New Ways to Honor the Ancient Tradition of Passover

Of the many holidays on the Jewish calendar, Passover is surely the richest in symbolism. An annual re-enactment of the liberation of Hebrew slaves from Pharaoh’s Egypt some 3,400 years ago, the Passover celebration (or seder) on the first and second nights brings the Exodus to life for each new generation.

The foods used in the seder symbolize much of the story: saltwater or vinegar for the tears shed in slavery; a sweet paste of fruit, nuts and wine for the mortar the Hebrews used in laying bricks for Pharaoh; unleavened bread (matzoh) for the haste in which they fled; a hard-boiled egg for renewal.

The symbol of Passover for traditional homemakers has sometimes been old-fashioned hard work. Preparation for the eight-day holiday, which starts the night of April 13 this year, involves ridding the house of even the slightest crumb of leaven, plus planning and shopping for special foods to last a week.

As Susan Weidman Schneider writes in “Jewish and Female”: “One year my mother-in-law, coming out of the synagogue kitchen where she and the other women of the congregation had been slaving away to prepare a communal seder, asked, ‘Rabbi, for this we came out of Egypt?’ ”

Sitting down to read the Haggadah (a text that gives the order of the evening) and eat a home-cooked festival meal with close family may be the conventional way to celebrate Passover, but many Southern Californians are discovering new ways to honor this ancient tradition.

Here are 10 seders that give a fresh interpretation to old symbols, while remaining true to the message of freedom.

1. Seders at the various hillel locations on college campuses are not limited to students but are open to the community. At USC, Rabbi Laura Geller asks only that reservations be made. Deadline is Friday. “We hold a seder on the second night,” she says, “and it is a vegetarian dairy meal. Instead of the traditional lamb shank representing the Paschal lamb, we use a roasted beet. Last year our main course was a delicious matzoh lasagna.” Reservations may be made by calling the USC hillel at (213) 747-9135. For information on hillel seders at UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Los Angeles Valley College, Pierce College, the Claremont Colleges and Caltech, call the Hillel Council at (213) 208-6639.

2. For 15 years the Chabad House in Westwood has opened its doors on the first and second nights of Passover for traditional community seders. “We welcome an array of people,” says Rabbi Yossi Raichik, “including students, professors, homeless people, immigrants, families. As it says in the Haggadah, ‘Let all who are hungry come in to eat. Let all in need come to observe Passover.’ ” Chabad seders emphasize the joy of emerging from bondage into freedom, both in Jewish history and in contemporary lives. “We have a minimal charge of $18 for adults, less for children,” says Rabbi Raichik, “but we don’t turn anyone away.” Because participants number in the hundreds, reservations are necessary. Call (213) 208-7511 by Friday.

3. Kesher, the Hebrew word meaning connection, is a singles group that holds its members to an 11th Commandment: Thou shalt bring a guest of the opposite sex with whom thou art not romantically involved so that thy neighbor shall benefit from thy friends and thou from theirs. As a result, there are always an equal number of men and women--ranging in age from 25 to about 40--at their monthly Friday-night dinners. “Our group is open only to Jewish single people who are available for dating,” organizer Stuart Fried says. This year, Kesher will hold its first seder. Like the Friday meals, food will be potluck. “Our seder is on the second night,” Fried said, “and we use a contemporary Haggadah. Almost all of the readings are in English, and we include references to modern-day issues.” For information on Kesher, call Fried at (805) 254-7894.

4. During the last several years, groups have gathered to celebrate Passover in a feminist setting. Typical are two Westside friends, Gail Suber and Elizabeth Savage, who will host their third seder for about 16 women in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Alternating each year between their two homes, the potluck meal on the first night of Passover features traditional foods and an alternative Haggadah put together by Savage. “The most significant part for me,” Suber says, “is when we ask people to share something from their own lives on the theme of freedom, perhaps in dance, music or poetry. It takes a long time--our seders last until midnight--but the honesty, the depth of the sharing is very moving.”

5. Temple Beth Chayim Chadashim (House of New Life), which serves a largely gay and lesbian congregation, will sponsor a communal seder Tuesday, on the second night of Passover, at 6000 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. “A lot of our members are isolated from their families, either geographically or emotionally,” says Rabbi Janet Marder. “Our temple becomes an opportunity for them to be part of a larger family.” Friends and relatives of the congregants are also invited to the potluck meal. “And Jewish people with AIDS are welcome,” adds Marder, who anticipates a sold-out crowd by Friday. For more information, call (213) 931-7023.

6. A recent addition to the quintessential Los Angeles-style Passover is a take-out seder meal from Raphy’s Kosher Food. Raphy’s will provide the seven ritual items plus the customary gefilte fish, matzoh-ball soup, chicken, tzimmes, potato kugel and fruit compote for $17.95 per person. Kosher Passover meals for the rest of the week are also available. Now that’s freedom!?? While it is too late to order for this year (reservations closed April 1), think about this convenient service for Passover 1988. Raphy’s Kosher Food, 9307 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 275-6256.

7. Camp Ramah in Ojai offers a Passover camping experience in the natural surroundings of the Las Padres National Forest. Set in a little valley, Ramah evokes the feeling of a small kibbutz for the 100 or so guests who stay for 8-10 days and participate fully in the two seders, which are led by rabbis. Most who attend are seniors whose families are in distant cities. Accommodations in the main lodge, double occupancy with private bath, cost $900 per person. Those who bring families may chose to stay in the cabins at a cost of $650 per person. All meals, which are strictly kosher, are included and bus service is available. Camp opens April 13. Call (213) 476-8571 for reservations.

8. The Exodus foreshadowed years of homelessness in the desert, so perhaps it is fitting that a seder for the homeless be conducted this year by the Passover Committee of the Jewish Federation Council and the B’nai B’rith Council. Scheduled on April 19, which is also Easter, the ecumenical seder falls in the middle of Passover week and will be led by Rabbi Sheldon Mardor and a priest who has been invited to concurrently participate. It will include a meal from a kosher caterer served at the Weingard Center, 560 S. San Pedro St., starting at 1 p.m. This seder is one of six the committee provides for people who are physically, mentally or financially unable to attend any other. Contributions to help provide special Passover foods for the needy may be sent to the Passover Committee, Jewish Family Service, 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90048.

9. Peace activists will hold “The Shalom Seder in the Desert: Facing the Ultimate Pharaoh” Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at the Yucca Flats Nuclear Test Site in Nevada, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. It will be conducted by several rabbis and will include all the symbolic foods. The seder is supported by the Shalom Center, a national peace organization; the Jewish Peace Fellowship; a program of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, and it is endorsed by the Interfaith Center to Reverse the Arms Race. “We are holding it Saturday,” says coordinator Judith Palarz, “so that when our people go to their own seders, they can share the experience.” Bus transportation will be available from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas to the test site for $5; attendance at the desert seder is $25. For reservations, call the Shalom Center at (213) 653-9962. The center also distributes a one-page insert for your own Haggadah. In three passages, it expresses the reader’s determination to free himself from the dangers of a nuclear holocaust. For a copy of “The Ultimate Pharaoh: Passover Suggestions,” call Palarz at the center.

10. Congregations from Temple Israel of Hollywood and St. Thomas Episcopal Church will sponsor a “Freedom Seder” Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at 7300 Hollywood Blvd. Members of both congregations, along with people from various ethnic groups who have fled political or religious oppression, will participate. Invitees will include immigrants from Ethiopia, the Soviet Union, Vietnam and Central America. At the point in the seder when the crossing of the Red Sea is recounted, the ritual will halt and the refugees will be asked to tell their own stories, to describe how they left their own Egypts. “We hope our members will gain new appreciation for the freedom we take for granted here, for the people who have come to live among us and for the richness of the cultures they left behind,” says seder organizer Rabbi Arthur Gross Schaefer. Instead of a meal following the ritual, dessert will be served. For information call Polly at (213) 876-8330.