Tag: Passover
“The story of the seder, the story of freedom and justice, is a universal story. It’s not too much of an exaggeration to say that just about everything we do stems from this story—this idea that we were slaves, and we were freed, and now it’s our responsibility to work for freedom for people all over the world,” says Rabbi Shira Stutman, director of Jewish programming at Historic Sixth & I Synagogue. More
A new National Geographic film about Jerusalem attempts to transcend the city’s reputation for conflict with sweeping imagery and personal stories of why the city is so loved. “Jerusalem to me is more than a city.” says Farah Ammouri, a young Muslim woman featured in the film. “Its beauty, its spirit, also my religion–but most importantly, it’s my family.” More
The haggadah is the book that guides Jews through the ritual of the Passover Seder, the meal commemorating their ancestors’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. The Sarajevo Haggadah is famous for its artistically illustrated manuscript pages. Created 600 years ago, “It went through so many different cultures,” observes composer Merima Kljuco, “and so many different people took the care of the book and helped it survive.” More
“The ancient words take on the power they were supposed to take on all along,” says Rabbi Jamie Korngold, who leads a Passover seder in the Utah desert. “We’re trying to take this spiritually rich experience and ignite our Judaism.” More
“When we walk through the desert, we really get that idea of freedom, of being out in the wilderness and all the spiritual moments that are possible in the wilderness.” More
“New Haggadahs will be written until there are no more Jews to write them. Or until our destiny has been fulfilled, and there is no more need to say, ‘Next year in Jerusalem.'” More
“This haggadah is trying to draw in as many people as possible to participate in the service,” says artist Mark Podwal, who describes his illustrations for the text. “For me,” says Podwal, “my art is prayer.” More
“For symbols related to spring…I have flowers growing out of a menorah. I have the fruits of Israel. I have two pomegranates with Torah shields…so that each pomegranate is a mini-Torah.” More
Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder of IKAR, a Jewish spiritual community in Los Angeles, says Passover is “the centerpiece of the Jewish moral imagination and the Jewish collective memory.” More
“The idea that it’s possible to move from slavery to freedom and from darkness to light and from despair to hope—that is the greatest Jewish story every told.” More