1. Place a tomato on your seder plate in solidarity with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, agricultural workers who are eradicating slavery from the Florida tomato fields.
2. Ask each guest to bring an object or photo that symbolizes a contemporary human rights struggle. Place these on a second sederLit. Order. The festive meal conducted on Passover night, in a specific order with specific rituals to symbolize aspects of the Exodus from Egypt. It is conducted following the haggadah, a book for this purpose. The mystics of Sefat also created a seder for Tu B'shvat, the new year of the trees. plate, and have each guest talk about what s/he brought.
3. Stage an improvisational skit in which MosesThe quintessential Jewish leader who spoke face to face with God, unlike any other prophet, and who freed the people from Egypt, led them through the desert for forty years, and received the Torah on Mt. Sinai. His Hebrew name is Moshe., MiriamMiriam is the sister of Moses and Aaron. As Moses' and Aaron's sister she, according to midrash, prophesies Moses' role and helps secure it by watching over the young baby, seeing to it that Pharaoh's daughter takes him and that the baby is returned to his mother for nursing. During the Israelites' trek through the desert, a magical well given on her behalf travels with the Israelites, providing water, healing, and sustenance., and other characters from the Exodus story encounter a contemporary human rights issue.
4. Assign each guest one section of the seder, and have guests bring a recent newspaper article or photo that connects this part of the seder to a contemporary issue.
5. Learn about how contemporary slaves may have contributed to the items on your seder table. See www.truah.org/slavery or www.slaveryfootprint.org for more. Include in your seder at least one fair trade item. See www.fairtradejudaica.org for ideas.
6. After reciting the Ten Plagues, ask each guest to spill a drop of wine while mentioning a contemporary “plague”—a human rights challenge of today.
7. During HallelLit. “Praise” The Hallel prayers are additional prayers taken from Psalms 113-118 and are traditionally recited on the Jewish holidays of Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh Chodesh, and Hanukah., the section of praise after the meal, read selections from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and ask guests to reflect on why they are grateful to have these rights in their own lives.
8. As an afikoman prize, give a donation certificate to a human rights organization—or ask the winner to choose where s/he would like you to donate. See www.truah.org/afikoman for information on ordering a certificate for a donation to T’ruah.
9. Before singing “L’shana Haba’ah BiY’rushalayim” “Next year in JerusalemLit. City of peace From the time of David to the Roman destruction, Jerusalem was the capital of Israel and the spiritual and governmental center of the Jewish people. During the long exile, Jews longed to return to Jerusalem and wrote poems, prayers, and songs about the beloved city. In 1967, with the capture of the Old City, Jerusalem was reunited, becoming "the eternal capital of Israel." Still, the longing for peace is unfulfilled.,” ask each guest to offer a blessing or a hope for ensuring that IsraelLit. ''the one who struggles with God.'' Israel means many things. It is first used with reference to Jacob, whose name is changed to Israel (Genesis 32:29), the one who struggles with God. Jacob's children, the Jewish people, become B'nai Israel, the children of Israel. The name also refers to the land of Israel and the State of Israel. becomes a model for human rights.
10. Close the seder by asking each guest to commit to one way in which s/he will work for human rights this year.
Republished with permission from T’ruah:The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights is an organization of rabbis from all streams of Judaism that acts on the Jewish imperative to respect and protect the human rights of all people. Human Rights ShabbatShabbat is the Sabbath day, the Day of Rest, and is observed from Friday night through Saturday night. Is set aside from the rest of the week both in honor of the fact that God rested on the seventh day after creating the world. On Shabbat, many Jews observe prohibitions from various activities designated as work. Shabbat is traditionally observed with festive meals, wine, challah, prayers, the reading and studying of Torah, conjugal relations, family time, and time with friends., T’ruah’s annual celebration of Jewish values and universal human rights, is celebrated by more than 130 Jewish communities around the globe.
