Love is the guiding force of many events in An Israeli Love Story. Beyond the obvious love shown between Eli and Margalit through the course of the story, there are many times where a wider familial or platonic love is shown, often through the context of shared meals. Food is almost always something shared with loved ones, be it family or friends, and becomes a centerpoint of many celebrations.
The first clear example of this shown in the movie is when Eli spends the night at Margalit’s house. He eats with her family, and it’s very clear that this is the moment he becomes a part of it, even if it’ll be a long while before him and Margalit start dating. There’s no big moment that this happens - it’s a series of small interactions that each show relationships forming and strengthening, even over the course of just an hour. He compliments their honey and listens to her father’s soup story, and otherwise responds to their hospitality and kindness with as much of his own as he can.
When Israel is declared a state, and an announcement is made over the radio, the celebration happens over a large meal. Good drinks and good food are passed around, the meal matching the emotional atmosphere of the celebration. This food is all shared between Margalit’s family and friends, a large group of people who all share a love of each other and their newly-declared country, expressing that love through their energetic celebration.
Celebratory food is also a key part of the wedding between Margalit and Eli. The women spend days preparing many special foods and desserts, ensuring that they are of a high enough quality for this momentous occasion. Preparing this food is a celebration of love in and of itself - everyone preparing for the wedding is joyous, completing their litany of tasks with love for the couple and their communities. It’s a time for the people who love Eli and Margalit to come together and celebrate the love between the two, the love their friends and family have for them, and the love the members of their communities have for each other.
There are many more small instances of a meal being used as a method of expressing love. Tea is shared between friends, family, and lovers; group meals occur often and are generally happy occasions. Food offers a medium for people to express a potentially unspoken closeness, and brings people closer in many different ways.