The key to Judaism's survival is the emotional attachment to the religion. Gil Marks attachmentemotionaljudaism Change image and share on social
If I'm doing an olive oil tasting, I would do a very lean bread: an Italian style or pita bread. You want the flavor of the oil to shine; you don't want the bread or anything else to mask it. Gil Marks breadflavoritalian Change image and share on social
In the New York metropolitan area, you can find Jews from just about every Jewish cultural community in the world. Gil Marks areacommunitycultural Change image and share on social
There is a biblical injunction to tell your children, but the sages who created the Seder several thousand years ago understood that it had to be more than just speaking: that in order for something to connect so emotionally in human beings, it had to be relived. Gil Marks agobeingbiblical share on social
People remember the different variations of stuffed cabbage based on their mothers and grandmothers. It's not just about food. Eating something as traditional as this is a cultural experience, one that is spiritual and nostalgic. It manages to transcend time; it's food for the soul. Gil Marks basecabbagecultural share on social
Every year, my father comes by and samples the chremslach - like quality control - and tells me how they taste just like his mother's. Gil Marks chremslachcontrolfather Change image and share on social
A Jewish food is one that is almost sanctified, either by its repeated use or use within the holidays or rituals. So food that may have not been Jewish at one point can become Jewish within the cultural context. Gil Marks contextculturalfood share on social
I never serve a dessert on Passover that I would not serve the rest of the year. Gil Marks dessertpassoverrest Change image and share on social
In Judaism, almost every ritual entails either food or the absence of food. Yom Kippur, for instance, is the absence of food. Part of it is Talmudic, part of it is custom. So much of Judaism was bound up in dietary laws. So everything you ate - the very act itself - was part of religion. Gil Marks absenceactbind share on social
Food is sort of like the Jewish sense of humor, a defense mechanism. It is one of the things that helped the Jews survive through 2,000 years of an often very harsh Diaspora. Gil Marks 000defensediaspora Change image and share on social
