“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.
On Friday afternoons at 1:30 p.m., Linda Trabelsi would finish coating slices of chicken breast — soaked the night before in a mixture of eggs, mustard, and lemon — in golden breadcrumbs, carefully stacking them on a plate, ready for frying. Her eldest son, Mor Meir Trabelsi, eagerly anticipated her call, the signal that the oil was heating in the pan and it was time for him to head over.
By the time Mor arrived from his apartment on the other side of Nahariya, the schnitzels would be hot, crisp, and ready to eat. Together, they shared what was undoubtedly his favorite meal of the week: Linda’s schnitzel served with her spicy matbucha and a side of fried green chili peppers.
Now, every Friday at exactly the same time, Linda goes to Mor’s grave at the Nahariya cemetery. There, she pours her heart out, sharing everything she’s going through in a life without him.
On the afternoon of Friday, October 6, Mor sat down to eat his mother’s schnitzel with an unusually hearty appetite, Linda recalls. “When I asked him, ‘Mor, why are you eating so much?’ he said, ‘Because it’s the most delicious schnitzel in the world.’” Now, she wonders if, deep down, he somehow knew it would be the last time.
On the morning of October 7, as Linda watched the news and spoke with her sister, she had no idea that Mor and his new wife, Yovel, had gone to the Nova music festival. The couple had spent the holiday evening with Yovel’s family and had planned to stay home. Only later did Linda learn that close friends of the couple had persuaded them to join the festival. They left their home in the north around 4:30 a.m., picking up friends along the way as they headed toward Kibbutz Re’im.
They arrived at the festival just after 6 a.m., moments before the sirens began to wail. “They didn’t even have time to enjoy themselves,” Linda recounts. They quickly got back into the car, and Mor started driving frantically, skillfully avoiding terrorists.
When they reached the Mefalsim intersection, a pickup truck carrying armed terrorists blocked their path. Mor told his wife and friends to crouch down and recite “Shema Yisrael.” With remarkable courage, he sped forward, veering right to bypass the truck. The terrorists opened fire, and a bullet struck Mor in the head, killing him instantly. The car overturned and plunged into a ditch.
Yovel and the two friends smeared themselves with Mor’s blood and played dead, a tactic that saved their lives. “He protected them, but he didn’t come back,” Linda says, her eyes filling with tears.
Mor was born in 1996 to Linda and Baruch, he was an older brother to Dor and Romi. Linda often says that she waited a long time for her firstborn son. From a young age, Mor took on the role of protector — whether it was defending other children, looking out for his younger siblings, or supporting his mother, he always made sure that everyone was treated with respect. But it was important to him that she was cared for. “He was my friend, the one who took care of me, the one who talked to me and gave me advice. We had a truly special bond,” Linda recalls. “He would always listen to me, and try to calm me down. [He would say:] ‘Mom, I’m with you, whatever you need.’ He was a wonderful child, the crown on my head.”
Mor was always passionate about sports — karate, gymnastics, horseback riding, surfing, soccer, and basketball. As a teenager, he competed in Thai boxing. But at 17, a serious accident abruptly changed everything. He underwent five head surgeries and was on life support for a long time. During that time, Linda stayed by his side, never leaving him. Slowly, Mor began to recover, eventually regaining his strength and returning to himself. “He even managed to finish his high school diploma in the end,” she says.
Mor was not drafted into the army due to his injury, but he took a big trip to South and Central America with his friends, where he met Yovel. From the very first moment, she knew he would be her husband. After five years of dating, they were married on September 7, 2023 — exactly a month before his death. “They had a crazy wedding,” Linda recalls, “with an unbelievable number of guests.” Looking back, she feels that the wedding was, in a way, her son’s farewell party.
For the first time since his death, Linda is preparing the schnitzel, matbucha, and hot chili peppers Mor used to eagerly await every Friday. She slices the green peppers with a sharp knife and adds them to the hot oil in the pan. The spiciness fills the kitchen instantly and she shares how she wishes he were here now, how she misses their conversations, and how she wishes she could just sit and have a beer with him and enjoy his company a little longer.
Did you prepare this recipe? Share a photo of it and tag it #A_Place_at_the_Table to honor the memory of the late Mor Meir Trabelsi.
For the schnitzel:
1kg (2.2lbs) very thin chicken breast
2 eggs
1 teaspoon mustard
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
½ lemon, juiced
200 grams (1 ¾ cups) golden breadcrumbs
1½-1 liters (4-6 cups) neutral oil, for frying
For the Matbucha:
6 tomatoes
5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 green chili pepper (with the seeds), finely chopped
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 heaping tablespoon sweet paprika
1 heaping teaspoon salt
- Prepare the schnitzel: The night before, mix the eggs, mustard, sesame seeds, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
- Add the chicken breasts, ensuring they are fully coated in the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Prepare the matbucha: Heat a small pot of water until boiling. Cut an X into the bottom of the tomatoes. Blanch in the boiling water briefly until the skin starts to shrivel. Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of cool water and peel them. Then, cut into small cubes.
- Sauté the tomatoes and garlic in a pot over medium-low heat. Cook uncovered until the tomato juices have evaporated, about 1 hour.
- Add the chopped chili pepper and cook for a few more minutes.
- In a separate bowl, mix the oil and paprika, then pour into the pot. Cook uncovered for about 30 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Season with salt, taste, and adjust as needed. Continue to cook, uncovered, over low heat for 2 more hours, stirring occasionally.
- Fry the schnitzel: heat oil in a deep frying pan, filling it about ¾ of the way.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and coat each piece evenly in breadcrumbs.
- Carefully place the coated chicken breasts into the hot oil and fry for about 4 minutes on one side, then 3 minutes on the other, until golden brown.
- Serve the schnitzel alongside the matbucha.
* This recipe remains true to the family recipe; no modifications were made.
