Baking hot night for an epic challah bake

That over 300 challah makers gathered to bake on one of the hottest nights of the year was testament to the extraordinary support Lisa and Michael Marlowe now have around them since the murder of their son Jake at the Nova festival on October 7.

Hosted by Jake’s parents  through The Jakey M Project, “Bake for Jake” was held in collaboration with the Israel Guide Dog Centre UK. The event, staged in Mill Hill, raised more than £11,000 for the charity and drew a crowd of mostly women, with a sprinkling of men, many wearing special Jakey M Project aprons.

Welcoming the bakers Lisa Marlowe explained why the project exists and spoke movingly about her musician son who repeatedly returned to rescue young people fleeing the massacre before he was murdered himself.
“A part of me died that day,” said Lisa. “But out of that unimaginable darkness came a ray of light.”

She explained that The Jakey M Project is about “choosing light over darkness, unity over division, kindness over hatred and action over despair” and ensuring that “Jake’s courage and selflessness continue to help others.” His legacy lives on through an MDA ambulance dedicated in his name, as well as a  life-saving emergency response motorbike, a Youth Aliyah scholarship and a bomb shelter near the Nova site. Funds raised from the Challah Bake will be used by the IGDC UK, to help people who are blind or partially sighted and increasingly to assist those suffering from PTSD, anxiety and autism.

Nova survivors Doron Mizrahi and Yael Bonnet were also at the challah bake , both sweetly wearing Jakey M aprons, as were Jewish influencer chefs Ben Rebuck, Romy Kim aka Romy Kosher and Josh Halmer aka Falmer who added some social media cachet to the cooking which was supervised by Rebbetzen Joanne Dove and Tami Isaacs Pearce aka the Challah Queen, owner of Hampstead’s Karma Bread.

Now I’ve never made a challah in my life and may never again, but with this crowd everyone felt like Nigella Lawson. There was something infectious about hundreds of people sweating in the heat and getting stuck in to a bowl of flour, while being instructed  by Rebbetzen Dove who mixed practical instructions with spirituality by using the ingredients to illustrate wider lessons – so sugar for goodness and kindness. There was certainly no shortage of  kindness or experienced challah makers kneading dough with enviable confidence. The good news for novices was that it is is surprisingly difficult to ruin a challah according to the Challah Queen, but she had not seen my plaiting.

That  challenge came later at home, when my dough which had risen enthusiastically all the way home, suddenly became awkward on the kitchen table which lead to me creating what would be describe as an ‘ugly duckling’challah. Others fared considerably better, among them fellow baker Martine Davies who proudly shared a beautifully crafted challah in the shape of her dog, Rusty, baked to a perfect golden hue.

Across north London, beautifully braided Star of David challahs and picture-perfect creations were no doubt emerging from ovens. Mine looked rather more homemade, but this wasn’t a competition. It was about coming together in Jake’s memory and challah has rarely tasted sweeter.