It's hard to underestimate the importance that hummus, the most basic of Middle Eastern dishes, holds for Israelis. That should be clear enough on Monday, when the sixth annual Hummus Day takes place in seven neighborhoods across Jerusalem. In fact, this will be the first Jerusalem-wide Hummus Day, as the first five editions were limited to the event's original home base in French Hill. All were the initiative of neighborhood resident and hummus lover Itai Litman. “The first five times in French Hill went so well, I thought it would be a good idea to share this with the rest of Jerusalem,” states Litman. It is a pretty basic concept: Local residents get together at a central location to enjoy some hummus – provided by the Pinati restaurant chain – and spend the last day of the summer vacation together, parents and kids alike. “This is a neighborhood-community event which, I think, gives off good energy,” Litman continues, “and I thought it would be a good vibe to share with people living in other parts of the city.” His local bash will take place at its perennial venue of Hashalom Park on French Hill's Abba Berdichev Street. Other hummus-themed gatherings are slated for beneath Train Track Park's bridge and in Denya Park near Kiryat Hayovel. At the far-northern end of the city, residents of Pisgat Ze'ev can pop over to 25 Meir Gershon Street, which overlooks the Hanan School, while people from Beit Hakerem can get into some hummus at Denmark Square. East Talpiot residents can meet at the Sherover Promenade near the turn-off to the neighborhood, and southerners in Gilo will gather in Zeidberg Park. “Neighborhoods like Gilo and Kiryat Hayovel, which were not originally supposed to take part in Hummus Day, asked to join in,” notes Litman. “That is very pleasing. The event is supported by the Jerusalem Center for Young Adults, which is very important, as each JCYA coordinator in each neighborhood organizes his or her local event.” In addition to the edibles, there will be some wholesome activities for the kids. Litman says Hummus Day is designed to round out the summer vacation before parents and offspring get back to “normal.” “The kids have finished their summer camps, and everyone – parents and kids alike – are getting a bit stir-crazy. The pretext is that people come to eat hummus, but in fact, they come to meet each other, to spend time together and wind down,” he explains. He adds that this is a definitively nonprofit venture. “Pinati sells the hummus at a very affordable price. No one is looking to break the bank here.” Naama Teshuvah of JCYA is all in favor of generating a community feel around town: “The parties that are taking place simultaneously in the city's neighborhoods, from the north to the south, reinforce the sense of community and the standing of the younger neighborhoods in the city, and the ties between the neighborhoods and the communities themselves, and imbue the city with another cool and unique complexion.” According to Litman, the entire venture is actually the outcome of some good-natured ribbing. “People were always arguing and joking about where the best hummus is, and it slowly became a really big joke,” he laughs. “This is a laid-back thing – Mayor Nir Barkat came to French Hill last year and had a good time, too, and I think that is its charm. I see no reason why this shouldn't spread all over the country.”
Mayor Nir Barkat flanked by hummus lovers of all ages, on Hummus Day 2014