“I'm just a farmer who came to rebuild his home, his place, at the foot of a volcano called Gaza," says Avida Bachar, a farmer from Kibbutz Be'eri who lost the love of his life, his teenage son, and his leg on October 7.
In the season finale of “Man/Land,” Shlomi Shaban and Hedai Offaim traveled to the Gaza border region to meet the people of Kibbutz Be’eri who refuse to let their home become a memorial. They choose instead to continue their lives there, bringing forth avocados and barley from the soil and rebuilding their community - even as they process unbearable loss.
While Hedai prepared a southern take on knishes from the local produce, Shlomi and his band gave a soulful performance of the song “At the Foot of the Volcano,” which could have been written about the farmers of Be’eri.
Credits:
Hosted by: Shlomi Shaban, Hedai Offaim
Episode Guests: Avida Bachar, Yarden Tzemach
Director: Yonatan Zaid
Project Management: Eyal Levit
Production: Shir Sharoni
Editing: Yoav Gershon
Guitar, Vocals: Uzi Ramirez
Bass, Vocals: Or Edry
Drums, Vocals: Yonadav Halevy
Research: Maya Fogel
Production Assistants: Roei Yairi, Mika Hadaya
Cinematographers: Snir Katzir, Ory Skop
Sound Recordist: Genia Lus
Song Recording: Eran Butbika
Soundtrack Design and Mix: Shai and Mor Sivan – United Twins
Makeup and Hair: Naomi Dalal
Colorist: Aviran Aldema
Equipment Rental: Ancho Gosh
Design and Animation: Dov Abramson Studio
Digital: Matan Chaim, Niva Goldberg, Lior Shir-Ran, Yishay Shapira, Hadas Duchan
Publicity: Sharon Gini, Osher Ben Yehuda
Marketing: Gabriel Vinocur, Yam Deloya
Artistic Management: Amihai Chasson, Yehonatan Ben Sasson
CEO of Beit Avi Chai: Noam Novick
Director of Beit Avi Chai: Dr. David Rozenson
Kibbutz Canteen Knishes
Ingredients:
For the filling:
• 1 onion
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ kg ground beef
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch parsley
• 6 scallions
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
For the dough:
• 6 potatoes
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 4 eggs
• Salt and ground pepper
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil for frying
Instructions:
Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water over high heat until tender. Remove from the water and let cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling: finely chop the onion and add it to a wide pot over high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until it turns golden, then add the olive oil. Stir a bit more, then add the ground beef and garlic. Fry, stirring, until the meat turns grayish-brown and slightly dry. Finely chop the parsley and scallions and add them to the pot. Stir well, then season with salt and black pepper. Add one or two tablespoons of flour and mix thoroughly, until the flour is absorbed and the mixture becomes slightly smoother. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Peel the potatoes and mash them. Add flour until the mixture holds together well. Form into golf ball-sized balls and flatten each in the palm of your hand. Fill with the meat mixture and seal into a thick patty.
Beat the eggs. Dip each patty in the beaten egg, then transfer to a pan of hot oil over medium heat. Fry on both sides until golden brown.
Remove to a strainer to drain, and serve with chopped avocado salad and a cold glass of soda water.
