Peysakh Hagode 2010 - Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture
Transcription
Peysakh Hagode 2010 - Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture
President’s Welcome Zayt bagrist, tayere fraynt, brider un shvester! Welcome, dear friends, brothers and sisters! Soyez bienvenus, chères amis, nos frères et nos soeurs! Brochim habayim, chaverim hayakarim, achim v’achiot! Bienvenidos queridos amigos, hermanos y hermanas! Zdrastvitye dorogiye druzhya! Light is life. Winter passes and the day grows longer. Spring is here and hope is born. The light of Passover is the light of the struggle for freedom and is the light of hope that was also kindled in 1943 in the Warsaw Ghetto. Tsuzamen, lomir ontsinden di likht fun farshtendlikhkayt un fun libe. Let us all join in lighting the candles in honour of understanding and love. Let us sing along with the choir: Lomir Ale (words, page 22) “Whoever enlarges upon the telling of the story of the exodus from Egypt, that person is praiseworthy.” It is in this spirit that we have prepared this Hagode using traditional texts and our own interpretations. We tell this story over and over, all of us together, to witness the bondage of others, past and present, and to renew our commitment to the liberation of all people, everywhere. 1 On this day in particular we retell the story of enslavement of the Hebrews in Egypt and their liberation because, if we do not remember it, who will? If I am not for myself then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself then what am I? And if not now, when? Oyb ikh bin nit far zikh aleyn den ver vet zayn far mir? Un oyb ikh bin nor far zikh aleyn den vos bin ikh? Un oyb nit yetst, ven? Im eyni li az mi li? V’im mani rak b’shvili az ma ani? V’im lo akhshav, eymatay? — Hillel The Passover story is a legend of liberation, and we are gathered here today to celebrate the liberation of the Hebrew people who were slaves in the land of Egypt. We especially celebrate the uprisings in the ghettos and concentration camps and the resistance of the partisans against Nazi tyranny. We hope to soon celebrate a just peace in Israel/Palestine where both Jews and Palestinians will live without the fear of wars and death, Legend tells us of Moses’ role in the liberation of the Israelites, and to a lesser extent of the role of Aaron, his brother. But in retelling this story we often neglect the other members of the family, without whom there might not have been a Moses. Let us therefore here enlarge upon the story, as we are encouraged to do, by including Yokheved, the mother of Moses, and Miriam, his sister. Yokheved, the mother of Moses, Aaron and Miriam, put the infant Moses in an ark of bulrushes and placed it in the river so that he might be spared from Pharaoh’s decree. For Pharaoh had ordered the Israelite midwives to kill all newborn Hebrew males at birth, but they refused to do so. Miriam stood hidden, watching what would become of him. Then, when Pharaoh’s daughter rescued the infant Moses from the water, Miriam proposed Yokheved as a wet-nurse for the child. Later, after the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea, Miriam the Prophet took a timbrel in her hand and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 2 It is traditional to drink four cups of wine to commemorate the four different ways in which the Bible describes the liberation from slavery. A separate cup is poured for Elijah the Prophet. And another cup is filled with spring water in honour of Miriam. Miriam’s cup Miriam’s cup, a recent addition to the seder, honours the Prophet Miriam, who foretold the coming of her brother Moses. Together, they worked with Aaron to organize the rebellion of the Hebrews and the exodus from Egypt. Once the Hebrews arrived on the far shore of the Red Sea, Miriam led her women in song and dance to celebrate their escape from slavery. It is said that, because of Miriam’s merit, a well of sweet, healing water magically followed the Israelites for the forty years they wandered in the desert. May Miriam’s courage and spontaneity inspire us. May we be sustained throughout our journeys through life. Let us drink the first cup to the heroism of women and men all over the world, to the sacrifices they have made, and to their devotion to life. L’chaim! [All drink the first cup] The Symbols of Peysakh The symbols of Peysakh come from the rites of antiquity. In carrying out these rites we celebrate our connection with the past—and with the future. Because of these symbols, we sit at our seder table and can experience the same feelings as Jews of old, in Poland and Russia, Persia and Babylonia, ancient Palestine and modern-day Israel. Symbols speak in a universal language that transcends time and space. Let us all join in carrying out the traditional rituals. 3 hjm MATZO [hold this up as we say together]: The matzo is known as the bread of affliction. It is what our ancestors ate as they fled their captivity, and did not dare wait until their bread could rise. evrz Z’ROA [hold this up as we say together]: This shankbone commemorates the sacrifices that were made in ancient times. The shankbone is a symbol of the sacrificial lamb that was eaten at the time of the exodus. In ancient times, shepherds held a celebration each spring. A young lamb or goat was slaughtered and its blood was smeared on the tent posts as a sign of renewed kinship among those who witnessed the ceremony. Among people all over the world, sharing a common meal has remained a symbol of kinship and brotherhood and sisterhood. Let it stand, today, for the sacrifices that men and women have made for one another, at the risk of their own lives. Let it also stand for the kinship of all people. hjyb BEYTSO [hold this up as we say together]: The egg in many cultures symbolizes the beginning and renewal of life in the spring. We dip the egg in salt water to remember the crossing of the Red Sea. The story says that in ancient times there was a famine in the land of Canaan, the ancient land that was to become, at different times, Israel, Judaea, Palestine, and once again Israel. Following the advice of Joseph of the coat of many colours, the Egyptians had prepared for this famine, and so Jacob, his sons and grandchildren, went to live in Egypt. There were about seventy of them to begin with but in time they grew more numerous. “And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. “The rulers of Egypt began to fear the Israelites. Therefore they set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens.” To remember and bear witness to the bitterness of servitude, we eat the maror. 4 MAROR [hold this up as we say together]: “And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage in mortar and brick, and in all manner of service in the field.” rvrm [syrx CHAROSES [hold this up as we say together]: We combine the charoses with some maror between two pieces of matso, and eat it. “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour.” To remember and bear witness to the mortar with which those bricks were made, and in honour of both the sweetness and the bitterness of life, we eat the charoses and maror. sprk KARPAS [hold this up as we say together]: The vegetable is symbolic of the coming of spring and the rebirth of hope. It is customary to dip the karpas into salt water to remind us of our tears of sorrow even during the rebirth of hope. TAPUZ [hold this up as we say together]: We include this orange on the seder plate to remember the essential equality of women and men, no matter what their marital status or sexual orientation. zvp{ There is a story that, not long ago, a woman asked her rabbi why women can’t be up on the bima. The rabbi responded, “A woman should be on the bima like an orange should be on the seder plate.”* _xvp{ hmda TAPUAKH-ADAMA [hold this up as we say together]: We include this potato peel on the seder plate to remember that potato peels, which many of us routinely discard, were considered a special treat by the people in the concentration camps. * Although this story as told is both powerful and meaningful, it does not tell the events as they happened. Two versions that claim to be historically accurate appear on pages 23–24.] 5 It is believed that Peysakh has been observed by Jews for more than 3,000 years. It was celebrated, no doubt, by men and women who were taken as prisoners to Babylonia in 586 BCE, by the Maccabees, by slaves in Herod’s court, by the teachers who compiled the Talmud, by Jews in Arab countries throughout the ages, by the Marranos in Spain and the Khasidim in Poland. And, of course, by those who suffered under Nazi brutality all through World War II. The choir will sing: Zog Maran Zog maran, du bruder mayner, vu iz greyt der seder dayner? In tifer heyl, in a kheder, dort hob ikh gegreyt mayn seder. Say Marrano, my brother, where is your seder prepared? In a cave, in a little room, there I have prepared my seder. Zog maran mir, vu bay vemen vestu vayse matsos nemen? In der heyl, af got’s barotn, hot mayn vayb dem teyg geknotn. Tell me Marrano, where will you get white matzos? In the cave, God willing, my wife has kneaded the dough. Say Marrano, how will you manage to get a hagode? In the cave, in a deep crevice, I’ve had it hidden a long time. Zog maran, vi vest zikh klign a hagode vu tzu krign? In der heyl, in tife spaltn hob ikh zi shoyn lang bahaltn. Zog maran, vi vest zikh vern ven men vet dayn kol derhern? Ven der soyne vet mikh fangen vel ikh kemfn mit gezangen. Page from the Barcelona Haggadah, mid-14th century Let us drink the second cup of wine to celebrate the liberation of people from tyranny of all kinds, everywhere. [All drink the second cup] 6 Say Marrano, what will you do if someone hears your voice? If the enemy comes to get me, I’ll fight with songs. We look upon the Earth not only as a sustainer, vital to our survival, but also as a sacred place, worthy of our respect and awe. According to a Haida saying, “We don’t inherit this earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” Peysakh is the celebration of freedom and renewal. In Jewish tradition, Peysakh is known as The Season of our Liberation The wonderful time, the most joyous of the year has come … The sun is high in the sky … the air is free and fresh, soft and clear. On the hills are the first sprouts of spring grass— tender, quivering, green … With a screech and a flutter of wings a straight line of swallows flies overhead, and I am reminded of the Song of Songs. — Sholem Aleykhem On this night we commemorate the exodus from Egypt. Over the centuries, our ancestors listened to the call of liberation. On the first night of Peysakh, 1943, the Warsaw Ghetto resistance fighters began the uprising. Tonight, and on every Passover to come, so long as it is necessary, let the call ring out again. Today not all of us are free. Next year may we all be liberated. Hashato avdey. L’shono habo-o b’ney khorin. 7 This is the poor person’s bread which our ancestors ate as they fled from the land of Egypt. Ho lakhmo anyo di akhalu avhosono b’aro d’Mitzrayim Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are needy come and share our Passover. Kol dikhfin yeysey v’yeykhul. Kol ditzrikh yeysey v’yifsakh. As long as there is one person in the world who does not have enough to eat, so long is our holiday incomplete. Let all who are in distress come and celebrate with us. Di Fir Kashes Farvos iz di nakht fun Peysakh andersh fun alle nekht fun a gantz yor? Alle nekht fun a gantz yor esn mir khometz oder matzo. Ober di nakht fun Peysakh esn mir nor matzo. Alle nekht fun a gantz yor esn mir alerley grinsn. Ober di nakht fun Peysakh esn mir nor bitereh grinsn. Alle nekht fun a gantz yor tunken mir ayn afile eyn mol nit. Ober di nakht fun Peysakh tunken mir ayn tsvey mol. Alle nekht fun a gantz yor esn mir say zitsndik un say ongelent. Ober di nakht fun Peysakh esn mir nor ongelent. The Four Questions Why is this night different from all other nights of the year? On all other nights we eat bread or matzo. Why on this night do we eat only matzo? On all other nights we eat any kind of vegetables. Why on this night do we eat bitter ones? On all other nights we need not dip one food into another. Why on this night do we do so twice? On all other nights we can sit at the table either upright or reclining. Why on this night do we recline? 8 Ma Nishtano Ma nishtano halaylo hazeh mikol haleyloys? Shebkhol haleyloys onu oykhlin khometz umatso, halaylo hazeh kulo matso. Shebkhol haleyloys onu oyklhin sh’or y’rokos, halaylo hazeh moroyr. Shebkhol haleyloys eyn onu matbilin afilu pa-am ekhos, halaylo hazeh shtey p’omim. Shebkhol haleyloys onu oykhlin beyn yeshuvin uveyn m’subin halaylo hazeh kulonu m’subin. Page from the Prague Haggadah, 1526 The answer, dear children, is: We were Pharaoh’s slaves in the land of Egypt, Avodim ho-yinu l’Faro b’Mitzrayim. As it is written: And you shall tell your children on that day, saying, This is because I was delivered from Egypt. She-ne-emar: V’higad’to I’vinkho bayom ha-hu leymor: Ba-avur ze oso Adonoy li b’tseysi miMitzrayim. 9 We were slaves in the land of Egypt. And had our ancestors not fought for freedom, we and our children and our children’s children, and you yourself, would still be enslaved. And though we were all of us wise, filled with understanding and acquainted with the Torah, we would still be commanded to tell the story of the liberation from Egypt, because … Harey onu uvoneynu uvney voneynu m’shubodim hoyinu l’faro b’mitzrayim. V’afilu kulono khakhomin, kulonu n’vonim, kulonu z’keynim, kulonu yodim es ha-Torah, mitzvo oleynu l’sapeyr bi-tziyas mitzrayim. B’khol dor vo-dor khayov odom liros es atzmo k’ilu hu yotzo mimitzrayim. [Let us all say together]: In every generation we ought to regard ourselves as if we, personally, had been liberated from slavery. The Ten Plagues Traditionally, the seder recalls the plagues in Egypt (blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the killing of the firstborn). In our seder, we acknowledge the plagues that afflict our communities today. We are surrounded by the suffering of everyday life that takes place incessantly and continues even as we go about our daily lives. Recalling the miseries and dislocations of the many peoples around the world only once a year is not enough. Perhaps we can here and now agree to dedicate some portion of our time and energy to making the life of someone else a little better than it is. It is traditional to spill a drop of wine from our cups as we recite each plague. With each drop of wine that we spill, we renew our opposition to these modern plagues: [Let us all say together, as we spill a drop of wine for each plague]: War … Pollution … Hunger … Exploitation … Bigotry … Injustice … Disease … Tyranny … Ignorance … Poverty 10 The choir will sing: Let My People Go Nmvqyfa AFIKOMAN: Traditionally, the Afikoman is hidden at this point and the seder cannot be completed until the Afikoman is found and ransomed by one of the children present at the seder. In a large communal seder such as ours, this practice could be highly disruptive. We therefore just remind ourselves of this custom, which symbolizes that our future as Jews depends on our children, … and not until we have communicated to them the meaning of Peysakh can the seder be considered to be complete. Eliyohu On the seder night we open the door for Eliyohu, known as Elijah the Prophet, whose coming is traditionally supposed to precede the coming of the Messiah, or a new Golden Age. Eliyohu stood courageously against injustice and spoke out for the poor, the sick and the downtrodden. Legend tells us that Eliyohu will signal the day when we shall all live in freedom, peace, justice and joy. But he will not come until the world is worthy of his presence. From this we understand that only by our own actions can we create a better world. Let us drink the third cup of wine to Elijah the Prophet, who symbolizes our commitment to work with others towards a better tomorrow. [All drink the third cup] Let us all sing along with the choir: Eliyohu Hanovi CHORUS: Eliyohu hanovi, Eliyohu haTishbi Eliyohu, Eliyohu, Eliyohu haGiladi Bimheyro v’yomeynu yovo eyleynu (2) CHORUS Im moshiach ben Dovid, im moshiach ben Dovid (2) CHORUS 11 The Four Children The number “4” appears in the Hagode in many ways. There are four cups of wine, four questions, four names for the holiday and four different ways of describing the liberation from bondage. And there are four ways of talking about the Seder to our children. What does the wise child ask? “What is the meaning of all our customs and traditions? What do they symbolize and what is their origin?” The wise child understands that not everything is as it appears. To such a question, we explain that the origins of Passover are older than the time of bondage in Egypt. That the holiday was originally the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and that it was celebrated in the Spring as a primitive form of observing the new year. We explain that the custom of eating together united the family or tribe, in the hope that, together, they could overcome the dangers of nature in the year that was beginning. And we point out that although Passover began as an attempt by the single community to win freedom from bondage, it has become a symbol of the freedom of all people, everywhere and in all times. What does the rebellious child ask? “Why do you bother with this Seder of yours? What does it have to do with me? These are your customs, not mine!” The rebellious child dares to challenge simplistic answers. To such questions we answer that every person must have roots in the history and traditions of their own people. We preserve the traditions and customs that bring us closer to our neighbours, based on pride and understanding that our people, too, has woven its own, unique strands and threads into the beautiful and colourful tapestry that is Humankind. If we forget our own bondage, how then can we be true to our sacred duty to stand always on the side of freedom? What does the naive child ask? “What is this all about?” The naive child trusts easily and believes what he or she is told. To answer such a question, we have simply told the story of bondage and liberation. We might add that throughout our history, our people’s dedication to freedom has permitted us to remain a people, even after our enemies were long forgotten. 12 What do we say to the very young child, who does not even know what to ask? We say that by being part of our Seder, they are part of a very wonderful and happy time. And we say that when they grow a little older, they will begin to learn more about their people and that, next year, they will know what to ask. — text from Sholem Family Hagada, Hershl Hartman, with additions from the Temple Sholom Sisterhood Haggadah The Butterfly For seven weeks I’ve lived in here, penned up inside this ghetto, but I have found my people here. The dandelions call to me and the white chestnut candles in the court. The last, the very last, so richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow. Perhaps if the sun’s tears were to sing against a white stone … Such, such a yellow is carried way up high. It went away, I’m sure, because it wished to kiss the world goodbye. Only I never saw another butterfly. That butterfly was the last one; butterflies don’t live here, in the ghetto. — Pavel Friedmann, 14 years old; Theresienstadt Ghetto, 1942 — drawings by anonymous residents of Theresienstadt Ghetto 13 Excerpts from Yom Hachoa [HaShoah] (To the memory of his mother and all his dear ones who disappeared in Auschwitz) … And the years pass, and the hair turns gray, And the eyes dim, and we tremble when we walk; We can never forget that heavy pain Of seeing an entire nation condemned to the The thousand-armed hydra swallowed them pitilessly … The whole world participated in the macabre spectacle Without trying to save, to help, to punish. slaughter. But over the death camps and from that gray cloud Grew the delicate flower of our liberation; And over the beloved bones and mountains of ash, At the cost of new blood, our nation was restored. They come to visit me in my sleep every night Men, women, children, sister, walking in the tranquillity Of a vast necropolis, sacrifices offered To an unknown Moloch, bathing in his cruelty. Auschwitz, Treblinka, Maidanek, unknown places That became overnight symbols of bestiality, That uprooted millions of souls from their warm homes And changed into empty words culture and humanity. Rest, beloved souls, from your last sleep. You have fallen. With your death, evil seemed to have conquered, But with your last breath, you have given life to our genius And our lips murmur: “yitgadal v’yitkadash.” And men, women and children continue to walk Toward their sad destiny, toward the gas chambers. …and earth does not tremble, nature is not moved, And the Heavens do not quiver at a just rage. — Chelomo [Shlomo] Reuven from The Schocken Book of Modern Sephardic Literature, edited by Ilan Stavans Thus vanished six million brethren. 14 The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising On April 19, 1943, the first night of Passover, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began. The Nazis were coming to complete the deportation of the remaining Jews to the death camps. A shot rang out on Nalevki Street, signalling the beginning of the revolt. A few hundred Jews with a few guns and hand grenades had decided to resist the tremendous power of the German army and the Gestapo. The courageous men and women of the Jewish Fighting Organization held out for forty-two days. — ZOB (JFO) rooftop sniper Similar acts of resistance took place in Minsk, Vilna, Bialystock, in the cities and towns of Poland, and even in the death camps—Treblinka, Sobibor, Auschwitz. Although few of the Jewish fighters survived the battle, the story of their courage will never die. we see any signs of the disruptions of common life … humiliation of a people whose culture is alien and deemed inferior; a people left homeless without citizenship; a people living under military rule. Because of our experience, we recognize these evils as obstacles to peace. At those moments of recognition, we remember the past, feel the outrage that inspired the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto and allow it to guide us in present struggles.” Irena Klepficz, a prominent writer in English and Yiddish and a child survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto, whose father spirited her and her mother out of the ghetto and then died in the ghetto uprising, wrote: “I have concluded that one way to pay tribute to those we loved who struggled, resisted and died is to hold on to their vision and their fierce outrage at the destruction of the ordinary life of their people. It is this outrage we need to keep alive in our daily life and apply it to all situations, whether they involve Jews or non-Jews. It is this outrage we must use to fuel our actions and vision whenever Nathan Rapaport’s statue of Mordechai Anilewicz, leader of the Warsaw Ghetto revolt. 15 Anne Frank Born on June 12, 1929, Anne Frank was a German-Jewish teenager whose family was living in Amsterdam. They were forced to go into hiding during the Holocaust. She and her family, along with four others, spent 25 months during World War II in an annex of rooms above her father’s office in Amsterdam. After being betrayed to the Nazis in August, 1944, Anne, her family, and the others living with them were arrested and deported to Nazi concentration camps. In March of 1945, nine months after she was arrested, Anne Frank died of typhus at Bergen-Belsen. She was fifteen years old. Her diary, saved during the war by Miep Gies, one of the family’s protectors, was first published in 1947. Today, her diary has been translated into 67 languages and is one of the most widely read books in the world. From the diary, July 15, 1944: “It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. “It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquillity will return once more.” We light six candles in memory of the 6,000,000 Jews who were murdered. We ask you all to stand now while those who lost relatives or friends in the Holocaust may come up and light a candle in their memory. 16 Please remain standing while the choir sings: Zog Nit Keyn Mol Zog nit keyn mol az du geyst dem letstn veg, Ven himlen blayeneh farshteln bloyeh teg. Kumen vet nokh unzer oysgebenkteh sho, S’vet ah poykton unzer trot mir zaynen do. Fun grinen palmen-land biz vaytn land fun shney, Mir zenen do mit unzer payn, mit unzer vey. Un vu gefaln iz ah shpritz fun unzer blut, Shprotsn vet dort unzer gvureh, unzer mut. Svet di morgen zun bagildn unz dem haynt, Un der nekhtn vet farshvinden mitn faynt. Nor oyb farzahmen vet di zun un der kayor Vi a parol zol geyn dos lid fun dor tsu dor. Geshribn iz dos lid mit blut un nit mit blay, S’iz nit kayn lidl fun a foygl oyf der fray. Dos hot a folk tsvishn falndikeh vent Dos lid gezungen mit naganes in di hent. Tuh zog nit keyn mol az du geyst dem letstn veg, Ven himlen blayeneh farshteln bloyeh teg. Kumen vet nokh unzer oysgebenkteh shoh, S’vet ah poyk ton unzer trot mir zenen do. — Hirsh Glik, Vilna Ghetto Literal translation: Never say you’re on the last road, though leaden skies hide days of blue— Our longed-for hour will come; our steps will be a drumbeat: WE ARE HERE! Singable translation, by Aaron Kramer: Never say that there is only death for you, though leaden skies may be concealing days of blue, because the hour that we have hungered for is near; beneath our tread the earth shall tremble: WE ARE HERE! From land of palm-tree to distant land of snow, we are here with our pain and our anguish, and wherever our blood has fallen, there our courage and our might will spring. From land of palm tree to the far-off land of snow we shall be coming with our torment, with our woe; and everywhere our blood has sunk into the earth shall our bravery, our vigour blossom forth … The morning sun will gild our day, and night will vanish with the enemy. But if sun and dawn are late, may this song be a rallying call passed from generation to generation. We’ll have the morning sun to set our day aglow, and all our yesterdays shall vanish with the foe. And if the time is long before the sun appears, then let this song go like a signal through the years. This song is written with blood, not with lead; it’s no little song of a bird on the wing. This one a people between crumbling walls sang with guns in their hands. This song was written with our blood, and not with lead; it’s not a song that summer birds sing overhead; it was a people, amidst toppling barricades, that sang this song of ours with pistols and grenades. So never say … So never say … 17 We were slaves in Egypt and we were slaves in fascist Europe. We have much to remember. Let us drink the fourth cup of wine in memory of those who were taken from us and in honour of those who fight for freedom and life. All drink the fourth cup] Let us all sing along with the choir: Bashana haba’ah Bashana haba’ah Neshev al hamirpeset V’nis por tsiporim nod’dot Y’ladim bakhufsha Y’sahkhaku tofeset Beyn habahyit l’veyn hasadot HEBREW CHORUS: Od tireh, od tireh, kama tov yehiyeh Bashana bashana haba’ah HEBREW CHORUS [repeat] Soon the day will arrive When we will be together, And no longer will we live in fear. And the children will smile Without wondering whether On that day dark new clouds will appear. ENGLISH CHORUS: Wait and see, wait and see, what a world there can be If we share, if we care, you and me ENGLISH CHORUS [repeat] Some have dreamed, some have died To make a bright tomorrow, And their vision remains in our heart. Now the torch must be passed With hope and not in sorrow, And a promise to make a new start. ENGLISH CHORUS HEBREW CHORUS ENGLISH CHORUS HEBREW CHORUS 18 Let the annual recounting of our own quest for freedom remind us of the struggles of other oppressed peoples.We empathize with people everywhere who are beset with violence and hatred. In too many places in the world, people are fighting and dying, or trying to rebuild in the aftermath of war. Let us urge our governments to do everything possible to eliminate the tragedies of war, poverty, and disease. Even here in British Columbia, where the gap between rich and poor is very wide and homelessness increases daily, much needs to be done to address the basic causes of social injustice. Passover—our beloved Peysakh—is not just a celebration of our own freedom. So long as any man or woman is enslaved, politically or economically, none of us is free. As we sit here in comradeship, let people everywhere be free to do the same—with us and with one another. The choir will sing: Do You Hear the People Sing [Let us celebrate the beauty of Peysakh, the struggle, the hope, the promise of liberation for all humanity, as we say together]: …They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit, every man and woman, under their vine and fig tree, And none shall make them afraid. — Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3-4 The choir will sing: Lo Yisa Goy 19 Let us all sing together: Dayenu CHORUS Volt Yokheved nit gevezn, Volt kayn Moyshe nit gevezn, Voltn Yidn fray gevezn, Dayeynu CHORUS: Day-dayeynu, Day-dayeynu, Day-dayeynu, Day-dayeynu, Volt kayn seder nit gevezn, Kayn hagode nit gevezn, Ober kneydlekh yo gevezn, Dayeynu day-dayeynu, dayeynu, dayeynu (dayenu) day-dayeynu, dayeynu-dayeynu CHORUS Volt kayn seder nit gevezn Volt kayn Moyshe nit gevezn, Volt di frayhayt YO gevezn, Dayenu Volt kayn Peysakh nit gevezn, Volt kayn seder nit gevezn, Volt unz freylekh yo gevezn, Dayeynu CHORUS [Let us all say together:] For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. — Song of Songs 2:11-12 20 Let us drink a final symbolic cup of wine to the ever-renewing cycles of nature. [Together]: L’CHAIM! [Let us say together]: Next year, may we all live in harmony, and in a world at peace! And now the seder meal. !tytep= Ntvg = A GUTN APETEET! 21 Lomir Ale Lomir alle in eynem, in eynem Dem Peysakh m’kabel ponim zayn [2] Lomir alle in eynem [2] 2 Trinken a glezeleh vayn. Lomir alle in eynem, in eynem Di gest m’kabel ponim zayn [2] Lomir alle in eynem [2] Trinken a glezeleh vayn. 2 Lomir alle in eynem in eynem Dem vayn m’kabel ponim zayn [2] Lomir alle in eynem [2] 2 Trinken a glezeleh vayn. Lomir alle in eynem, in eynem Dem sholem m’kabel ponim zayn [2] Lomir alle in eynem [2] 2 Trinken a glezeleh vayn. Let My People Go Let my people go. And wear these slavery chains forlorn. Let my people go. When Israel was in Egypt Land Let my people go. Oppressed so hard they could not stand. Let my people go. — CHORUS — CHORUS: Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt Land. Tell old Pharaoh to 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. We need not always weep and mourn. — CHORUS — 22 The True Story of the Origin of the Orange on the Seder Plate In the early 1980s, the Hillel Foundation invited me to speak on a panel at Oberlin College. While on campus, I came across a Haggada that had been written by some Oberlin students to express feminist concerns. One ritual they devised was placing a crust of bread on the Seder plate, as a sign of solidarity with Jewish lesbians (“there’s as much room for a lesbian in Judaism as there is for a crust of bread on the Seder plate”). fruitfulness for all Jews when lesbians and gay men are contributing and active members of Jewish life. In addition, each orange segment had a few seeds that had to be spit out—a gesture of spitting out, repudiating the homophobia that poisons too many Jews. When lecturing, I often mentioned my custom as one of many new feminist rituals that had been developed in the last twenty years. Somehow, though, the typical patriarchal maneuver occurred: My idea of an orange and my intention of affirming lesbians and gay men were transformed. Now the story circulates that a MAN stood up after I delivered the lecture and said to me, in anger, that a woman belongs on the bimah as much as an orange on the Seder plate. My idea, a woman’s words, is attributed to a man, and the affirmation of lesbians and gay men is simply erased. Isn’t that precisely what’s happened over the centuries to women’s ideas? At the next Passover, I placed an orange on our family’s Seder plate. During the first part of the Seder, I asked everyone to take a segment of the orange, make the blessing over fruit, and eat it as a gesture of solidarity with Jewish lesbians and gay men, and others who are marginalized within the Jewish community (I mentioned widows in particular). Bread on the Seder plate brings an end to Pesach—it renders everything chometz. And its symbolism suggests that being lesbian is being transgressive, violating Judaism. I felt that an orange was suggestive of something else: the — Susannah Heschel, April, 2001 Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies Dartmouth College The TRUE True Story of the Origin of the Orange on the Seder Plate Langer was asked about the place of lesbians in Judaism. She said it was a minor transgression— like eating bread during Passover. That spring, members of the group added a crust of bread to The definitive history is recorded in Like Bread on a the Seder Plate: Jewish Lesbians and the Transformation of Tradition. At a Berkeley Hillel meeting in the winter 1979, a rebettzin named Hinda 23 the seder plate to symbolize the acceptance of lesbians in Jewish life. As the practice spread over the next few years, Langer’s mild remarks were changed into a voice of outrage and placed in the mouth of a male rabbi – not to give him credit, but blame! Eventually the bread transmogrified into an orange (Susanna Heschel takes credit for this twist) … and lesbians into women, and the obtuse male catalyst changed his words accordingly. One reason to question your source’s memory is that according to the book, the Oberlin seder left a space on the seder plate, not a crust of bread. — Rabbi Peter Schweitzer, City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, New York, president of the Association of Humanistic Rabbis, and Oberlin graduate; private correspondence. 24 Hagode for a Secular Seder xsp r=f hdgh Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture Vancouver, British Columbia We gratefully acknowledge the concepts, and sometimes the texts, gleaned from many secular hagodes, and the creative and editing skills of present and former Peretz Centre Hagode Committee members © Peretz Centre 2010 25 The Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture: A multi-generational intercultural community dedicated to ensuring the continuity of Jewish culture and secular humanist thought. Our programs for young people, adults, seniors and families are designed to preserve Jewish culture and ethics, and to help newer generations develop understanding of both their traditions and current social issues. Young People Sunday School (ages 5–7) Club Peretz (ages 8–11) B’nai Mitsvah (ages 10–14) Adults/Seniors Sholem Aleichem Seniors Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir Fraytik Tsu Nakht (Secular Friday Night Shabbes Observance and Dinner) Yiddish Language Classes Yiddish Reading Group Families Holiday Celebrations Community Sundays Tsedoke/Tikkun Olam Hosting the Jewish Food Bank for Jewish Family Services Participating in Tickets to Inclusion (Jewish Family Services) Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture 6184 Ash Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 3G9 Program Coordinator: Donna Modlin Becker Phone: 604-325-1812 Rentals phone: 604-325-1810 Email: [email protected] Web: www.peretz-centre.org Our coordinator or one of our many volunteers will be pleased to answer your questions. The Peretz Centre: part of Vancouver’s Jewish community since 1945
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