6 garlic cloves, sliced
4 bay leaves
2 rosemary sprigs or ½ tablespoon dried rosemary
2 thyme sprigs or ½ tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 cup olive oil
For the potatoes:
8 potatoes (preferably a yellow variety), peeled or skin on
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 rosemary sprig or ¼ tablespoon dried rosemary
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Tuck half of the garlic slices, 2 bay leaves, and a sprig each of thyme and rosemary under the chicken skin, over the breast and thigh. Stuff the cavity with the remaining garlic, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Season the outside with salt, pepper, and sweet paprika, drizzle with olive oil, and rub the seasoning all over the chicken using your hands. Place the chicken in a large baking dish.
- Cut the potatoes into quarters if large, halves if small, or leave them whole if preferred. Season with salt, black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and a little rosemary. Arrange them around the chicken.
- Once the oven is hot, roast the chicken, breast facing upwards, for 20 minutes. Remove, carefully flip it, and return to the oven for another 20 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 175°C (350°F) and roast for an additional 75 minutes, until the chicken is golden and cooked through, but still juicy.
