Who’s in the kitchen:Parade Memories & Shawarma

Over one hundred thousand people will line the parade route from fifty –ninth to seventy-ninth streets this Sunday as they join the Celebrate Israel parade. Thousands of Israeli flags will be waved enthusiastically by young and old alike. Sidewalks will be virtually impassable, filled with baby carriages, dogs of all breeds and proud parents and grandparents waiting to catch a glimpse of their children marching by. All will treated to colorful floats, magnificent marching bands, dancers, celebrities, politicians  and thousands of yeshiva, day school and congregation children, in an endless array of colorful t shirts, along tree lined 5th Avenue, nestled between the park and the most expensive real estate in  America.  

Seems like yesterday when I marched with my high school classmates of Central, Bklyn.

Before we knew it, we were there with our spouses, then our babies, toddlers and teens, always meeting on 72nd and 5th.  How nice it was to touch base with friends from long ago. Facebook wasn’t around then so we all had a lot of catching to  do.

As the years went by, it got harder to get there on time. No matter how early we planned to leave, we were always a bit late, not easy with three kids. We then had to deal with traffic, finding a spot and then making our way to 5th Ave. As the kids started marching with HAFTR, we had to get there punctually in order to see them You know, the kid you just dropped off at school to board the bus to the parade… The kid that barely said goodbye as you dropped him off?  Didn’t matter. As we saw the school banner we would move forward toward the front of the crowd, saying “excuse me, my kid is about to march by”  We would scream their names and flail our arms around ...”there he is, take a picture!” Of course, without exception they would usually manage a slight wave, then make believe they didn’t see us till we picked them up at the end of the route. (Then they were only too happy to see us, as they didn’t have to take the bus back home). Was I too enthusiastic? Too loud? Ok, so I probably shouldn’t have ducked under the barricade to get a close up shot, but hey, I was excited. By the time my youngest,started marching, I knew I had to get there on time. Her main concern, was that I be waiting on 79th when the school turned off 5th Ave, and headed toward the busses. At that point, we were able to retrieve our kids and spare them the bus ride home. As luck would have it Haftr was the first to march . It took forever to get into the city, find parking and navigate my way around the closed streets . My daughter thought I had abandoned her. However, I did manage to snatch her right before she got shoehorned on the bus, but she was not happy.  I decided I needed a David Weber tutorial. David always likes to be early. In fact, he used to get to Disney before Mickey Mouse was even awake. He insisted Aviva be ready to leave at least three hours before the Israeli Day Parade started. There they were, bright and early; folding chairs arranged front and center. I think they even got to witness sunrise Being early also  meant choice of premium parking spots, or  parking lots Of course there was the time the elevator broke in one of those garages and they waited over 3 hours to retrieve their car . Let me apologize now for having a laugh at your expense David.

Great memories, great times and great friends. These days, we still head to 72th, park side, but now we update each other on graduations, weddings and grandchildren. So much has changed since the old days, but not our love of Israel, or showing support for the State!

In honor of the Israel Parade, here is a recipe for an old time favorite. Of course it’s always better in Israel, but if you can’t get there, why not whip one up yourself.

I can still taste the shawarma my daughter was eating in Tel Aviv, when I visited her during her year in Bar Ilan.

“No”, I said, “I’ll just have a bite; I don’t want a whole one”. Of course it turned into one bite for me, one for you, then two for me, one for you, then “Jord, you just might want to order another one......”

 CHICKEN SHAWARMA IN A PITA OR LAFFA

n 2 pounds boned, skinned chicken thighs cut up into strips

n 1 small onion very finely chopped (optional if you do not like onion)

n 1 tsp cumin

n 1/4 tsp turmeric

n 1/4 tsp nutmeg

n 1/2 tsp onion powder

n 1/2 tsp garlic powder

n salt & pepper

n small amount of olive oil

n 6  thick pitas or laffas

n Salad of your choice

n Sliced sour pickles

n Chumus and techina

n Hot sauce, optional

Broil the chicken strips till golden brown and set aside.

In a pan sauté onions till soft, then add chicken and spices and sauté for a minute.

Heat the pitas or laffas, slather on the chumus and techina, add the chicken mixture, salad, sour pickles and hot sauce.

If any of you find yourselves on 72th park side this Sunday, come by and say hi. If you get there before the crack of dawn, say hi to the Webers.

Judy Joszef can be contacted at Judy.soiree@gmail.com.