A selection of sweets on Maud’s table at the Inwood Farmers Market. (Credit: Hope Zhu)
When New York artist Trish Maud turned another year older this September, she chose to celebrate differently: with a bake sale for 15 Gazan families she had come to know through a college connection. Every Saturday at a corner of the Inwood Farmers Market, she sets out trays of American sweets like chocolate and vanilla cupcakes alongside Palestinian desserts such as ka’ak asawer, or Palestinian date ring cookies.
The weekly table has become a way for Inwood neighbors to learn about daily life in Gaza, including the story of Adel Sharaf, a young father who delivers water and basic supplies to villages near his home. During a fragile ceasefire, he returned to the remnants of his neighborhood and continued to send Maud short voice messages as he tried to settle back into whatever remained.
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About the author(s)
Hope Zhu is an M.S. student at Columbia Journalism School and has previously covered topics including immigration, retail, and travel.