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TikTok star BenGingi highlights Israeli cuisine in a proudly defiant new cookbook

JL;DR SUMMARY Ben Siman-Tov, known as BenGingi on TikTok, released a cookbook called "Eat Small Plates," celebrating Israeli cuisine amid a tense global climate following Oct. 7. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

KosherJewish IdentitySocial MediaTiktokIsraeli AmericanIsraeli CuisineShabbat MealsCookbookBengingiZikki Siman Tov

Places mentioned

New Jersey, United States
"During a video interview from his home in Northern New Jersey, Siman-Tov expresses dismay that today words like Israeli or Jewish have become triggering, as he calls it."
Rehovot, Central District, Israel
"Siman-Tov proudly uses the term Israeli. My approach is that I never hide it, said Siman-Tov, who was born in Israel, lived in Milan as a young child, and mostly grew up in Rehovot, in central Israel."
France
"Recently Siman-Tov, his wife and nearly 3-year-old daughter traveled to the South of France to meet his parents, who had flown in from Israel."
Milan, Italy
"Siman-Tov proudly uses the term Israeli. My approach is that I never hide it, said Siman-Tov, who was born in Israel, lived in Milan as a young child, and mostly grew up in Rehovot, in central Israel."
Pollenzo, Cuneo, Italy
"Siman-Tov came to the States for love he met Zikki when they were both studying at the Slow Food program at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, in the Italian Alps."
New York, United States
"Soon thereafter, Zikki returned to her native New York and, eventually, he joined her."
Manhattan, New York, United States
"Zikki, whom Siman-Tov describes as the love of my life, grew up in a Ukrainian family in the Ukrainian Village area of Manhattans East Village."
Greenwich Village, New York, United States
"These days, in addition to running a successful catering business and maintaining popular social media feeds, Siman-Tov is the proprietor of Buba Bureka, a buzzy Greenwich Village spot that focuses on the popular Israel street food."

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Cairo Item ID 60251
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Retrieved 2025-08-28 05:31:00 UTC
Curated 2025-08-28 08:31:32 UTC