Liberating Ourselves Through Song and Story

I '

A Multi-Cultural Freedom Seder

Monday, May 1, 2000

5:30 pm- 8:00 pm Egan Center Page2

Hiney Ma Tov: How Good It Is

Hiney rna tov oo rna na eem Shevet acheem gam yachad.

Hiney rna tov Shevet achim gam yachad.

How good it is For people to sit together.

Psalm 133 Page3 Creating Holy Space

To the Temple in Jerusalem

They carried sheep and goats,

Pomegranates and dates.

We are also ripe and burdened, arms outstretched with gifts, we carry our names, our histories, our memories and fears.

We have come here together to build something holy.

A makom kadosh, separate and apart.

We have come to rest, to sing and tell stories.

We have come to learn, to teach and to grow.

We bless this time with our presence.

We welcome God's Presence into our midst. Page4

The Lord's Wonders at the Exodus When Israel went forth from Egypt, the house ofJacob from a people of strange speech, Judah became His holy one, Israel, His dominion. The sea saw them and fled, Jordan ran backward, mountains skipped like rams, hills like sheep. What alarmed you, 0 sea, that you fled, Jordan, that you ran backward, mountains, that you skipped like rams, hills, like sheep? Tremble, 0 earth, at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flinty rock into a fountain. -Psalm 114 Page5 Miriam's Song

(CHORUS)

And the women dancing with their timbrels Followed Miriam as she sang her song. Sing a song to the One whom we've exalted. Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long.

And Miriam was a weaver of unique variety. The tapestry she wove was one which sang our history. With every thread and every strand she crafted her delight. A woman touched with spirit, she dances to the light.

(CHORUS)

As Miriam stood upon the shores and gazed across the sea, The wonder of this miracle she soon came to believe. Whoever thought the sea would part with an outstetched hand, And we would pass freedom, and march to the promised land.

(CHORUS)

And Miriam the Prophet took her timbrel in her hand, And all the women followed her just as she had planned. And Miriam raised her voice with song. She sang with praise and might, We've just lived through a miracle, we're going to dance tonight.

Debbie Friedman Page6 Lighting the Candles

0 hear my prayer, I sing to You. Be gracious to the ones I love, And bless them with goodness, and mercy and peace, 0 hear my prayer to You. Let us light these lights, And see the way to You, And let us say: Amen.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha'olam asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik neir shel Yom Tov

You are Blessed, 0 God, Spirit ofthe World who makes us holy with mitzvot and commands us to kindle the light ofthe festival day. Page 7

\ " - ORDER OF THE PASSOVER SEDER· II _,_ -- -

. Klddush: The blessing of wine ID'~Ii? / ( . : Ureliatz: Washing of the hands fl'Jl, .. · . Karp_as: E5tting a· green vegetable t:J~~~ _y f!c!latz: Break the middle matzah: the afikoman Y,l'J_'

', • ;J •· ,..._ ·~ lvfaggld: The ~assover story 1'~0 . ;,' 7 ( . . Ra~atz: Washin'g of the hands_ f!J'J

,. ( . Motzr-Matzah: Blessing over the matzah il~oT - ~'~io'

· Maror: Eat the bitter herb iii~ , . I T l~oi:ehkh: .Eat the bitter herb and matzah together lJi::> Sh~lhan Orekh: The Passover meal 1Ji11 lD~tq -,·I Tzafun: The afikoman ps~

Barekh: Grace after the Passover meal lJ~

I-lallel: Recital of the ~salms ??iJ·

i1~iJ Neerzah: Conclusion of the Seder T : ' PageS

ow is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children ... [And] we will not be satisfied until N justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream ...

I way to you today, my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." This is our hope.

With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day ...

So let freedom right from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia; let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee; let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi- from every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village, from every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black and white, Jew and Gentile, Protestant and Catholic, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!" Martin Luther King, Jr. Page 9

Leonard Brown, saxophone solo

Go Down Moses When Israel was in Egypt land Let my people go, Oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let my people go.

CHORUS: Go down Moses Way down in Egypt land, Tell old Pharoah, Let my people go.

Thus saith the Lord, bold Moses said, Let my people go, If not, I'll smite your first-born dead, Let my people go.

No more shall they in bondage toil, Let them come out with Egypt's spoil.

The Lord told Moses what to do, To lead the Hebrew children through.

As Israel stool by the waterside, At god's command it did divide.

When they reached the other shore, They sang a song of triumph o'er

Pharaoh said he'd go across, But Pharaoh and his host were lost. Your foes shall not before you stand, And you'll possess fair Canaan's Land.

0 let us all form bondage flee, And let us all in time be free. Page 10

We will now ~y the blessing over the wine together. Baruch atah Adonai eloheynu ,c?iYy 'i}~~ ~l';:1?~ ~~ ilJ!l~ 'iJ~i~ melech ha-olam boray p 'ri ha- l~~iJ '!~ 1'\"').i::l gafen.

Ur-chatz yn11 Directions: A bowl of water with a cup or ladle is passed around. Each person pours water over his/her neighbor's hands, as a symbolic washing. The song "Bamboo" Is sung throughout this ritual. BAMBOO You take a stick of bamboo (3x), you throw it in the water Oh oh, Hana (repeat) Refrain Rivt:r she comes down (2x) You travel on the river . . . My home's across the river .. . Wash your hands without reciting the customary blessing.

Karpas: Rebirth and Renewal 091:;) Dip a vegetable in salt water and recite: Baruch atah Adonai, eloheynu melech ha-olam, boray p 'ri ha­ damah.

The vegetable is now eaten.

Praised are You, Adonai our God, King of the Universe who creates the fruit of the · earth. Page 11

The Breaking of the Middle Matzah f"' Directions: A plate with three matzot is on th_e table. Tile middle matzah is broken In two. An optional part or the Seder is to hide half of this piece, known as the afilwman, for a child to find and "seD" back at the appropriate time-at the end of the meal. The afilwnum is a symboUc dessert, which aUows the Seder to proceed after the meal is finished. The other half or this piece or matzah is raised high, as the narrative proceeds.

Note: Grapejuice can be substituted for wine in all cases.

One explanation of lehem oni is the "bread over which much is answered." In this spirit we break the matzah, in the hope that as we share our questions, some answers may be generated, some directions given to a more hopeful future. Bread of Aflliction This is the matzoh, the bread of affliction which our ancestors ate in Mitz­ raim. Mitzraim literally means "tight places," the time of our slavery. Today we are slaves of our fear. Jews are slaves to the fear bred of 2,000 years of Jew hatred culminating in the Holocaust; Palestinians are slaves to the fear bred of being homeless refugees and of living under an occupying power. Fear, insecurity, is the villain-our affliction. "Let all who are in need come and partake of the paschal lamb. Tilis year we are here: Next year in the land of Israel." Israel is both a metaphor and a reality. It is a metaphor for peace: next year may we all be at peace. Israel is the reality of a land which Jews and Palestinians both want. Next year may we share the land in peace. Tilis year we are slaves, next year free men and women. As long as we are imprisoned in our own fears, not recognizing the rights of others, we are slaves. As long as Israel is an occupier operating from her fears, she cannot be healthy and is a slave. As long as Palestinians are not willing to recognize the rights of a Jewish. homeland in Israel, they too are imprisoned in the slavery of fear. Next year may we recognize the needs of the other and be free. ' . ' -.-· ·, ·'· ' ·····'. a····~' • . . . Page 12

B'tzet Yisrael

AdirHu

0 may the Almighty rebuild his House soon: speedily, in our lifetime, soon.

0 may the Supreme One rebuild his House soon: speedily, in our lifetime, soon.

0 may the Great One rebuild his House soon: speedily, in our lifetime, soon.

0 may the Exalted One rebuild his House soon: speedily, in our lifetime, soon.

0 may the Most Beautiful One rebuild his House soon: speedily, in our lifetime, soon.

0 may the Ancient One rebuild his House soon: speedily, in our lifetime, soon.

0 may the Pure One rebuild his House soon: speedily, in our lifetime, soon.

music: trad. Rumanian Jewish melody (arr Y. Braun) text: from the Haggadah Page 13 Pit'chu Li

Open the gates of righteousness for me that I may enter them and praise the LORD. This is the gateway to the LORD. the righteous shall enter through it. I praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my deliverance. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our sight. This is the day that the LORD has made let us exult and rejoice on it. music: Robert Solomon (arr J. Jacobson) text: Psalm 118 Page 14 The Four Questions

1) Why do we eat only matzah Ma nish-ta-na ha-/ai-la ha­ '~~ . i1-!iJ . i1?:iiJ i1~1Jil'~ i1~ • and no bread on this night? zeh mee-kol ha-lay-lot? .ni?'?.iJ When we left Egypt to escape Sheh-b'cho/ ha-/ay-lot a-nu from being slaves, we were in a o-ch 'leen cha-maytz u-ma­ Y li?t11'7~iK u~ ni?'?.iJ '~~w hurry. We didn't have time to tsah, ha-lai-la ha-zeh ku-lo .i1~~ \?~ i1!iJ i1?:iiJ , i1~~~ wait for the bread to rise. So ma-tza we baked flat bread called mat­ zah to take with us. And why do we call it matzah? Well, it has little holes like mat­ zah, and it smells like matzah, and it tastes like matzah ... 2) Why do we eat bitter herbs Sheh-b'cho/ ha-/ay-/ot a-nu ,~Ill J'7~iK ~l~ ni?'?,iJ ?~~W on this night? The bitter taste o-ch '/een sh 'awry 'ra-kot ha­ ,,;,If i1IiJ i1?:iD .nipl: helps us to remember how we lai-/a ha-zeh malrror felt when we were slaves, and how people feel when they get hurt by other people. 3) Why do we dip our food in Sheh-b 'cho/ ha-lay-lot ayn r'?':;lt(~ ~l~ J'!! ni?''P.iJ '~~w salt water two times on this a-nu mat-bee-leen ajee-/u night? The first time, the salty pa-am e-chod, ha-/ai-/a ha­ '\'Jill i11iJ i1?:'Fv .no~ c~Q ~''!?~ taste reminds us of the tears we zeh sh 'ray p 'ah-meem . 0'~¥~ cried when we were slaves. The second time, the salt water and the greens help us to remember the ocean and green plants and the earth, where we get air and water and food that help us to live. 4) Why do we sit and relax Sheh-b 'cho/ ha-/ay-lot a-nu J'i! 1'7~\K U~ ni?''P.iJ ?~~W when we eat on this night? A o-ch 'leen bayn yosh-veen i1:liJ i1? : ~iJ . J':;l~l? J'i!~ J':;lll-'1' long time ago, free people sat u-vayn m 'su-been, ha-lai-/a down to eat, but slaves weren't ha-zeh ku-/ah-nu m 'su-been . J':;l~l? u~~ • allowed to sit and relax. Tonight we sit and eat slowly, so we'll remember that we don't have to be slaves any more. We and our friends and our children can be free. Page 15

Four or five questions-are there only four or five questions? There are countless questions. In the spirit of this night, we invite questions. Here are some we thought of: Why does oppression exist in the world? Why have Jewish women, with their strength and influence, ofteri been ex­ cluded from a leadership role in the Jewish community? Why do people poison the water they drink, pollute the air they breathe, and spoil the land which sustains them? Why do we not have peace when so many people want it? A song!

AVADEEM HAYEENU "We were slaves, now we are Avadeem hayeenu, hayeenu free people" Atah beney clwrin, beney clwrin Avadeem hayeenu Atah, Atah beney clwrin, beney clwrin

Second Cup of Wine-To Liberation! As we recall the liberation from slavery of our own people we are able to empathize with the plight of other peoples. This continent was built in part through the enslavement of blacks who were wrenched from rich strong cultures of their own. All physical slavery involves a spiritual slavery as welJ1, We Jews know that we have often been robbed of a sense of dignity and pride. We dedicate ourselves tonight to a freeing of body and soul of all human beings.

Bless the wine:

Drink the \\ine. Boruch atah Adonai, eloheynu .c?h'O ~7.~ ~PIJ'?~ ~~ i1~1$ ~~,~ melech ha-olam boray pree ha­ ·l~~iJ '1~ N").~::J gafen! Page 16

In Every Generation- The Passover Covenant of Freedom

In every generation, someone arises to destroy our freedom. In every generation, we ourselves must go froth from s/averytofreedont God said to Moses at the Burning Bush: "I have heard the outcry, the shriek of pain, that rises from the oppressed. Go, face Pharaoh! - and I will be with you." Tonight in our generation, we hear shrieks ofpain in our own country. The moans of a woman who is dying of breast cancer - cancer caused by a pesticide poured uncaring into earth and air; The wails ofhunger from a baby whose mother has been cut offthe welfare rolls,· The sobs of a man whose body is a last surrendering to AIDS; The coughs ofa janitor who caught tuberculosis from the man next door who could not afford to see the doctor after he got fired and the health insurance stopped; The tears of a tenth-grade student who has been expelled from school because her father is an undocumented alien; The shouts ofraging quarrel between a suburban professional couple who never get to see each other or their children because they must each work a twelve-hour day; lest the company give their jobs to someone else; The sad and lonely silences of those with no community, no intimate friends, no sense of a larger Unity in the world; The last gasps ofa thousand dying species offerns, whales, frogs, owls. These outcries rise to Heaven and pour into the deepest wellsprings of the earth These outcries are heard in the homes and workplaces of most Americans, who do not want the sick or the earth, the children of the old, the disemployed or the overworked, the poor or the lonely, to suffer. Page 17 Symbols

The reader says: Rabban Gamaliel used to say: "Whoever does not explain the following three things on Passover has not fulfilled the obligation: namely, the Passover Sacrifice, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs." The Passover Sacrifice which our forebears used to cat at the time when the Holy Temple still stood- what was the reason for it? Because the Holy One, blessed be You, passed over the houses of our forebears in Egypt. And as You redeemed our first-born from being killed, may all the children of all Your peoples be redeemed from being killed. For it is said: "It is the sacrifice of YHWH's Passover, for S/He passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when S/He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed their heads and worshipped."

Another participant lifts up the matzot, showing them to the celebrants. This matzah that we eat, what is the reason for it? Because the dough of our forebears had not yet risen when You Who Rule over all rulers, Holy One, revealed Yourself to them and redeemed them. As it is said: "And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any food." Page 18

Participant lifts up the bitter herbs, showing them to the celebrants. These bitter herbs we eat, what is the reason for them? Because the Egyptians made the lives of our forebears bitter in Egypt. As it is said: "And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field; in all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigor."

The reader says: So in every generation let every human being look on himself, herself, as if we all came forth out of Mitzra-yim. As it is said: "And you shall tell your child in that day, saying: It is because of that which YHWH did for me when I came forth out of Mitzra­ yim." It was not only our forebears that the Holy One, blessed be You, redeemed, but us as well did You redeem along with them. As it is said: "And S/He brought us out from thence, that S/He might bring us in, to give us the land which S/He swore unto our forebears."

The participants lift up their cups of wine and say: Therefore, we are bound to thank, praise, laud, glorify, exalt, honor, bless, extol, and adore the One who performed all these miracles for our forebears and for us. You have brought us forth from slavery into freedom . from sorrow to joy, from mourning to holiday, from darkness to great light. and from bondage to redemption. Let us then recite before You a new song: Halleluyah! Page 19 Remember

esach 1943 is a historic date P The dream of My life has come in modem Jewish history. On that true. I have had the good fortune day began the revolt against the to witness Jewish defense in the Nazis who had come into the ghetto in all its greatness and ghetto of Warsaw to complete the glory." deportation of the remaining Jews. Few conflicts in history can compare with the fantastically Each Jewish fighter knew in her/ unequal battle of the Warsaw his heart that it was an unequal ghetto. On one side was the tre­ struggle, that the odds were too mendous power of the German great. But they hoped against army and the gestapo. On the hope and kept on fighting. As the other side was the remnant of days passed, the situation grew Warsaw's starving Jews-40,000 more and more desperate. One by civilians led by the Jewish Fight­ one, the defense positions were ing Organization, several hundred wiped out. On May 8th the lead­ poorly anned young women and ership of the Jewish resistance men. Confined in a small area of perished in the bunker at 18 Mila the ghetto, they were unable to Street. No one surrendered. But maneuver beyond a few city for weeks thereafter small groups blocks. Nevertheless, the Jews battled the Nazis from behind fought back for forty-two days. rubble and wreckage. And al­ though the Gennans were certain that not one Jew would escape shot on Malevki Street at A from the ghetto, several hundred dawn of Aprill9,1943, the frrst did succeed in making their way day ofPesach, was the signal for through the underground sewers the revolt. The fighting units, and eventually joined the Partisan concealed in nearby bunkers, at­ bands in the woods and forests. tics, and cellars, began frring at Similar acts of resistance took Nazi patrols. The Germans re­ place in Minsk, Vilna, Bialystock, treated. On that day Mordecai and in cities and towns in Poland. Anielevitch, the commander of And in the concentration camps, the Jewish Fighting Organization too, there were countless acts of wrote: resistance. • • • • Page 20 Third Cup of Wine

We were slaves in Egypt and slaves in fascist Europe. Were­ sisted and we fought back. We remember the heroism of the Jews and our allies-men, women, and children who fought in the ghettos, in the camps, in the forests, on the war fronts. We will be true to their mem­ ory by being fighters for freedom and justice in our land and through­ out the world. We have much to remember. The Third Cup of Wine

Let us drink our next toast to those who have resisted, who have fought back; to those who are resisting, who are fighting back; to those who will resist who will fight back. Tonight we particularly remember our glorious and brave sisters who fought so courageously against the Nazis. We remember Hannah Se­ nesh and Haviva Reik, who parachuted behind enemy lines in Hungary and Slovakia to organize resistance and rescue Jews. We remember Vladka Meed, and Chaika and Frumka Plotnitski, who served as courri­ ers and smuggled arms for the ghetto fighters We remember Rosa Ro­ bota, who organized the smuggling of dynamite to blow up a cremato­ rium in Auschwitz. Chaika Grossman, Gusta Drenger, Zivia Lubetkin, Gisi Fleishman, Tosia Altman, Zofia Yamaika, Niuta Teitelboim­ these are but a few of the names we know.

Baruch atah Adonai, eloheynu melech ha-olam boray pree ha-gafen.

Leon Janikian perform a piece in memory ofthe Armenian genocide. Page 21 Elijah's Cup We open the door to beckon the spirit of Eliyahu, the prophet Elijah. In the ninth century, B.C. a farmer arose to challenge the domination of the ruling elite. In his tireless and passionate advocacy on behalf of the common people, and his ceaseless exposure of the corruption and waste of the court, Elijah sparked a movement and created a legend which would inspire people for generations to come.

Before he died, Elijah declared that he would return once each generation in the guise of any poor or oppressed person, com­ ing to people's doors to see how he would be treated. By the treatment offered this poor person, who would be Elijah him­ self, he would know whether the population had reached a level of humanity making them capable of participating in the dawn of the Messianic age.

Eliyahu ha-navi Eliyahu ha-tishbi Eliyahu, Eliyahu Eliyahu ha-giladi

Bimheyrah b'yameynu Yahvoh elehnu Im moshiach ben David Im moshiach ben David Page 22 Zol Shoyn Kumen Di Geuleh Meshiakh Kumt Shoyn Bald Though our hearts are heavy, we will drink a toast. Even if the gloom gives us no rest, we will sing a song. If there1s not a drop of whisky let1s drink water. After all, fresh water is life. What else do we need?

Let the redemption come soon! Let the redemption come soon! Let the redemption come soon! The Messiah will come very soon!

In this generation so many are guilty; don 1t be fools. After all these sins, the Messiah surely will come! Ah, dear father in Heaven, The children of your mercy beseech you: See to it that the Messiah doesn 1t come a little too late!

Trees are dancing in the forest, Stars are dancing in the sky. Mr. Yisro 1el, the celebrant, dances among them. The Messiah will surely waken from his deep slumber when he hears our prayerful song. Page 23 Fourth Cup: The Cup ofHope

We drink the final cup of wine with hopes and dreams for the future. We dream of a world not threatened by violence and hate. We hope for a time when Jerusalem will be a beacon of brotherhood and sisterhood. We dream of a world in which we all are free to be ourselves. We dream of a world at peace.

Baruch Atah Adonai, Elohenu Melech ha '0/am, Borei Pri Ha­ gafen

Blessed are you, Eternal our God, Ruler of the Universe, Crea­ tor of the fruit of the vine.

The Passover Seder is now complete.

As we were privileged to celebrate the Passover tonight, so may we always be worthy to do so.

0 God, our Redeemer, hasten the day when swords shall be last broken and wars ended; when all humanity will be united in a covenant of friendship, freed from violence and from worng.

May the spirit of this Passover remain with us throughout the coming year, and may we always be mindful of its teachings.

0 God, Giver of peace, bless us all with freedom and with peace, and keep us safe from danger everywhere.

Amen. Page 24 We Shall Overcome We shall overcome, We shall overcome, We shall overcome some day! Deep in my heart, I do believe, We shall overcome some day.

We'll walk hand in hand ... (Repeat as "We shall overcome," above)

Black and white together ... (Repeat ... )

We are not afraid .. . (Repeat ... )

The people shall be free ... (Repeat...)

We shall live in peace ... (Repeat ... )

We shall overcome! Page 25

Keep Your Eyes On the Prize

Paul and Silas bound in jail, Had no money for to go their bail, Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on.

CHORUS

Hold on, hold on, Keep your eyes on the prize, Hold on.

Paul and Silas began to shout, Jail door opened and they walked out, Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on.

Freedom's name is mighty sweet, Soon one day we're gonna meet, Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on.

The only chain that we can stand, Is that chain of hand in hand, Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on.

But the one thing we did right, Was the day we started to fight, Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on.

We're gonna ride for civil rights, We're gonna ride for both black and white, Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on. Page 26

Northeastern University Chamber Singers Professor Joshua Jacobson, Conductor

Soprano Sarah Arnold Liz Baraff Jennifer Donohue Mary Frink Dana Schnitzer Christina Zokol

Alto Gina Mastrantuone Maya Mohan Demetra Orfanos Bridget Promaulayko Erin Seaver

Tenor Stephen Arguetta Matt Cox Troy Cumbo Stephen Ewing Rob Fries Jeremy Williams

Bass Matt Craig Brian Girouard David Peckham Brian Petro Roy Leigh Tintle Tim Wheelock

Rick Boyar, percussion Prof. Leonard Brown, soprano saxophone Prof. Leon Janikian, clarinet Page 27 Thank You Sponsors

Sidney Topel Irving Brudnick Spiritual Life Office

Participating Groups

African American Institute African American Studies Brudnick Center Center for the Study ofSports in Society Council of University Programs International Student Office Jewish Studies Latino/a Center Multi-Faith Student Council Northeastern Hillel Spiritual Life Office Unity Ensemble Special Thanks

Joshua Jacobson Debra Kaufman Beth Meltzer Rabbi Moshe Waldoks Page 28

For close to three thousand years, the Jewish people have com­ memorated their exodus, their going out from slavery, in an an­ nual communal meal called the Seder. Seder, or order, is an elaborate family oriented symposium discussing and teaching the essential commitment that the Jewish tradition has to free­ dom and liberation. Using biblical, rabbinic text and medieval writings the Seder weaves a tapestry of cross-generational dis­ cussion and inquiry. Accompanied by music and song, there is still no other celebration in the Jewish calendar as widely ob­ served than this holiday

Over the last three decades the seder model has been used to create community from among groups committed to similar goals: the end of oppression and fighting bigotry. In Boston particularly under the leadership of the late Lenny Zakim the regional director of the Anti Defamation League a Black/ Jewish Seder has been celebrated for the last seventeen years and the Catholic/Jewish for the last seven years. There are also Tibetan, Hispanic Seders held throughout the country.

In November 1999, Beth Meltzer, Director of Northeastern Hillel met with Debra Kaufman, Director Jewish Studies to brainstorm a way to bring the Northeastern community to­ gether to celebrate its diversity through the celebration of the Passover Seder. Debra thought this seder would be a great op­ portunity to kick off the Jewish Renaissance Project at North­ eastern. Over the last several months, individuals from around the university met to create a new type of Seder with an em­ phasis on a musical celebration and the telling of stories from individual groups. This Seder is a way to celebrate freedom, liberation and the joy to be who we are.

Northeastern Hillel Jewish Studies 456 Parker Street 515 Holmes Boston, MA 02115 Phone: (617) 373-4270 Phone (617) 373-3937 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]