Seders

Today my seminar (Repairing the World? American Jews and Social Justice) spent good hour talking about Passover seders. I'm serious. We all shared what we did for Passover- where was the seder, who was there, what Haggadah we used, what we talked about, etc. One girl commented how it seemed different in Michigan compared to Long Island (where she originally was from). I concurred with her and commented how fast the seder was. Then the professor responded, "It's really Reform, isn't it?" I looked at her and thought, "Reform? What do you mean? My family is Reform and we generally take about an hour to go through the Haggadah!! Are you saying that we're more Conservative??"

We whittled down to different factors contributing to different Seder experiences:
1) Ashkenazi or Sephardi? (Some of us had been in Israel at one point or another for Passover, you'd hardly find a Sephardi seder here in the US)
2) Regionalism- Like pizza, our region defines our traditions. I'm pretty sure Californians dine on fish instead of brisket (or so I heard that they don't eat turkey for Thanksgiving). Not only this, but Jewish migration to the South and the West can have an effect since they're creating new Jewish melting pots in communities like Los Angeles and Miami.
3) Liturgy- What was the Haggdah like? How was the story narrated? Selected texts? Was it written out like a short story?
3A) Denomination- Orthodox are more likely to follow the Torah exactly and tell it as a whole than the Reform or Reconstructionist.
4) Religion of Participants- Since Passover is widely celebrated, Jews are usually happen to open their doors to the outsiders to join in the festivities. Sometimes these outsiders can offer perspectives based on their life knowledge and religious affiliation, like Christians.
5) Levels of:
5A) Observance- I got conflicting responses when I told my mother and grandmother that I kashered my kitchen and exactly how I planned to observe Passover. (See my previous post on "Kashering the Kitchen" for more details).
5B) Knowledge- This is especially true for someone who is new to Passover whether a small child or a non-Jewish college roommate or a reborn Jew who hadn't attended a seder since childhood.
6) Social/Political Narrative- Feminists tend to place an orange on the seder plate. Some people choose to focus on Passover's teachings on social justice. Others may invite blacks and have a black-Jewish dialogue about slavery and freedom (like the Jews for Justice's Freedom Seder in 1969). Or even just on hunger. Or environmental!
7) Age- Older generations are more likely to keep things fairly traditional and straightforward. Younger generations are more likely to take a twist on the Haggadah and the holiday into new dimensions.
8) Universalism or Particularism- How open was the Seder? What was the context of the narrative? Who was there? Is Passover really only for the Jews? Was it okay for the Obamas to have their own Passover seder even though they're not Jewish?

What's interesting about Passover is that it does have a way of raising awareness of one's Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish community and Judaism. What does Passover mean to you? The following above factors can certainly shape a person's view of their Jewish identity because it's widely known and most celebrated holiday after Chanukkah. In some ways, it can be better than Yom Kippur in terms of reflecting your role- as a Jew in the non-Jewish mainstream. Yom Kippur, although my favorite holiday, has a way of turning off a lot of people because of its fasting requirements and emphasis on sins commited. Not only that, you are on your own with your sins- no one can share what you did. Nobody's going to argue with you or tell you it's alright. Passover, on the contrary, is more friendly in the sense that you do get to eat while following some restrictions (unless you're of the Lubavitch type), share a story with others and have discussions, and have a whole week to reflect on your actions and life. Passover resonates more with Americanism anyway- its emphasis on freedom and universalist leessins.

As we reflected how seders are celebrated differently all over the country and the world, it made me wish that I could visit different seders every year in different places. Here are some of places that I would love to go to, in no particular order:
- Mumbai, India
- Hawaii
-Alaska (what do they eat, reindeer brisket?)
- Israel (Sephardic style, I would love to go to Cairo before hand and pretend to make my own Exodus to Israel, my friend, Wendy and I considered doing this but it didn't work out)
- Germany
- Moscow
- somewhere in Central Asia
- Shanghai
- South Africa, especially in a smaller Jewish community like this

At the same time though, I yearn for the New York style traditional seder... Although Israel seders can be long... I do always recommend people to just try it for once! It's so memorable to watch Israel go through a transformation in the few days before Passover and have the whole party end in the morning after the seder. Like, all the hype.

Although I admit that I am finishing my only can of macroons, it's been a good holiday. A little challenging cooking wise as I discovered that my frying pan apparently hates matzah. I've already worn out one SOS pad... after only two washes!