Passover amidst peril
April 25, 2024 at 12:52 a.m.
Jewish communities around the world have had a difficult time finding something to celebrate in the last several months. War broke out between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, after the terrorist organization killed more than 1,200 people and took 248 hostage.
In the past six months, the brutal conflict has only dragged on.
But Congregation KTI Rabbi Ben Goldberg feels the war shouldn’t stop the Port Chester and Rye Brook community from participating in traditions the way they always have.
“I’m not going to let anyone take our joy and our traditions away from us,” he said during a conversation on Wednesday, Apr. 18. “We have to be proud of who we are and that includes celebrating our holidays with enthusiasm and joy.”
He referred to Passover, a core Jewish holiday which started on Monday, Apr. 22, at sundown and ends at the same time on Tuesday, Apr. 30.
“It’s been celebrated for thousands of years by the Jewish people,” he explained. “How it’s been celebrated has changed in that time, of course, but the essence of the holiday has always remained the same.”
What is Passover?
Passover commemorates the story of the Exodus—the tale of Moses leading his people out of Egypt after hundreds of years of slavery.
The name itself is a direct reference to the story.
To be spared from the deadly final plague sent to Egypt—the death of firstborn children—Moses commanded his people to mark their doors with lamb blood. Their homes were “passed over,” and it convinced the Egyptian leader to allow the Hebrews to leave the country.
The rabbi said passing down the narrative is one of the main purposes of the holiday.
“It’s a time of remembering that core moment of liberation and freedom,” he said. “It’s sort of at the center of our self-understanding.”
The act of remembrance is achieved through a seder, a ritualized meal which uses storytelling, song, eating and discussion to tell the story at home. It’s commonly a large ordeal, with families preparing a feast for a gathering.
Goldberg explained the concept of seder was partly adapted from Roman symposiums, where philosophers would discuss topics during a meal. “Ancient rabbis used these concepts for the retelling of the Passover story,” he said.
There are traditional foods that evoke different aspects of the story such as haroset, a mixture of fruits and nuts, representing the brick the slaves made, and salt water serving as a reminder of the tears the Hebrews shed while in Egypt.
“It has a particular focus on children,” Goldberg said. “It’s always been that way. We want to tell that story to the next generation.”
Traditionally, the seder begins with the youngest child asking a set of questions.
“They’re most commonly known as ‘The Four Questions,’ though it’s unclear if there are four of them or if they’re actually questions,” Goldberg laughed.
They reflect the curiosity of a child who observes that the night of the seder is different from others.
“The four questions are about the eating of matzah bread, eating bitter herb instead of vegetable, dipping food into liquid twice and reclining as opposed to sitting up straight,” Goldberg explained.
To tell the story of Passover, families use a Haggadah, a text that guides the group through the narrative during the seder. However, as seders are done at home, no two ceremonies are exactly the same, even with Haggadahs to guide the meals.
“There are certain pieces of Passover that are pretty uniform, but it’s open to tremendous flexibility,” Goldberg said. “That’s because it’s something people do at home. Every family does it a little differently, some have very colorful traditions.”
Though some communities hold communal seders, Congregation KTI does not.
“It’s more of a home-based holiday. The most distinctive piece of it occurs in the home, and that’s really as it should be,” he said. “While there are lots of reasons why that isn’t possible, that’s not what we have going on here.”
Regardless of where a community member celebrates the holiday, this year’s Passover may feel different to some because of the ongoing war in Israel.
What’s different this Passover?
Goldberg believes the holiday holds more relevance this week than it has in recent years.
“The Haggadah says every generation people have to see themselves as if they personally left Egypt,” Goldberg said. “It’s not just something that happened long ago, it’s our story. It also says there are people who will try to destroy us.”
“And that’s particularly resonant this year. Jewish people all around the world are facing very difficult times,” he continued. He emphasized the importance of celebrating Passover with pride and elation, despite the ongoing war, to give children something good to reflect on.
“We have to give them some joyful Jewish experiences. Good memories to look back on when they’re adults,” Goldberg said. “But in order to give them that memory, we actually have to do it.”
He added some families kept the war in mind during their seders, particularly the remaining 100 hostages held by Hamas.
“I’ve been hearing people who are planning to pray for (the hostages) in various ways,” he said. “Some people are leaving empty seats to represent their absence and the fact that they aren’t with their families this Passover.”
Though, he admits, doing so could lead to the need for an explanation for children.
“Many kids know when something’s off,” he said. “They may not know why, but they can sense when the adults around them are worried or anxious.”
As for what children should be told, Goldberg said it’s up to each family to decide, though he shared his opinion.
“I think you shouldn’t lie to kids, but that doesn’t mean you have to tell them everything all at once,” he said. “I don’t think you should ever tell a child something you have to unteach them later.”
Though he was quick to add the focus of the holiday shouldn’t be on the war, but celebrating Jewish tradition and identity, even when times are tough.
“There are stories of people celebrating during the Holocaust, right in the ghettos and concentration camps and under much more challenging circumstances than anything we’re facing today,” he said. “So, I think it behooves us to celebrate and keep passing those traditions along.”
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