Cooking Up Kindness: One Woman's Delicious Mission for Soldiers

On the final night of Mimouna, after Yamit Zehavi's last guests had left her Levot HaBashan home, full and happy, Yamit allowed herself just an hour of rest. By five in the morning, she was up again, frying dough for sfenj. By 6:30, she was driving to the soldiers' bases at the northern border, offering them freshly fried sfenj and moufletas as a warm, homey greeting.

“I’m originally from Kiryat Shmona, but a few years ago we moved to Levot HaBashan with my family,” she shares. “I’ve always maintained a close relationship with the soldiers, understanding their needs when they’re far from home, and offered my help wherever needed. With the war, this bond became stronger. Even at its peak, with non-stop alarms, we stayed because it’s our home. We knew the soldiers needed us. They felt free to come anytime, using our house as their own, where they knew where the key was, and could take what they needed to feel at home.”

Frying Non-Stop

Although the war is officially over, the northern border remains tense. The Zehavi family continues to support the soldiers. “Our home is always stocked with things they might need: clothes, warm blankets, heaters, and, of course, food that I cook endlessly, not knowing how many soldiers might come or what they might need."

Isn't the constant effort and invasion of privacy exhausting?

“Of course, sometimes it’s tough, but this mission is huge, and the satisfaction is beyond words. During the war, home-based operations from across the country supported us tremendously, sending meals we distributed around the bases. Lately, there’s been less activity, but troops still come, like this morning when two Golani brigades arrived. Personally, I felt nothing was more fitting than greeting them with moufletas, sfenj, and sweets. So, we went ahead and prepared them with 10 kilos of flour, frying over 800 moufletas in total, adding to the 17 kilos of flour used the previous night for our guests, many of whom were soldiers. It was amazing to see so many soldiers and their joy.

“I was especially touched by soldiers’ mothers who heard about my efforts and came to help me. I didn’t know them, met them for the first time yesterday, but they came just to bring joy. Needless to say, we got call after call from soldiers wanting to come, and everyone was welcomed, some even without an invitation. The door was always open, as usual.”

Now, after such a busy day - can you finally rest?

“Now it’s time to restore the house and rest until the next time. I'm ready to get back up anytime to make the soldiers happy. I must also mention my husband and three kids who support me tirelessly throughout this project—it’s not something to take for granted. Not everyone agrees to live in a house that resembles a bustling train station. The credit belongs to them too.”