This past week, I had the rare pleasure of a private tour of the Mach’ne Yehuda Market. The Shuk, as it is affectionately known, is the bustling heart of Jerusalem and it is one of my favorite places in the world. My tour guide is a local historian who is currently involved in curating the new museum at the Sephardic Educational Center. But before we explored the Shuk, she insisted on sharing with me the deeper story of its origins.

She told me about Sir Moses Montefiore, a British financier, banker and philanthropist of Italian Sephardic descent. He was a visionary who transformed Jewish life in Jerusalem by financing Jewish neighborhoods outside the walls of the Old City, starting with the founding of Mishkenot Shah’ananim in 1860.

There are five neighborhoods in Jerusalem named for Montefiore, reflecting his deep commitment to building Jewish life outside the Old City walls. Built at a time when living outside the Old City was a daring act, they include Yemin Moshe, Zichron Moshe and Kiryat Moshe.

Our first stop on the tour was across Agrippas Street in the historic cluster of neighborhoods called Nach’laot. Mazkeret Moshe was built in 1882 for Ashkenazi Jews and Ohel Moshe was built to house Sephardic families. We explored Ohel Moshe, which was built in 1883 at the request of Sir Moses Montefiore, who was still alive at the time. The construction was funded through a charitable trust established in memory of his wife, Lady Judith Montefiore. Interestingly, she was not only a philanthropist’s wife but a culinary pioneer, who authored “The Jewish Manual” in 1846, the first English-language kosher cookbook.

The first homes were simple: one room, with outdoor cooking and communal bathrooms. Residents had to walk to the Old City to shop, storing perishables in cellars between trips. But over time, life improved. Families added rooms and courtyards, and multi-generational households formed tight-knit communities where food and tradition were at the heart of daily life.

Among the most notable residents of Ohel Moshe was Yitzhak Navon, who served as the fifth President of Israel from 1978 to 1983, and was the first Sephardic Jew to hold the office. Born in Jerusalem, Navon’s family history reflects centuries of Sephardic resilience and heritage. His father’s ancestors arrived in Jerusalem from Turkey in 1670 after fleeing the Spanish expulsion of 1492. His mother descended from the Moroccan kabbalist Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar, who settled in Jerusalem in 1742. In 1924, when Navon was just three, his family moved from Jaffa Road to Ohel Moshe, where they lived for eight years.

Eventually, Arab vendors saw the opportunity to sell their goods in the growing Jewish neighborhoods outside the Old City. They set up makeshift stalls selling their produce directly to the local residents. Over time, Jewish families joined them as merchants and what started as a small gathering of vendors evolved into a permanent and thriving marketplace: Mach’ane Yehuda.

Today, the shuk covers a vast stretch of Jerusalem. Yes, it draws tourists, but it’s a place where locals—young and old, religious and secular—still come to do their weekly shopping.

After walking through the winding alleys of Nachlaot, we finally entered the market. It was everything I remembered and more: stuffed vegetables steaming in trays, kubbeh soups bubbling in pots, flaky burekas, rustic breads, and rows of sweets. Counters overflowed with olives and pickled vegetables, dried fruits and roasted nuts. Fresh fish, chicken, and meats. 

Mahane Yehuda is far more than a market. It’s a living bridge between past and present—a place where history speaks through food, and where the Sephardic story is still being told, one bite at a time.

—Rachel

In Lady Judith Montefiore’s cookbook there is a recipe for a Sweet Cheese Pudding. The description says that this elegant dessert reflects the refined tastes of Lady Montefiore and the Sephardic love for citrus and dairy. It’s light, fragrant, and perfect served warm or cold. 

Rachel speculated that with its ingredients of ricotta cheese, eggs and sugar, it might have been a precursor to cheesecake.

But this week we present you with a fabulous recipe for a Basque Cheesecake. My daughter Alexandra is home for college and with her infinite patience, she gently beat the cream cheese with castor sugar, then added eggs, heavy cream, kosher salt, vanilla and a tiny bit of lemon zest.

This rustic cheesecake has a burnt top that imparts a delicious caramelized flavor. The interior is smooth, soft and sweet, with a creamy custard flavor. And the bottom, unlike a classic New York cheesecake, is crustless.

To pour over the cheesecake, Alexandra and I made a fruit compote of raspberries, chopped fresh cherries, crushed cardamom, lemon zest and lemon juice with sugar.

It’s truly the perfect dessert for Shavuot or anytime!

—Sharon 

Basque Cheesecake Recipe 

4 8 oz packs cream cheese 

1 cup castor sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream 

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest 

1 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425

Press two slightly overlapping pieces of scrunched parchment paper into a 10’ springform pan. 

Beat the cream cheese on medium speed for three minutes. Reduce speed to low, add the sugar and beat for 30 seconds. Add eggs, one at a time. Add the flour. Then slowly pour in the cream, salt, vanilla and lemon zest. 

Pour the batter into the pan and bang pan on the counter. Pop any bubbles with a knife.

Bake in the center of the oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until top is a deep golden.

Cool on the countertop for two hours, then refrigerate for 8 hours before serving. 

Serve with a Raspberry Cherry Cardamom Compote.

Raspberry Cherry Cardamom Compote

8 oz fresh raspberries

1 cup cherries, chopped and pitted 

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 lemon juiced

Zest of 1/2 lemon

4 cardamom pods, finely crushed or 1 teaspoon powdered cardamom

Pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, boil all the ingredients over low heat until fruit has softened and the liquid has thickened. 

Store leftovers in the refrigerator. 

Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them
on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. Website sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes.