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René Cassin's Women's Seder

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René Cassin's Women's Seder RENÉ CASSIN'S WOMEN'S SEDER René Cassin's Women's Seder celebrates the women of the exodus, their untold stories, and the individuals who inspire us today D e s i g n e d a n d p r o d u c e d b y R e n é C a s s i n w w w . r e n e c a s s i n . o r g ; M a r c h 2 0 2 0 W i t h t h a n k s t o t h e L i t t l e B u t t e r f l y F o u n d a t i o n , t h e P e a r s F o u n d a t i o n a n d t h e S i g r i d R a u s i n g T r u s t f o r m a k i n g t h i s r e s o u r c e p o s s i b l e F I N T R O D U C T I O N O S 3 J U S T I C E R U T H B A D E R G I N B U R G O N E 4 L P A S S O V E R T B R E N É C A S S I N ' S S E D E R P L A T E A 6 T N 7 R E S I S T A N C E : F I R S T C U P 8 F O U R Q U E S T I O N S E F O U R D A U G H T E R S 10 T 14 T H E T E N P L A G U E S 16 S O L I D A R I T Y : S E C O N D C U P N 17 E M P O W E R M E N T : T H I R D C U P 18 L E G A C Y : F O U R T H C U P O 20 F I N A L W O R D S C 21 M I R I A M ' S C U P 22 T H E S P E A K E R S 24 T H E O R G A N I S A T I O N S A D D I T I O N A L R E S O U R C E S 26 30 A B O U T R E N É C A S S I N "She was warned, She was given an explanation, Nevertheless, She Persisted" Senator Mitch McConnell, The Majority Leader about Senator Elizabeth Warren (2017) In February 2017 Senator Elizabeth Warren was reprimanded in a debate over Trump’s nomination to U.S. Attorney General. Warren was quoting a letter that argued the nominee had used his powers in office in an attempt to intimidate and frighten black voters. Her words, and actions, in the pursuit of justice and accountability prompted Senator Mitch McConnel to speak the now infamous phrase, which has become a rallying cry for the #MeToo era. René Cassin, The Jewish voice for human rights, strongly believes in the importance of learning from experience; we draw on our shared Jewish values and experience to advocate for human rights now. The story of Exodus is a call to action; we are commanded to see ourselves as having personally lived through the story, to understand and inspire us to play a crucial role in liberating the oppressed. In order to fulfil our role in the present, we must learn from our ancestors in the past. It is written in the Babylonian Talmud that: “in the merit of righteous women, the Jews were redeemed from Egypt.” Our Seder will call upon the experiences of these women, and women who play a role in redemption in the present day, for a night to inspire and understand how we can continue their legacies and be the righteous women of the future. René Cassin’s vision is of a world bound by shared values, such as justice, freedom and equality, with women leading the way. By sharing stories of heroic women, we hope to empower others to continue in their tradition. In today’s world we are faced with new challenges that threaten our vision of the future. Nevertheless, we must persist. Above: Our namesake, Monsieur René Cassin, a French-Jewish lawyer, who co-drafted the Universal 03 Declaration of Human Rights (1948) US JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG ON PASSOVER March 18, 2015 On Passover, Jews are commanded to tell When [Moses] was born the whole the story of the Exodus and to see house… filled with light[.] [Miriam’s] ourselves as having lived through that father arose and kissed her on the story, so that we may better learn how to live our lives today. The stories we tell our children head, saying, “My daughter, your shape what they believe to be possible, which prophecy has been fulfilled.” But is why, at Passover, we must tell the stories when they threw [Moses] into the of the women who played a crucial role in river her father tapped her on the the Exodus narrative. head saying, “Daughter, where is your prophecy?” So it is written, “And A r t i The Book of Exodus, much like the Book of c [Miriam] stood afar off to know what l e : Genesis, opens in pervasive darkness. h would be[come of] the latter part of t t Genesis describes the earth as p s : her prophecy.” [2] / / a j “unformed and void, with darkness w s . o r over the surface of the deep.”[1] Finally, there is Pharaoh’s daughter Batya, g / b l who defies her own father and plucks baby o g In Exodus, darkness attends the accession / j Moses out of the Nile. The Midrash reminds u of a new Pharaoh who feared the Israelites s t i us that Batya knew exactly what c and so enslaved them. G-d alone lights the e - r she was doing: u way out of the darkness in Genesis. But in t h - Exodus, G-d has many partners, first b a d among them, five brave women. e When Pharaoh’s daughter’s r - g i n handmaidens saw that she intended s There is Yocheved, Moses’ mother, and b u to rescue Moses, they attempted to r Shifra and Puah, the famous midwives. g - o dissuade her, and persuade her to n Each defies Pharaoh’s decree to kill the - p a Israelite baby boys. And there is Miriam, heed her father. They said to her: s s o Moses’ sister, about whom the v “Our mistress, it is the way of the e r following Midrash is taught: / world that when a king issues a decree, it is not heeded by the [When Miriam’s only brother was entire world, but his children and Aaron] she prophesied… “my mother the members of his household do is destined to bear a son who will observe it, and you wish to save Israel.” transgress your father’s decree?”[3] 04 But transgress she did. These women had a vision leading out of the darkness shrouding their world. They were women of action, prepared to defy authority to make their vision a reality bathed in the light of the day. Retelling the heroic stories of Yocheved, Shifra, Puah, Miriam and Batya reminds our Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second daughters that with vision and the courage woman, and first Jewish woman, elected to act, they can carry forward the tradition to the United States Supreme Court. those intrepid women launched. Jewish experience is deeply rooted in her While there is much light in today’s world, understanding of gender and racial there remains in our universe discrimination, evidently guiding her disheartening darkness, inhumanity work in human rights. spawned by ignorance and hate. The Passover story recalls to all of us-women In response to Senator Edward Kennedy, and men-that with vision and action we can during her conformation hearings, she join hands with others of like mind, kindling declared, lights along paths leading out of the terrifying darkness. "Senator Kennedy, I am alert to discrimination. I grew up during World War II in a Jewish family. I have memories as a child, even before the war, of being in a car with my parents This essay is part of American Jewish World and passing a place in Pennsylvania], a Service's (AJWS) Celebration and Compassion resort with a sign out in front that read: series. “No dogs or Jews allowed.” Signs of that kind existed in this country during my childhood. One couldn’t help but be sensitive to discrimination living as a Jew in America at the time of World War II.”[4] 1 Genesis 1:2 Ginsburg has spent decades advocating 2 Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 14a for the rights of women through the law, 3 Babylonian Talmud,Sotah 12b 4] U.S. Congress Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Nomination of including women’s access to abortion Ruth Ginsburg to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the and discrimination on the basis of sex.
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