This is an advertisement for the Telma brand’s packaged gefilte fish mix which appeared on November 15, 1971 in the newspaper Davar. The advertisement features a smiling fish wearing a chef’s hat and pointing to a box of Telma gefilte fish mix. The text below the illustration announces an innovation in the preparation of gefilte fish, which results in the authentic, traditional food without the unpleasant work usually required. The box contains a bag of ground fish and a bag of sauce to be used by the cook to make gefilte fish. The advertisement declares that the product is “the excellent traditional food, with a modern preparation.” It seems to be appealing to modern women of the time, who may still want to prepare traditional Shabbat meals despite having less time due to working outside of the home. The advertisement ends with the slogan, “Once Telma, Always Telma.”
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Gefilte Fish – Gefilte fish is a traditional Ashkenazi food that is often served as a first course on Shabbat and holidays. It is made from ground fish which may be combined with eggs, onions, bread or matzo meal, and spices. The mixture is rolled into balls and boiled in water. Some gefilte fish is sweetened, and some contains pepper. Gefilte fish is often served with horseradish. Although the origins of gefilte fish are not certain, it is believed to have been created as a way to feed more people for less money at a time when most people were poor. By adding fillers such as eggs and flour, the fish went further. After World War II, food companies began producing gefilte fish in cans and jars. Frozen gefilte fish can also be bought.
Shabbat – Shabbat is the Jewish name for Saturday, the Jewish day of rest. According to Jewish tradition, this day commemorates the final, seventh day of God’s creation of the world. Shabbat is observed from just before sunset on Friday night until the appearance of three stars on Saturday night. The Talmud devotes an entire tractate to the rules of Shabbat and derives 39 types of forbidden activities. These include using electricity, writing, and other actions that are considered forms of creating. Shabbat is, instead, a day for family, community, prayer, and reflection. Traditionally Shabbat is ushered in by lighting candles, reciting the blessings over wine, Kiddush, and over the two loaves of special Shabbat bread, challah, and enjoying a festive meal. Shabbat is marked in the synagogue by a special additional prayer, known as Musaf, and the reading of the weekly Torah portion. The end of Shabbat is marked by the Havdalah ceremony. In Israel, secular Jews also enjoy Shabbat by eating Friday night dinner with their family and friends and spending time together in the countryside or on the beach. Most workplaces are closed on Shabbat.
Shabbat Food – Food is an important part of the celebration of Shabbat. All Shabbat meals open with Kiddush, the blessing on wine and a blessing on the two loaves of special Challah bread. The menu, however, differs according to the origin of the family. Traditional food in Ashkenazi families often includes fish or gefilte fish, chicken soup with kneidelach (matza balls) and chicken or beef. Sephardi families open the meal with elaborate, often spicy salads, spicy fish, and chicken or beef. For Shabbat lunch, it is traditional to eat stews that have cooked throughout the night such as the Ashkenazi cholent and the Sephardi chamin or tabith. Today, the communities have come together and the different traditions are often combined, so that is not surprising to start a Shabbat meal with Sephardi salads together with Jachnun, a Yemenite savoury pastry, and followed by gefilte fish and cholent.
