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Ignorance is Bliss…
A seder for broken Jews
The big fashion of recent times has been to rewrite or repackage the Passover haggadah to fit our individual tastes. If youre vegetarian, there is the Haggadah for the Liberated Lamb; if youre interested in Buddhism, there is the Haggadah for Jews & Buddhists: A Passover Ritual; if your thing is spiritual traditions, there is The Santa Cruz Haggadah: A Passover Haggadah, Coloring Book, and Journal for the Evolving Consciousness; for all you social justice lovers, there is Arthur Waskows Freedom Seder: A New Haggadah for Passover; if you are gay, you can try Like an Orange on a Seder Plate: Our Lesbian Haggadah; and if you dont believe in God, dont worry, you can get The Liberated Haggadah: A Passover Celebration for Cultural, Secular and Humanistic Jews.
This seder honors todays Egyptians
Jews have long celebrated freedom as part of the Passover seder, but any look at a newspaper these days provides a reminder that the topic is as relevant as ever.
Ethiopians to hold large seders in Israel
Some 5,500 Ethiopian immigrants will celebrate the seder together in 16 absorption centers throughout Israel. About 1,000 of the new Ethiopian immigrants have arrived in recent months and will celebrate their first Passover in Israel, according to the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Pretty for Passover
Quickly approaching are those festive spring nights marked by a plethora of matzah, reclining comfortably in your chair and just maybe hitting your neighbor over the head with stalks of green onion during the Dayenu (an Afghani and Iranian Passover tradition). Whether youre hosting a Passover seder this year or joining one, you wont want to be without these beautiful essentials that are sure to remind you and the rest of your table that those once enslaved have now become like kings.
I canoed to my seder
Yom tov candles and an ornate seder plate sat upon our table, which was covered with a beautiful cloth. We poured our first glass of wine and began to read from the haggadah. In almost all ways, this was a traditional seder. What made it different, however, was that it required two days and 25 miles to canoe to it. For six days, eight other Jewish souls joined me for a Pesach canoe trip on the Colorado River into the wilderness of Canyonlands National Park in Utah.
The Next Big Question...
The seder is all about questions. The evening starts with the famous four, asked by the youngest present, but if the seder is what it should be, it doesnt stop there. Everyone around the table from the youngest all the way to the oldest is encouraged to dissect, debate and shamelessly pontificate over each bit of the haggadah and over any part of Jewish tradition, ideally well into the night.
A Seder Is Not a Seder Is Not a Seder…
My Passover odyssey began in 1991, when I decided to organize a community seder. It would be homemade affair in a rented room, with my children, cousins and friends creating the decorations, skits, music and conversation topics.
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Where’s the Passover story?
It's one of the great mysteries of the Jewish tradition. Every year, Jews around the world gather around a seder table to retell the story of our people's liberation from slavery. You can read a thousand articles, talk to a thousand rabbis, and they'll all say the same thing: At the Passover seder, we retell the story of the Exodus.
There's only one problem with this statement: It's not really true.
An old story finds new life in LGBT haggadah
Twas the week before Passover
Food issues
Every Passover The Jewish Journal receives story pitches for a new batch of seders that the organizers tout as original or groundbreaking. Evidently the traditional ritual, at which Jews gather and retell the story of our people's liberation from slavery in Egypt, is so 2000 B.C.E.
Women keep out—this seder’s for men only
"Avadim Hayinu," one of the first refrains of the Passover seder, usually refers to the fact that we were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. "What enslaves us as men," is another interpretation -- this at The Man Seder, the third annual men-only pre-Passover gathering, which takes place at American Jewish University this year on April 13.
Being the Mrs.
Pesach—in your own words
If you recall, a couple of weeks ago I asked you if there were Passover experiences that really moved you. Well, all I can say is I'm glad I asked.
Confessions of a kosher wine snob
Passover is finally here and while the family is wrangling over who will play host and who's invited, I'm wrangling with which wines to serve.
The seder offers 15 steps toward empowerment
Fifteen steps or ritual components make up the Passover seder. Knowing that in advance can empower your guests and everyone else gathered around the dinner table. Most haggadot list the 15 steps at the beginning of the text. Think of it as a key, or GPS, to help you navigate through this age-old tradition. In our home, we sing the 15 steps together, repeating them up to the ritual section being observed until we've completed all 15 parts.
Deliverance
Many, many years ago, in order to impress a young woman, I volunteered to make chicken soup for her Passover seder.
A Place at the Table
Has the Passover seder become a glorified Jewish meal or rote obligatory ritual, and is there a message here? Even in the realm of traditional recipes, too many of our young have not been taught to create the Passover experience or replicate the foods of past generations. The next generation needs to accept the responsibility of passing on the lesson or it dies with us.
One seder too many?
Nothing can bring out the worst in families more than the holidays -- "to grandmother's house we go," but which grandmother? To avoid conflict, some families eat two turkey dinners. Or there is the "this year, we'll go to your parents' house and next year we'll drive to Sheboygan to visit my parents."
New Pesach ‘traditions’ might be purr-fect for your family
When author Marge Piercy was a little girl, her grandmother set a special place at the Passover seder for Blackie, her grandmother's cat.
Full circle
My daughter, the animal lover, has a father who isn't. A hamster is the biggest pet I've gotten talked into so far. It lives in her room, and basically I wouldn't even know it was there except for one thing -- it's nocturnal.
Paper on ‘Israel Lobby’ Poses Threat
The haggadah hints that Jews ignore the way they are spoken about at their own peril. Actions too often follow words.
The Aftermath
I had prepped my boyfriend for what he was going to encounter. From a Hebrew 101 lesson the night before, to a quick 1-2-3 seder crash course in the car ride over.
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Food for Thought
Scientists will tell you that the senses of smell and taste are most strongly associated with memory. I think eating resembles what learning the Passover story should be -- we allow something from outside of ourselves to enter us; we "digest it" and change it (it is we who must tell the story so that our children can hear it) and it changes us and nourishes us and stays with us forever.
Darfur Seder Raises Awareness, Funds
"We need for America to speak out and really do something," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, one of the many high-powered guests in attendance. "Where to start, of course, is in the faith community."
PASSOVER: Don’t Be a Slave to Tradition
Here was my dilemma when I came of age and began making my own seders: Should I maintain tradition even though I didn't have the same associations with these foods that my mother did? Since Passover celebrates freedom (another traditional name for the holiday is Zman Cheiruteinu, or The Time of Our Freedom), I wanted to express my freedom by making foods of my own choosing, rather than feeling bound by a menu that was "traditional" only due to its roots in Eastern European cuisine.
PASSOVER FOOD: Treats to Leaven Desire for Dessert
Something new for the holiday, use the charoset ingredients to make a Passover Fruit Cake filled with nuts and dried fruit that offers a tasty and a crunchy treat. It is similar to the Italian delicacy known as Panforte that originated in Sienna. The mixture is tossed together in a large bowl, spooned into parchment-lined baking pans, and baked for an hour and a half. The good news is that these loaves will easily keep for the eight days of the holiday.
PASSOVER: The 11th Plague: Boredom
Not all seders are sit-down affairs. When "Dayenu" begins at the home of Simone Shenassa of West Orange, N.J., everyone takes bunches of scallions and hits everyone else, to imitate the whipping of the slaves.
PASSOVER: You Say Charoses and I Say Charoset
I was so excited when a publishing house in New York accepted my children's book for publication. Geared to preschoolers, it's a short piece that recounts the steps of the Passover seder in simple, upbeat verse. What I didn't realize was that the work would need to be translated.
PASSOVER: Songs for a Swinging Seder
Of all the Jewish holidays, none is so firmly rooted in the home and so joyously celebrated with song as Passover. This simple fact would lead you to expect an avalanche of Passover records, but this year the avalanche is more like a mild rain of pebbles, at least in the quantity department.
PASSOVER: 10 Contemporary Plagues
In the Passover haggadah, we read of the 10 Plagues that God sent to convince Pharoah to let the Hebrew slaves go free. The plagues -- bloody, violent, magical -- are a dramatic highpoint of the narrative. Mindful of the pain these plagues brought even to innocent Egyptians, Jews have traditionally spilled out a drop of their festive seder wine at the recitation of each plague.
PASSOVER: Modern Causes Add Meaning to Seder
Passover is a time for remembrance, but it is also a time for making memories relevant, and at many seders in Los Angeles, there is a practice of incorporating meaningful events of the day into the ritual dinner.
PASSOVER: Try to Avoid Asking the Fifth Question
While there are only four questions posed in the haggadah, most seders struggle with the unasked fifth question, "When are we going to eat?" It is asked, not only by hungry children, but also by adults who feel disconnected to the rituals of their ancestors.
PASSOVER: Yemenite Flavor at the Seder
Yemenite Jews in Israel live longer and healthier lives than other Israelis. Over the years, many researchers have attributed the Yemenite's good health to the simplicity of their cooking and their use of herbs and spices. Fenugreek, for example, a staple spice in our kitchens, has shown promise in research to treat diabetes and high cholesterol.
A Passover Surprise in Patagonia
"So, where are you doing the seder?" asks my mother, on the other end of my computer's crackly speakers. I had just arrived in Patagonia, a beautiful region of Argentina, blessed with sparkling blue lakes, snow-capped mountains and forests on fire with the colors of fall.
PASSOVER - The Model Seder Begets Model Students
Lingering clouds huddle at the eastern edge of Los Angeles' clear blue skyline, casting a dusty shadow over the snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains. Follow one of those meandering white trails down the mountain, and you'll find yourself at Weizmann Jewish Community Day School in the eastern foothills of Pasadena, where 38 students and 11 staff members occupy a stronghold of Jewish education in an area of Southern California not known for its overall Jewishness.
Passover Fest Offers Many Paths to Fun
It is not only illegal immigrants for whom the Passover tale holds appeal. The story of the Exodus can be easily updated for any of the numerous people in the Third World seeking freedom from oppression.
Stumped by Pesach Meals? Hit the ‘List’
While the focus of the list is Jewish food, perusing its offerings is like enjoying the old commercial for Levy's Rye Bread: You don't have to be Jewish to love it. Nor do you have to be Jewish to join in.
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7 Days in the Arts
Wines to Test the Palate, Pocketbook
Kosher wine has got a bad reputation, some of which is justly deserved. Along with rabbinical supervision of the winemaking process, strict rules about cleaning barrels, the prohibition of animal products and other laws regarding viniculture, wine was actually boiled (mevushal) as part of the traditional koshering process.
Opening the Door
Looking to really make your Passover meaningful? To truly exploring the modern-day concept of freedom? Then invite an American soldier to your home for the seder. That's what the Conservative movement on the West Coast is trying to arrange in a program called Seders for Troops, connecting synagogues located close to bases with local base chaplains.
Then Came the Boyfriend
With Passover around the corner, singletons everywhere are faced with a tough choice. Do you bring the person you're dating to the family seder? Or do you simply wish him or her a "chag sameach" and go off to your separate family celebrations. At the beginning of relationships we all face the issue of the timeline: How soon is too soon for the inevitable family Shabbat dinner invitation? After you become an official couple does that mean that your significant other is now automatically invited to all family events?
Spice Up Pesach at Ixtapa Club Med
Kayaking, catamarans and savory kabobs are all on the menu at the kosher Club Med program in Ixtapa, Mexico. The weather is warm, the sunsets are spectacular and the meals are to "live for."
Seders: Not Just for Pesach Anymore
Every holiday has its aura. Pesach has a scrubbed cleanliness; Purim, a cookie-dough indulgence, Sukkot, a back-to-nature thankfulness. Rosh Hashanah has its aura, too. For most of us, it's one that begins a season of awe, judgment and repentance.
Abraham’s ‘Children’ Connect at Seder
Interfaith Passover seder participants dine in a banquet hall at Wilshire Boulevard Temple. The April 29 seder grew out of an 11-day interfaith trip to Israel and the West Bank in February.
Come Fill Fatima’s Cup With Hope
Ten days ago, I was in the Al Serif Camp in Darfur, Sudan, with Fatima, the girl you see in the photograph. She lives there with 15,000 other refugees.
Let Your Tasteless Chicken Go
For many years, my daughter and I were lucky to be invited out for Passover. Besides joining a big group of people, and sampling a variety of Passover foods, I relished the added benefit of not having to plan, shop and cook for the daunting seder (first and second night) meals.
Haggadahs for play to keep boredom at bay
Afternoon naps, a steady flow of food and the promise of an afikomen surprise might keep children awake during the seder, but there is nothing that makes them tune out faster than the formal language of an adult haggadah.
Let My Students Go
Cecelie Wizenfeld is not alone in her efforts to find memorable ways of helping children connect with the holiday. While model seders, seder plate illustrations and handmade afikomen bags have become standard educational fare in the classroom, many Southland religious and day school teachers are finding that creative and unusual holiday projects make more of an impact.
Add Inclusiveness to Your Seder Table
For non-Jewish partners, even with the best good will, the seder experience can be strange and unfamiliar. Jewish family members prioritize coming together at this time of year.
Hail to the Seder Chief
I can just imagine my Orthodox grandparents worrying about making the seder come alive for their grandchildren.
Make Your Seder an Affair to Remember
By using your imagination and listening to the tried-and-true advice of the experts, you can create a stylish and sophisticated Passover seder that will have your guests wishing for another invitation next year.
How to make a seder child’s play
For parents of squirmy kids, a Passover seder can seem longer than the 40 years our ancestors spent wandering through the desert. Fortunately, all it takes is a little forethought and creativity to keep the younger set from getting as jumpy as the frogs in Pharaoh's bed at the big event.
Yeladim
How many times can you say "Passover" during the seder? For instance: "Pass over the salt." "Please pass over a soup spoon." Keep count and decide what the winner gets for a prize!
Don’t Get Plagued by Tricky Desserts
Many a great cook has been sent over the edge trying to produce some beautiful Passover baking.
Afikomen, Afikomen Wherefore Art Thou?
The afikomen: dessert or simply a ploy to keep children -- and some adults -- awake through most of the seder? Most people probably favor the latter, and tend to choose one of two techniques to make finding the half-piece of matzah interesting:
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