Joanne Caras has traced her culture’s story of remembering the Holocaust through a different type of book.
Caras, author of the “Holocaust Survivor Cookbook,” compiled 129 stories and more than 250 recipes from Holocaust survivors across the world, said Virginia Brissette, program director for the Jewish Council of North Central Florida.
Caras spoke Sunday evening at the Doris Bardon Community Cultural Center, located at 716 N. Main St., about her commitment to celebrate the stories of Holocaust survivors, along with her mission to feed the needy and poor of Jerusalem. About 30 people attended.
“On so many levels, Joanne does such great things for the community,” Brissette said.
The cookbook features various types of recipes from traditional challah bread to desserts like flourless chocolate cake, Brissette said. Accompanying the recipes are stories about survivors and their journeys before, during and after the Holocaust.
In addition to remembering these families’ legacies, Caras donates the proceeds to Carmei Ha’ir Soup Kitchen in Jerusalem for each book sold, Brissette said. The soup kitchen feeds more than 500 Israelis each day.
The Jewish Council of North Central Florida and the Lubavitch-Chabad Jewish Student & Community Center worked together to host Sunday’s event, Brissette said. Both Brissette and Rabbi Berl Goldman, who works at the Lubavitch-Chabad center, collaborated to get the word out to the Gainesville community and to UF students.
“It’s good for students to see someone who’s done something meaningful with their life,” Brissette said.
David Portnow, a 19-year-old UF neuroscience sophomore, said he attended the event because three out of his four grandparents were Holocaust survivors. He said he’s always interested in getting involved with survivor-based programs.
“I’m enthralled with the perspective that survivors have as a whole,” he said.
Guests also had an opportunity to sample some of the recipes from the cookbook. Brissette said she and Goldman’s wife, Chanie, baked an assortment of desserts including mandel bread, matzo toffee and apple cake.
International studies freshman Avery Segal said he plans to write about the apple cake he tried at the event. He writes a personal food and travel blog.
“It was very delicious,” said Segal, 19.
The cookbooks were available to purchase for $36, and Caras spent time signing them before and after she spoke.
According to the book’s website, www.survivorcookbook.org, the cookbook and its successor, “Miracles & Meals,” can also be purchased online for $36.
“Buy a book, make a recipe and tell the story at your table,” Caras told the audience. “It is so powerful.”
