With war raging in the Middle East and levels of antisemitism at all-time highs, many Jews are finding comfort in food. And not just any food: traditional Jewish basics like bagels, lox and matzo ball soup.
At Mamaleh’s in Cambridge, Brookline and Boston, they’ve been dishing out the cuisine while creating a safe space for all who want to come inside.
“Being a part of Mamaleh’s, I think has really reconnected me to, you know, the fact that I'm not a religious person, but I feel deeply Jewish," explained owner and corporate pastry chef Rachel Sundet.
Each item on the menu tells a story.
"The matzo ball recipe is actually one that was, my mother's best friends, who I think she had gotten from her mother and passed down over the years," Sundet said.
As does the name.
"Mamaleh’s Well, so Mamaleh is a Yiddish term of endearment," Sundet said.
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She started the restaurant in 2016 with her business partners, opening the first location in Kendall Square.
"It sort of occurred to us after the fact that we were not opening just any restaurant. But there was, this sort of, like, real cultural aspect of it," Sundet said.
It's that connection to culture that's helped the small staff through a very painful year. Sundet says her restaurant has become a safe space after the events of Oct. 7, 2023 and the war in Gaza - a time when antisemitism has hit a concerning all-time high, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
"I don't think that people are walking in and announcing that, but they are walking in and sort of quietly just feeling it," she said.
Mamaleh's prides themselves on welcoming everyone in, and Sundet says they haven't been targeted despite rising tensions on nearby college campuses.
"It's, I think, really important to us to keep it feeling a happy and joyful and, you know, safe space for anybody who wants to come through the door," she said.
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