Community Seders Bring Us Together on Passover – Dayenu!
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MARCH 8, 2018 – 21 ADAR 5778 JEWISHVOL 42, NO 16 JOURNALJEWISHJOURNAL.ORG Community Seders bring us together on Passover – Dayenu! By Shelley A. Sackett Swampscott, Congregation JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT Shirat Hayam will hold a Seder fully catered by Becky Convincer. As sunset approaches on Rabbi Michael Ragozin expects a Friday, March 30, and Saturday, mix of congregants without local March 31, Jews all over the world family, and those who choose will observe the centuries-old to attend a community Seder tradition of sitting down to a “because they enjoy it. We try to Passover Seder, the ritual feast tell as much of the story through that commemorates the exodus song, led by Cantor Elana from Egypt. Rozenfeld and the Ruach Band,” Some will host families and he said. friends, setting the table with Rabbi Alison Adler will use treasured dishes filled with reci- the teachings of Rebbe Nachman pes handed down from genera- of Breslov as the central theme tions past. when she leads between 80 and Many living on the North Shore 100 congregants at Temple B’nai will choose to join one of over Abraham’s second night com- a half dozen community Seders munity Seder in Beverly, which led by spiritual leaders at syna- will be catered by Levine’s Kosher gogues in Beverly, Gloucester, Meat Market. Marblehead, Peabody, and ‘“The Exodus from Egypt Swampscott. occurs in every human being, in “A community Seder may be every era, and even in every day,’” someone’s only opportunity to she said, quoting Nachman, a have a Seder. They may not have great-grandson of the Hasidic one at home, they may not have movement’s founder, the Baal family, they may be out on their Shem Tov. own,” said Rabbi David Meyer, Rabbi Nechemia Schusterman who will lead 180 to 200 people of Alevy Family Chabad of at a Saturday night Seder that Rabbi Michael Ragozin, and children, led last year’s Seder at Congregation Shirat Hayam in Swampscott. Peabody Jewish Center, agreed. is already sold out at Temple “The theme of Passover is always Emanu-el in Marblehead. “While we like to say every- has volunteered at Temple Emanu-El since becoming Exodus. The question is, ‘What’s the definition of one has a seat at a table, it’s not always true.” a member 19 years ago, helping with the Seder for the Exodus?’ For every person, their personal exodus is Rabbi Meyer credits the popularity of Temple Emanu- last decade. going to be different depending on what area of restric- El’s Seder in part to the hard-working volunteers who “Many people who have never met before come tion or limitation they’re experiencing. This will be a cook all the food in the temple’s kitchen. “There is a together to help shop, prep, cook, bake, set tables, and journey of freedom from that.” very heimish [Yiddish for homey] feel that all the food more,” she said. “You see new relationships forming Based on past years, Rabbi Schusterman expects has been cooked by your fellow congregants,” he said. and feel a strong sense of community.” from 45 to 75 people will attend the Chabad’s first night Heidi Greenbaum, one of the kitchen organizers, On the same night a mile down the road in continued on page 11 ‘Tikkun Olam’ experience for North Shore teens in Houston By Michael Wittner Shore. 1Mitzvah and the Chabad “Jew Crew” JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT had previously run similar trips to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Savannah, Ga. This was their While many of her friends were sleeping in or second large-scale teen service trip to Houston. away on relaxing vacations during the February “The trip was my first time learning how to school break, Natasha Tsaryuk of Swampscott operate power tools like a chop saw, jig saw, and woke up at 6:45 a.m. in Houston. She went a nail gun,” Tsaryuk recalled. “But we never gave downstairs for a quick breakfast, packed herself up.” lunch, and then boarded a van to go to work. It The group had a formidable job: making was about to be another long day in one of the destroyed homes livable for their displaced own- most remarkable experiences of her life. ers. Separate groups were assigned to three Tsaryuk joined 36 other teens from the North houses, and each day they hoped to accom- Shore to help rebuild homes in Houston that plish a specific task: some groups ripped up were ravaged by Hurricane Harvey last August. and replaced floors, others painted walls, others For a life-changing week, the teens and eight replaced roofs. chaperones worked eight-hour days to rebuild “We did everything you could do to the inside three homes in a particularly hard-hit neighbor- of a house,” said Shmaya Friedman, an associate hood. rabbi from Chabad who chaperoned the trip. The trip was the result of collaboration Despite various issues with paint, power tools, between 1Mitzvah, a philanthropic organization and sheet rock, the group persevered, and met Arden Hyte and Jacob Bornstein of Marblehead work with a run by Nate Dalton, and Chabad of the North continued on page 13 volunteer to help rebuild a home in Houston. The Jewish Journal is a nonprofit newspaper supported by generous readers, committed advertisers and charitable organizations. Email [email protected]. 2 THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – MARCH 8, 2018 Appreciation Jerry Ogan, ‘Mr. Red Pen’; volunteered at the Jewish Journal By Michael Wittner first Jewish Masonic Lodge on would also hand his grandchil- JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT the North Shore. He was also dren a piece of paper and ask a longtime member of the them to find the mistake.” Even rom time to time at the Temple Israel board and served though his children needed to Jewish Journal, usually as president of the synagogue’s make sure to double-check their Fright before the paper Brotherhood. emails and postcards before would go to press, a cry would Ogan’s deep ties to the com- sending them to him, they come from the office’s main munity made him an effective remember him as a loving and conference room: “I’ve got a fact-checker. “He knew every- devoted father and grandfather doozy!” body, everything, every date who never missed a play, recital, Anyone who has worked at – he was involved in so many or sports game. the Journal in recent years will events,” said Yulia Zhorov, who Aside from proofreading and recognize these words as the ral- worked with him at the Journal traveling, Ogan liked to play ten- lying cry of Jerome “Jerry” Ogan, for many years. According to nis, cards, do crossword puzzles, a volunteer who proofread for Zhorov, Ogan and tell jokes. the Jewish Journal for over two wasn’t simply “He had a story decades. When “Mr. Red Pen,” concerned with for everything,” as he came to be known, identi- finding spelling said Fendell, fied a doozy – in other words, a and punctua- “He knew everybody, who was one of particularly egregious error in tion errors. He everything, every date – many to note her spelling or punctuation – peo- also served as a father’s subtle, ple came running to see what File photo by Bette Keva fact-checker and he was involved in wry humor. “He Jerry Ogan proofread the Journal for over 20 years. exactly he had found. resident expert so many events.” would always “He had real eagle eyes,” said on the Jewish start off his sto- Shelley Sackett, a former editor both loved the sport of debate.” they lived for over 60 years. The community. “He – Yulia Zhorov ries by saying, of the Journal. “Nothing got by Ogan passed away on Feb. two shared a long and happy was essential in ‘stop me if you’ve him.” Ogan, who was an attor- 25 after an extended illness. He marriage that included travel to getting all the heard this one ney by trade, took great pleasure was 90. almost every corner of the world. names and dates before.’” in finding small, obscure errors Born on Nov. 11, 1927 in In later years, they invited their correct. If he noticed someone Ogan is survived by his and marking them up with his Lynn to Nathan and Bertha children and grandchildren to missing in the group photo, and wife Lois (Karp) Ogan of famous red pen. Sackett, also Ogan, Ogan enjoyed a carefree join them. On many of his trips, he didn’t know their name, he Salem, his daughters Margery an attorney, considered Ogan childhood in Lynn. As an only Ogan brought along a copy of would call the temple.” He was Shapiro of Salem and Deborah a personal friend and fondly child, “he was the apple of his the Jewish Journal and posed partially worried, according to Fendell of Natick and husband remembered the spirited dis- folks’ eyes,” remembers his with it in front of an interna- Zhorov, that if he missed any Dennis; his grandchildren cussions his edits would some- wife, Lois Ogan. He attended tional landmark, knowing that mistake, he’d have his wife to Melissa Moschitto and hus- times spark, particularly on the Lynn English High School, then such a picture would guarantee answer to. band Patrick, Allison Conway subject of commas. Boston University, and finally his photo in the paper. Ogan took his proofread- and husband Michael, Brian “I called him the ‘Comma Boston University Law School. Taking the Jewish Journal ing skills with him everywhere. Farnsworth and wife Renee, King’ because he would insert After law school, he joined his on a grand tour of the world “He was the grammar police,” Jonathan Farnsworth, and Brian all these commas into the copy, father’s Lynn law practice.