b'food mattersCooking with IlysseKyiv in your kitchenBY ILYSSE RIMALOVSKIT o find the ShatashviliofLooking back, we didnt realizeterInthedarkness,vibrationsof familylivinghappilywhat war actually is, says Maryna.tanks and other large vehicles rum-inourcommunityWar is 1,000 miles away. Its onlyblingalongthehighwaynearby isnothingshortofain the books. Its only in the mov- could be felt, more than heard. Af-miracle. Its been threeies. They left the security of theirspending seven nights in their yearssinceMaryna,suburban home with a giant pot ofbasement as missile alerts sounded, herhusbandIrakliipea soup on the stove and two bagstheShatashvilisgatheredimpor-andtheirthreechildrenSamuelwinter clothes, expecting to re- tant documents, cash and supplies. (14),Tamar(12)andEster(7)turn in a week or two. They decided it was time to leave.emigrated here from their belovedAlthough war was familiar in theAnevacuationplanwasorga-home in Ukraine.background of their lives, danger atnizedbyJewishcommunitiesof Witheachchallahbraided,their doorstep was far from a dailyUkraine,KyivandHatzalah,a baked and delivered from the Ma- concern. They resided in an upscaleglobalemergencymedicalservice. plewood Jewish Centers commer- neighborhoodoutsideofDnipro,With extended family driving five cial kitchen, Iraklii takes the timeUkraines fourth-largest city. It wasdifferent cars, they joined a caravan to know each of his customers per- peaceful there and cool to be Jew- heading west, following buses with sonally, building new connectionsish.Theywerepartofavibrantunknown routes ahead. What they loafbyloaf.Hisbreadbusiness,and growing community led by aknew as beautiful countryside filled Ben & Shvili, grows alongside hischarismaticrabbiwhomodeledwith fields and forests was already day job as an IT specialist at Tourohow to balance traditional practicesmarked with checkpoints, piles of University. with modern cultural values. rocks and twisted metal barriers. When shes not helping her hus- Maryna,trainedasapharma- After 14 hours of driving with-band or managing her own JudaicacistandHebrewschooleducator,out stopping, the caravan arrived in side hustle, Maryna teaches at Jo- blended teaching with motherhood.bordering Moldova. The Shatashvi-sephKushnerHebrewAcademyIraklii rose to director of educationallis spent the night in a hostel. A Fri-in Livingston, another local com- programs and online leader at theday night Shabbat dinner enabled munitythatanchorstheirfamily.prominent Hillel IT School. Theirthe families to take a familiar pause After having to negotiate multiplekids were enjoying being kids. and regroup. Soon, they navigated schools and languages in quick suc- But following the full-scale Rus- their way to Romania.cession,thechildrenhavelandedsianinvasionofUkraineonFeb.Anewrealitywasemerging there as students who excel in aca- 24, 2022, Dnipro rapidly becameastheycontemplatedoptionsof demics, sports and resilience. a logistical hub for people fleeingwhere to go next, multiple conver-Itellthemthattheyhavetofrom battle zones. sations spinning into one. What worktwiceashardateverythingConflictinginformationanddo you mean, Cyprus or Israel? My From top: The Shatashvili family in theirbecausewearestartingherewithmountingchaosquicklybecamekids have snow boots, snow pants hometown of Dnipro, Ukraine in 2021:nothing,saysIraklii,whoisex- existential.Remarkably,Marynasandjackets.Ihavenothingelse, Maryna, Iraklii and their three children Samuel, Tamar and Ester. Chicken Kyivtremely proud of their accomplish- motherwasabletofindadriverrecalls Maryna. makes for a flavorful main course. In 2024,ments.He,too,embodiesthisthat morning to make the trip toTheElAlairplaneswaitedas the Shatashvili family celebrated the bar mitzvah of Samuel as he turned 13, oneethic,havingleftthecountryofDnipro from her home hours away.linesofcarsemptied,abandoned year after relocating to Maplewood. Georgia with his family in 1992 asIt was really hard to explain to theindefinitely.Theflightwastear-theSovietUnioncollapsed.Theykidswhatwashappening,saysful.Still,thepassengersweredo-resettled in Ukraine as part of theMaryna,incredulous.Esterwasingtheirbestastheyconfronted shifting Jewish diaspora. only 3 years old at the time. what was left behind. Along with 24/ matters magazine / hearth + home 2026'