Passover

people sitting at a Passover table

Passover is the most widely celebrated Jewish holiday in North America. What makes Passover appealing to so many of us? Is it the fact that Passover is a home-based holiday, which offers an opportunity for family and friends to gather around the seder table, recalling past memories and creating new ones? Or is it that the core themes of slavery and liberation still resonate so deeply within us that we want to retell the story of Passover again and again each year? From our elaborate holiday preparations through the seder rituals and beyond, the timeless Jewish traditions of Passover have been transformed and enhanced by feminist contributions to Jewish ritual. Seder tables around the world feature new interpretations and practices that give life to the ancient, resonant themes of this powerful holiday. A rich palate of creative readings enlivens the ancient text of the haggadah. The orange on the seder plate, once solely a symbol of gay and lesbian liberation, is now often used to highlight the role of women in Jewish life as well. Miriam’s cup joins Elijah’s on our seder tables, reminding us of the importance of women’s leadership and initiative, of the power of song and dance, and of the living waters that—in Miriam’s honor—sustained us in our desert wanderings.

Latest Rituals

The text is taken completely from the source, but arranged as a found poem.
a plate of matzah and spring flowers
“1935, the girls are packing / for America. / Their parents will not wait for things to get worse.”
A finger points to Hebrew text in a book, focusing on large green letters.
“Standing at the shore Miriam faced the sea to watch the threats and the pain of a million moments prior…”
the parting of the sea
“G-d forbid we eat grocery store drek.”
clawfoot bathtub
“When we speak the truth to power – saying, this is who we are / We reach back to help those still stifled in Mitzrayim, or poised / Uncertain at the shore.”
bare feet on a rock in a stream
“…moons of freedom / blessing the nights.”
full moon over bushes in the night sky
“may each of us / remove the shackles of another”
may-each-of-us-juneteenth
“Pesakh’s blue plate, / a strange / and yet familiar / gathering of ingredients”
seder plate with greens, egg, shank bone, haroset, maror
Passover haggadah expressing the hope to protect Israeli democracy and freedom in 2023
Photo by Erez Harodi of Israel democracy protest in 2023. Photo shows a large crowd of people holding Israeli flags. A large sign in the front reads "The state of Israel will be founded on freedom, justice, and peace" in both English and Hebrew. Another protest sign reads, "SOS Bibi wants to destroy Israel."

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