“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.
Vera Moshe follows a precise routine when she prepares her spicy Moroccan fish for Shabbat. On Thursday evening, she marinates the tuna steaks in lemon juice for a few hours. Later, she places them in a pot with vegetables, chickpeas, plenty of garlic cloves, and a blend of spices. The pot is then refrigerated, allowing the flavors to meld until Friday morning. Only then does she cook the fish on the stove, but not for long, she emphasizes — just until the fish is tender and falls apart.
Today, she’s making it in honor of her son Eden David Moshe, who was murdered on October 7.
Every Shabbat, after Kiddush, Vera explains, she places her pot of fish in the center of the table. Of her six children, Eden was the only one who would eagerly take two slices of fresh challah, place a piece of fish with the sauce between them, and eat it “like a sandwich,” she recalls longingly. Her spicy fish and couscous were two of his favorite dishes.
This was also the dish Eden enjoyed before heading out to the Nova music festival on the evening of Friday, October 6. Vera had no idea he was going out. At 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, when the sirens began, she went upstairs to his room on the second floor of their house to wake him. Finding his bed empty, she learned from his father Boaz that Eden had gone to the party with his three best friends and Tamar Gutman, his partner. Initially, the family thought they were in Tel Aviv, but Eden’s sister later informed them that they were at a festival in the south, where reports of terrorists infiltrating the area had emerged. At 8:08, Eden texted her, “Everything is fine, Mom,” and she believed him. That was the last time she heard from him.
In a video captured during his final moments, Eden is seen in a car with Tamar, leading the convoy of vehicles fleeing the party. When he noticed that his best friend, who was in the car behind him, had been shot, Eden stopped and got out of the car to help. He was then shot in the neck and was killed immediately. Vera remained hopeful, convinced that he would come home. She waited with a pot of couscous and chicken soup and refused to let anyone eat from it until Eden returned to her.
Born in 1995 Eden grew up in Beit Hashmonai near Ramla. As the fifth child in a family of six, Eden was the most sensitive and gifted of them all, Vera says. He graduated with honors before he turned 17, focusing on physics and chemistry. After completing his studies, he served as a fighter in the artillery corps. Following his military service, he traveled with friends in South America before returning to study electrical engineering and biomedical engineering. In every field he pursued, he excelled, his mother notes. He could even sing in several languages.
Every morning, she wakes up and goes to the large picture of him hanging in the living room and kisses it gently. She remembers her beautiful and smart child, who was always full of love for others. “He was so affectionate; it wasn’t typical for a 27-year-old to kiss his parents, but that was Eden,” she reflects. “He was the kind of child every mother would want. He was full of love and unafraid to show it.” She recalls how his sisters would often say, “You are too special for this world.” Now those words take on a new and painful meaning.
When the stew is ready, Vera serves a piece of juicy tuna steak on a plate, covered in the red, spicy sauce loaded with garlic cloves. “Eden liked to eat the garlic cloves as if they were nuts,” she says, placing the dish at his spot on the table, a spot she will always keep reserved for him.
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 Eden David Moshe .
6-7 tuna steaks, totalling 800 grams (1¾ lb)
1 lemon, juiced
3 cups cooked chickpeas
10 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into medium slices
5 whole dry hot chiles (Sudanese peppers if you can find them)
4 large whole dry sweet chiles
1 hot green chili pepper
¾ tablespoon salt
1½ tablespoons sweet paprika
1 heaping teaspoon hot paprika
½ tablespoon turmeric
½ tablespoon cumin
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1½ cups (360ml) vegetable oil
3 ¾ cups (900 ml) water, divided
3 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- Prepare the fish: Place the fish steaks in a pan in an even layer, drizzle the lemon juice on top, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, arrange the chickpeas, garlic cloves, sweet potato slices, and peppers in an even layer.
- Wash the tuna steaks under cold running water, pat dry and place in the pan in an even layer.
- Sprinkle with the salt, paprika, turmeric, cumin, and cilantro and pour the oil evenly on top.
- Pour 3 cups (720ml) of the water around the edges of the pot, avoiding pouring it directly on top of the fish. Cover the pot and refrigerate overnight, or a minimum of 2 hours, to allow the flavors to meld.
- Cook the fish: Place the covered pot over a high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat so the pot is simmering, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- Mix the tomato paste with the remaining water, then add to the pot. The liquid in the pot should be at the same level as the fish.
- Simmer, uncovered, until the fish is tender and falls apart, about 20 minutes.
- Serve hot.
**This recipe appears exactly as the family makes it; it has not been edited.
