Rosh Hashanah recipes redefine family gatherings and Jewish pride

The first night of the Jewish New Year means families are gathering for feasts around the table. The dishes are often passed down through generations.

However, there is one woman who is modernizing the tradition.

Robin Weiss' "Kugelahs Kugbook" recipes

At 26 years old, Robin Weiss is giving a refresh to the old-fashioned cookbook, publishing the "Kugelahs Kugbook" comprised of 17 different types of kugel recipes, including apple pie and pumpkin cheesecake for Rosh Hashanah.

Kugel is a recipe the comedian learned as a child and now it's her staple with a signature crust, and she founded the brand "Kugelahs" to teach people how to make the traditional Jewish casserole.

"My mom is no chef and neither was I really growing up and that was just like the one recipe we brought and the one dish we brought to every single holiday," said Weiss who grew up in the Westchester County town of Irvington.

The book and brand honor her late grandmother, a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to the U.S. from Austria.

"So she was a creative and always spent her time on arts and crafts and things like that and her house was always filled with that," said Weiss. "She always encouraging of me to be a creative person and saw so much in me."

Weiss recently taught her recipe to Holocaust survivors at a retreat in the Catskills organized by the nonprofit The Blue Card.

"It's a way I can share my grandma's survival story. I always was so inspired by her and I wanted to make sure her legacy continued on," said Weiss. "She's the reason I am who I am, and she deserves to be remembered for all time."

Matzo balls, the Rosh Hashanah staple

While recipes like kugel have evolved over generations, there are some Rosh Hashanah staples that remain the same.

The Manischewitz family first published its historic matzo ball recipe in the company's 130-page bilingual cookbook Tempting Kosher Dishes. In that book, they market them as "Feather Balls, Alsatian Style," and today it's sold in premade boxes, but the recipe from scratch can also be found today at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

When Mitchell Davis' family moved from Teaneck, New Jersey, to Toronto, he says the meal was the holiday.

As he writes in the worldwide collection of recipes, "The Jewish Holiday Table," the best part was the honey walnut cake, kashka varnikes, carrot tzimmes and a round challah with honey and raisins.

"For us, it was the roundness, it was the cycle of life, the start of the new year, and the sweetness was for prosperity and a good luck," said Davis, who is a project manager with the Jewish Food Society.

"Savta's Schnitzel" at Mama Mezze

Restaurateur Mark Barak is passing down his mother's schnitzel by serving it up at his Flatiron restaurant, Mama Mezze. It's on the menu as Savta's Schnitzel, because savta means grandma in Hebrew.

In the later part of the 20th century, as women entered the workforce, Megan Scauri of the American Jewish Historical Society explains more families started ordering meals out.

But lately, she says people are returning to their collection to rediscover recipes that range from Kosher Chinese to Kosher Creole to Peruvian.

"So we actually have a copy of the oldest Jewish American cookbook that was published in English in 1871. It's by Mrs. Esther Levy. It is called the Jewish Cookery Book," said Scauri, Senior Librarian of AJHS.

"There is a recipe for kugel in it, it's spelled different than we're used to — C-O-O-G-L-E," said Scauri. "It also has ways to save money, ways to set your table and important tips about the holidays."

Weiss, who has taught her recipe to Holocaust survivors, hopes the feeling her food brings this holiday spreads love.

"Judaism is my passion. It's the most amazing thing that I was born into so it really has spread a lot of joy," said Weiss.