Miryam Shafir, mother of the late Dor Hanan Shafir 's  Tuna Pie Recipe

“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.   

Every Thursday evening, pie pans sit on the counter at the Shafir family home in Modi’in as Miryam Shafir prepares savory pies for dinner, just like her mother used to. The pies have two layers of crispy, golden dough with various fillings, but there is always one with a tuna filling — the only one her son would eat. Dor Hanan Shafir wasn’t a fan of many foods, but two dishes he loved were a particular  cereal with milk and his mother’s tuna pie.

Miryam rolls out the dough, using a recipe she learned from her mother, who immigrated to Israel from Ireland. She places the dough in a round pan with high edges, both the pan and rolling pin passed down from her mother. Even though her children are grown up and don’t live at home anymore, Miryam has continued the tradition of making pies every Thursday and sharing them with her children’s households.

About a year ago, when Dor moved in with his girlfriend, Savyon Chen Kipper, he told his mother she could stop the tradition. When Miryam asked Savyon if she minded, Savyon laughed and agreed to keep receiving the beloved tuna pie — on the condition that Miryam also brought her quinoa salad, she recalls with a smile. After that conversation, Miryam only managed to spoil them with her cooking one more time. 

On October 7, the couple attended the Psyduck music festival, a small, underground nature party held not far from the Nova music festival. When the sirens began early that morning, Dor and Savyon got into their car and fled. At 7:08 a.m., Savyon called the police, reporting they had been shot at the Ma’on Junction. Others near them were already dead and Dor and Savyon continued to try and flee. After that, the police lost contact.

At first, Miryam recalls, they thought Dor was hiding. That he had dug a hole for himself and Savyon to take cover in. Their main concern was that Dor, due to his PTSD, might not come out of hiding because he wouldn’t trust that the rescuers were actually looking for him. To help lure him out, they asked the police and army forces in the area to call out, “Mom is waiting at home with cereal and milk,” hoping the message would reach him. They searched for three days, calling for them until Savyon’s body was found. The next day, they also found Dor’s body.

For her son’s funeral, Miryam chose a festive outfit she had kept from his brit and had planned to wear at his wedding. “When we buried him, I imagined that he ascended to heaven and there was a chuppah there, with his bride waiting for him,” she says. Singer Kobi Aflalo performed “Ma Shehalev Bachar” (“What the Heart Chose”), a song the family had hoped to hear at the couple’s wedding. Instead, Dor, 30, and Savyon, 31, were laid to rest.

He was the eldest of Miryam and Itzik Shafir’s children and had three younger sisters: Nitzan, Shahar, and Ofek, with whom he shared a special bond. Dor was also an uncle to Nitzan’s young daughter. His close friends, who came to comfort the family, all spoke of his kind heart and loyalty; he was always there for them when they needed him. Dor worked for a long time as a bartender and even managed a bar. After completing his communication studies at Sapir College, he edited, produced, and presented podcasts, including the “Making History” podcast. Shortly before he was murdered, he started treatment for his PTSD. He was dedicated to raising awareness about the challenges faced by combatants and initiated a campaign to ban fireworks on Independence Day. 

After Miryam places the top layer of dough on the pie and trims the excess, she rolls the scraps between her fingers into strands for decorating the pie. Sometimes she spells out “Shabbat Shalom” or “Good Luck” for an upcoming test. This time, she and her daughter Nitzan form the number 31 together. “Today, August 11, marks exactly one year since we celebrated Dor’s 30th birthday,” Nitzan says as she shapes the dough. “He was at the peak of his life. He and Savyon had just moved in together. We all gathered at their new house, sang karaoke with the family, and went bowling. It was so much fun, especially because it’s something adults don’t usually do anymore,” she reminisces. Above the number 31, she spells “Dordi,” his family nickname, and then places the pan in the oven. “Live in the moment,” was her brother’s message, a phrase he even tattooed on his body. Despite the challenges, it’s a message she wants to carry forward now more than ever.

Did you make this recipe? Share a photo of it and tag it #A_Place_at_the_Table  to honor the memory of the late Dor Hanan Shafir.