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FoodBrauner Teddy, The National Photo CollectionFamine in the Fifties. Loaves of bread being prepared in aJerusalem bakery for the city’s hungry population.With the increase in the local Jewish population, theBerman family moved to Mea Shearim, building a houseand bakery side by side. Not only was it the largestbakery in Palestine but also in the entire Middle East. Itwas no wonder that it was a major tourist attraction atthe time.No loafing aboutWith the siege of Jerusalem in 1948, flour and gasolinerationing led to shortages and even starvation.Due to its proximity to the Jordanian border, andsince it was the main supply source for the besiegedpopulation, the bakery became the target of numerousbombing attempts. Despite this, the bakery never ceasedproduction, and the residents of Jerusalem received adaily supply of bread.Today Berman’s Bakery is located in the growing andthriving commercial center of Gival Shaul, and when in2001 it acquired Vadash Bakery in Ramat Hasharon andthe Lechem HaAretz Bakery, a bakery specializing inhealth bread and special cookies, it became the secondlargest bakery in the country, producing 3000 freshloaves every hour, much of which is transported acrossthe country in over sixty trucks – a far cry from themules and horses over 100 years ago.‘Anchored’ in history, it all began with a vision from awindow in the Old City!Well-BreadModern Israelis of all religious and ethnic backgroundlove bread, and eat a large variety of it. This is nevermore evident than on Friday mornings when Israelis,irrespective of their degree in religiosity, cram intobakeries selecting their different size and shape of theirSabbath bread, known as Challah. Made with eggs,this Jewish Sabbath‐and‐holiday bread is immersed infolklore and tradition and is loaded with symbolism asmuch as it is with ingredients. On festive occasions ablessing is said over two loaves, symbolizing the twoportions of the manna that was distributed on Fridaysto the children of Israel during their Exodus from Egypt.The breads are covered on the table by a decorativechallah cover, representing the dew that collected onthe manna in the morning. Poppy and sesame seedssprinkled on the bread also symbolize the manna thatfell from heaven.Challah is made in various sizes and shapes, all of whichhave a meaning. Braided ones, which may have three,four, or six strands, are the most common, and becausethey look like arms intertwined, symbolize love. Threebraids symbolize truth, peace, and justice. Twelve humpsfrom two small or one large braided bread, recalls themiracle of the twelve loaves for the twelve tribes ofIsrael. Round loaves, “where there is no beginning andno end,” are baked for Rosh Hashanah to symbolizecontinuity, while ladder shaped ones served at the mealBerman’s Bounty. Workers placing challot - the traditionalShabbat (Sabbath) bread - into a baking oven in the early1980s at Berman’s Bakery in Jerusalem.Rimon baruch, The National Photo CollectionSpring-Summer 201240