Passover Liberation Seder

Passover is a holiday of liberation, of exodus from slavery, of faith that we can find something better. It’s about taking old texts and grappling with them, taking what’s good and reclaiming what’s wack. And oh yeah, there’ll lots of wine and grape juice and food and singing. No need to be Jewish, or know anything about the holiday to come.

This Seder is for those more interested in promises of liberation than a “promised land.”

Drawing connections between Passover and modern-day struggles for liberation, we plan to address a variety of issues including gender, immigration, labor, reproductive justice, and the Israeli occupation of Palestine. We know that people interested in attending this seder may have different understandings of these issues, and in spite of our differences, we encourage all who are hungry (be it for food, knowledge, or community) to come eat with us. That being said, this seder is intended to create space for ideas/voices that are often marginalized within Jewish communities – particularly those in solidarity with Palestinians – and we ask that all who attend respect the character of the space and those within it.

This event is a potluck. If you can bring something, please let us know at http://tinyurl.com/a289bdz. In honor of this festival of liberation, we want to do our best to ensure the food served also lives up to our ideals. All food at the seder should be vegetarian, and vegan if possible. It also should follow Ashkenazi traditions of what’s allowable during Passover. Basically, this means no grains, no rice, no pasta, and no beans. Finally, everything brought should respect the Palestinian call for a boycott of Israeli products and companies that profit from the occupation. Lots of matzah, for example the brand sold by Trader Joe’s, is made in Israel. Streits is the best option we’ve found. Please note that the venue will not be kashered for Passover, and food will be ingredient kosher but not necessarily hechshered.

** Donations to help cover the cost of space rental would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so here: http://tinyurl.com/mbsscym