The Snack Food That’s Seen Israel Through Trying Times
The Jerusalem Post tells the story of a typically Israeli munchie:
The year was 2003, and in Israel, the Homefront Command worked to prepare Israelis for Iraqi missiles. Gas masks were issued, and all over the country, people bought heavy plastic sheeting to seal up a room. Everyone shopped for emergency supplies – flashlights, bottled water, milk, sugar, flour, bread – and Bamba.
Bamba, the peanut-flavored snack food, wartime essential? Indeed – on March 27, 2003, the Knesset declared Bamba a vital staple food, meaning that workers at the Bamba factory in Holon would receive call-up orders to produce Bamba, just like soldiers. “We see the Bamba factory as vital, just like a bakery,” said then-Labor Ministry official Nahum Eido.
See the full story, for the full story of Bamba.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
