How to go:
What: Passover Day of Learning
When: 8:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Temple Israel, 130 Riverside Drive, Dayton
For information or to RSVP: www.tidayton.org. Walk-ins are welcome for most sessions.
The festive Jewish holiday of Passover begins this year on Friday night, April 6. The celebration of religious freedom gets under way at the dinner table with the reading of the Hagaddah, the book that relates the biblical story of the Jewish people’s Exodus from Egypt. The idea is to tell the tale to the next generation so it’s never forgotten.
There is a prescribed order to the ceremonial dinner that takes place the first two nights of the holiday. The word “seder” means “order.”
In addition to the traditional Four Questions asked by the youngest child during the seder each year, many synagogue leaders are asking themselves an important fifth question as well: How do we make the upcoming Jewish holiday both meaningful and engaging?
Although many Jewish families host the first night Passover meal in their homes, not all adults feel comfortable leading a seder, says Temple Israel’s Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz. For many, a clergy-led community seder has become a lively option. Often held on the second night of the eight-day holiday, public seders are being held at a number of locations throughout our region this year.
Bodney-Halasz has come up with another idea, a “Passover Day of Learning” open to anyone — both Jews and non-Jews —who might be interested in learning more about the holiday and its traditions. The event will take place Sunday at the Riverside Drive synagogue.
“A lot of adults are nervous about knowing how to pass on the traditions of the seder to their children, especially people who have come to Judaism later in life,” the Rabbi says. “Some people have watched their parents lead their family seder for years and this may be the first year they are leading it themselves. Others feel they missed the opportunity to understand and process what the experience is all about.”
Sunday’s inter-generational program, she says, is designed to help those of all ages to look at Passover “with fresh eyes.” For families, there will be cooking demonstrations, Israeli folk dancing, songs and games. Because the theme of Passover is the transition from slavery to freedom, there will be a discussion for adults on human rights and modern slavery.
“My hope for the Day of Learning is that everyone feels empowered to be fully involved and engaged in Passover,” Bodney-Halasz says. “Adults still have a lot to learn; Jewish education continues throughout life. The focus is on learning with your children.”
Grown-ups can sign up for sessions ranging from “Seder Leading 101” to “Texts, History and Origins of the Seder.” Kids can create their own little “plagues” to symbolize the 10 plagues God visited on the Pharaoh in Egypt and can learn about the important symbols on the seder plate that help to tell the ancient story. Members of Chabad of Greater Dayton will host a Matzah Factory, in which participants will learn how to make the unleavened bread that’s eaten throughout the eight-day holiday.
Chabad’s director, Rabbi Nochum Mangel, says his organization also uses a multimedia approach to Passover education on its website by filling it with stories, articles, games and projects.
Like many religious schools, Beth Israel Synagogue in Hamilton hosts a pre-Passover seder to help students learn different parts of the seder and help them prepare for their seders at home.
“Passover celebrates the birth of the Jewish people and so it is important that Jewish parents teach their children the story of the Exodus,” explains Rabbi Eric Slaton. “This story is the reason we are to follow the teachings of our tradition. As we teach each year at the seder, had our ancestors not been freed, then we would be slaves as well. That is the reason we remain Jews more than 3,000 years later.”
The ancient text of the Hagaddah, he says, incorporates ideas for keeping kids interested. The traditional Four Questions are asked by the youngest child at the table and a hunt for a hidden piece of matzoh ends with a lot of hoopla and a special prize.
Rabbi Haviva Horvitz of Temple Beth Shalom in Middletown says the children are encouraged to ask the questions so that parents can explain the story and laws of Passover.
“It is the best example of a true family togetherness moment,” she adds.
Slaton says his synagogue also comes up with special twists to keep kids interested.
“This year, it will be a “chocolate seder,” he says. “We’ll will use chocolate milk instead of grape juice and will have a chocolate seder plate and chocolate covered matzah.”
Passover education often extends to other faiths as well. Because they believe the holiday can be a springboard for interfaith dialogue and sharing, both Slaton and Bodney-Halasz have accepted invitations to lead model seders for those of other religions. Slaton conducted a model seder at his synagogue for the sixth-graders at Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School in Liberty Twp. Bodney-Halasz will lead seders at Sinclair Community College and at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church.
“I am choosing to work with these two communities because I have been struck by the high level of respect they show to our traditions,” she says. “ One of the key ground rules for healthy interfaith dialogue is to be sensitive to each other’s unique and distinctive traditions while recognizing the importance of maintaining our own identities. It is for this reason that those who are honestly seeking deeper understanding of the Jewish religion and celebrating our shared roots will either ask Jewish clergy to lead a teaching seder themselves or seek to experience a seder in a Jewish home or synagogue when that’s possible.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or MMoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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