Grape and Almond Cake
Plus: Believe your truth-telling eyes
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“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” —George Orwell, 1984
We are, regrettably, here. We have arrived at a moment in our country’s history when government agents are murdering American citizens in the streets and detaining 5-year olds in bunny hats on their way home from school. These masked thugs are living out their twisted Halo fantasies on human beings. Without shame. Without regret. Without fear of punishment—because they have the full support and encouragement of the president and vice president, and the cabinet-level monsters working behind the scenes to terrorize anyone who opposes their regime.
They tell us not to believe our eyes as we watch ICE shoot peaceful American citizens in broad daylight. They spit out falsehoods to justify their cruelty. They slander their victims as domestic terrorists without a shred of evidence—and, in fact, with overwhelming, verifiable evidence to the contrary.
It feels impossible to do enough to help. To pierce through the manufactured chaos. To combat the lies, which flow from this administration like lava down a mountainside. To slow their destructive sledgehammers, let alone to begin mending the cracks to our collective humanity.
And yet, there have also been moments of light. There is light in the people of Minnesota who have stood up firmly, powerfully, and peacefully, day after day, against the government’s baffling siege on their city. Rather than be (understandably) deterred by ICE’s violence and the threats to their own physical safety, they have stood together with their neighbors. Bravely. Relentlessly.
There is light in hundreds of clergy—spiritual leaders from across all faiths—flexing their moral authority while calling for change, and braving sub-zero Minnesota temperatures to do it.
There is light in people around the country calling their representatives to voice their outrage, and to urge congress to deny ICE more resources.
There is light in the everyday people who are speaking out around the country—even if they’ve never considered themselves very “political” before. There is light in their understanding that now is not the time for silence. And that this fight is not about left vs. right. It is about life and death.
—
Next week is Tu Bishvat—the Jewish New Year of the Trees. It used to feel odd to me to celebrate trees during the depths of winter. Right now in Brooklyn, the lovely old sycamore tree outside our window is shivering under a foot of snow. Wouldn’t it make more sense to honor the trees during the balmy days of summer? When they are lush with shade-giving greenery and heavy with fruit?
Sure. But this holiday has something more powerful to teach us. Tu Bishvat marks the moment when the light begins to return, and the sap begins flowing inside a tree after the long, dormant season. We may not see evidence of buds or leaves on their branches just yet, but there is powerful movement happening just below the surface. A waking up.
As desperate as I feel about this moment for our country and for our humanity (and there are days when the desperation feels all-consuming) I also see the stirrings of something bigger happening. We have reached an inflection point—a moment in this second, horrific Trump term, when we can no longer simply tune out the news/noise or keep our heads down and wait things out.
The power of defiant, love-fueled solidarity and community that we are witnessing in Minnesota has begun to spill across the country. Like the sap rising inside a tree, even as winter pounds away its bare branches, their bravery is filling hearts with hope and spurring people into action. May their efforts, and ours, sprout into a million blooms.
—
Remember: If you’re grieving or enraged, that means your heart still works. And if you don’t know where to start, it means your rational mind simply needs a minute to catch up. Here are some entry points to plug in:
Watch this.
And this.
Donate to somewhere on this list, if you’re able to.
Call your senators and demand they vote down more funding for ICE (yes it helps.)
Hug your family. Hug your friends. Hug your pets.
Call someone you love who lives far away to check in on their heart.
Bear witness. Believe your truth-telling eyes.
Grape and Almond Cake
On Tu Bishvat, it is customary to eat the seven species (sheva minim) associated with ancient Israel, as mentioned in the Torah: figs, barley, wheat, olives, dates, grapes (or wine) and pomegranates. Many people also serve nuts and tree fruits during the holiday, particularly almonds which are famously the first tree to bloom after the Middle East’s rainy winter season.
This recipe brings both of those traditions together in a tender almond and citrus-scented cake threaded through with juicy red grapes. It would be a welcome addition on the dessert table at a Tu Bishvat seder or meal, and is also casual enough to bake for weekend nibbling. Serve the Grape and Almond Cake as is or alongside Greek yogurt, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream. It also makes a dreamy companion to afternoon coffee.
Makes one 9-inch round cake
