Citizen's Kitchen initiative offers thousands of free meals and a bastion to volunteers

In response to the challenges that arose following the tragic events of October 7, sisters Aliya Fastman and Shaendl Davis, the owners of Tel Aviv cooking studio Citrus & Salt, have turned their culinary haven into a place of unity and support for those affected by the ongoing crisis in Israel.

Originally hailing from the Bay Area in the United States, Aliya and Shaendl felt compelled to make a positive impact on their adopted home during these challenging times. Their project, known as "Citizen's Kitchen," has evolved into a friendly space for people to come together and contribute to the nation's well-being. Despite the occasional rocket sirens, volunteers eagerly gather to prepare and deliver thousands of lovingly cooked meals.

“The day after the war started, I decided we needed to do something that would have a big impact,” recalled Fastman. Together, in the days since the onset of the conflict she and Davis have enlisted the help of hundreds of immigrant volunteers from their community.

“We have a focus on [recruiting] olim, because a lot of us here are choosing to make Israel our home. We don't have a big network here. Some of us don't speak Hebrew, and I thought ‘there's a way that I can help; I can help connect these people, give them direction, and we can do something that'll spread light and good for our chosen home country,’” Fastman said.

“The first day, we put out 150 meals. Since then we've become way more organized and we're averaging about 500 meals, so soldiers, displaced families, Shivas — anybody who's asking us,” she continued. 

Helping others to help themselves

Fastman noted that Citizen's Kitchen serves two purposes simultaneously, providing deliberately prepared meals to those throughout the country in need, while also offering a place for volunteers to come together.

“We're trying to provide support for the English speaking community — primarily olim, but of course, anybody is welcome. It's kind of a place for them to be together in our trauma and in our grief. We're having people come every day, we've had some English group therapy with a licensed doctor, we're having Shabbat dinners together as a way to kind of move forward as a community.”

Since its inception, Citizen's Kitchen has delivered over 6,500 hot meals to those who have been displaced, families grieving their losses, and the dedicated soldiers on the front lines. Additionally, their efforts have generated over $50,000 in donations, which are used to purchase the necessary ingredients and supplies to sustain their operation.

“We're only two weeks old, but we're hoping to expand and be able to continue the volunteer initiative,” Fastman said. “It's always unpredictable. You have to roll with the punches if you’re gonna live here.”