As a Jewish American, Elizabeth Ehrlich was doubtful about her Jewish background. Indeed, she identified the culture but not the religious rituals and institutions. She came from a left-wing background and persistently avoided many religious practices. They used to eat corned beef “the taste without blessing”. However, when she entered the kitchen and penetrated the past life of her mother-in-law, Miriam, she understood the significance of preserving the cultural and religious background in their life. Miriam was a Holocaust survivor; she used to prepare many kosher meals, relating the agonizing story of her survival in Poland and her immigration to America. Ehrlich described the haunting night of survival with vivid descriptions and discreet words.
Miriam's Kitchen: A Memoir is a story of the spiritual awakening of a woman. Ehrlich conveys her message brilliantly by establishing this story through her letters, journals, stories, and Miriam’s recipes. She received the first-hand experience from these recipes and Sabbath observance. She did not open up her thoughts on cooking recipes and dietary to avoid judgments from her fellows. Ehrlich preferred to tell her, a vegetarian, to avoid the parochialism of her children’s Jewish school. She found that women were not included in Minyan, a Jewish prayer. She did not know how to participate in the prayer. She said, “I hope that a minyan will gather when I die and that it will have women in it”.
Later, she understood how Jewish morn and prepare their burial. She was not sure about the role and significance of prayer, rituals, and God. She did not know whether it had any value in her life. Ehrlich realized that she should carry her ancestors’ traditions and culture with her, even in this foreign land.
However, it is much more than the spiritual awakening and self-guided journey of a woman. From Miriam’s experiences, Ehrlich knows the past, present, and future of her family and finds the significance of her existence and role in this family. This is a beautifully evocative book, a heart-rending and powerful testimony of the importance of women in American society-the contribution to the survival of their faith, community, and family.
