Asif: Culinary Institute of Israel in Tel Aviv sprang into action when the war in Gaza started. Asif is a nonprofit organization and culinary center, dedicated to cultivating and nurturing Israel’s diverse and creative food culture.
“On the second day of the war, we received a request from the IDF’s central food command,” Chico Menashe, CEO of Asif, told the Journal. “They told us, ‘We don’t need food, but we do need a constant morale boost for our combat soldiers.’”
Aware that local restaurants in Israel were struggling, Asif established a mechanism that brought restaurant teams to two central kitchens every day.
Asif said, ‘Create a great menu for a battalion … We will cover the costs of your team, plus some extra for your profit, and we will also pay for the ingredients, kitchen facilities and transportation.’
“Hundreds of volunteers have been arriving daily during the last few months to serve food to the soldiers,” Menashe said. “It has had an impact not only on the chefs and the soldiers but also on the entire supply chain, which benefits because we are placing large orders of product on a daily basis.”
Through Asif’s Chefs in Shifts/Food for the Frontline project, restaurant chefs from across the country began cooking hot meals for soldiers. The goal was to feed their spirit, as well as their bodies.
“We arrived every day at the southern and northern borders with 500 hot meals, prepared by the most well-known restaurants in Israel,” Menashe said. “This led to the understanding that we need to seize these moments, and share them with the public in our space at Asif.”
As the project brought together soldiers and the civilians who were feeding them, photographers Avishag Shaar-Yashuv, Haim Yafim Barbalat, Noam Preisman and Or Sitt began documenting these moments. The result is a new exhibit at Asif Gallery, called “Gathering Together.”
“The inspiration for this exhibition was our daily, practical activity at Asif during the war,” Menashe said. “The chefs jumping in to help inspired us, as well as the soldiers’ appreciation of our efforts.”
Photographer Haim Yafim Barbalat was delighted to take part in one of the most “beautiful projects” during this period, by “taking pictures and witnessing the power of delicious and well-prepared food to uplift soldiers’ spirits and comfort them,” he told the Journal. “Indeed, they say that the army marches on its stomach.”
The photo that Barbalat feels the strongest connection to is his image of the soldier eating on a mound of dirt.
“In the field, there are no proper conditions, not even a place to sit, but the food brought such happiness to this soldier,” Barbalat said. “When I captured the moment, he looked at the camera, and his eyes sparkled.”
Avishag Shaar-Yashuv was invited to photograph a wedding with Asif in the midst of the war.
“After many days of documenting the horrors, the mourning, the survivors and the funerals, suddenly documenting a day filled with joy was an important and energizing experience for me,” Shaar-Yashuv told the Journal. “The faces and smells of the dishes, the diligent kitchen workers and Tamar the chef, all devoted themselves to preparing the food for the wedding.”
When Shaar-Yashuv arrived at the base, she was amazed by the beauty.
“For a moment, I could have thought that we were in a wedding venue and not on a military base in the south of the country,” she said. “The image of the bride and groom entering the chuppah, with the bride in a wedding dress and the groom in uniform, surrounded by fireworks: For me, this picture manages to convey a story of happiness and love even in times of war.”
“The exhibition serves as a testament to the beauty of giving and solidarity in Israel … In such challenging times when everything appears bleak, projects like these are the beacons of light that will illuminate our path.” – Haim Yafim Barbalat
“The exhibition serves as a testament to the beauty of giving and solidarity in Israel,” Barbalat said. “In such challenging times when everything appears bleak, projects like these are the beacons of light that will illuminate our path.”
ASIF Gallery is open from Sunday through Thursday from 9 am to 5 pm and on Fridays from 9 am to 3 pm. Learn more at ASIF.org.
