For Passover, the eight-day observance that commemorates the freedom and exodus of Jews from slavery in Egypt, families traditionally meet for dinners called seders where the holiday's story is retold through readings. The seder is the main focus of the holiday, with its abundance of food, music, and readings. Last night, the first night of Passover, provided an array of Tufts seder options for students to attend.
Students participated in a variety of seder dinners, some even with a theme, while others sought for a more intimate setting dining with Jewish families in the area.
Last night, Hillel sponsored a liberal, traditional, and a social justice themed seder.
The liberal seder featured singing, creative English readings, and progressive interpretations of the Passover Haggadah.
Senior Seren Levinson, who participated in the liberal Passover seder for the first time at Hillel, enjoyed the friendly and comforting atmosphere.
"There is always a really warm community at Hillel, always welcoming and inviting and this Passover Seder was no exception," Levinson said. Levinson estimates that 50 students attended the service.
The conservative seder included singing, discussion, and "questions and interesting answers," according to the Hillel Passover 2002 web site. Both seders took place in the Hillel Center.
For students stuck at Tufts for the holiday, the Hillel service made it easier to be away from home and family during the holiday.
"In the liberal seder we took turns participating so everyone was involved, and that was reminiscent of my seder at home where everyone takes a part," Levinson said.
She adds that an amiable atmosphere is always present at Hillel.
"What's nice about Hillel is that there is always someone there to invite you to sit with them," she said. "We tried to maintain all of the major traditions, including hiding and finding the Afikomen." The Afikomen is a piece of matzoh hidden in the middle of the service and is later searched for at the end. The person who finds the Afikomen wins a prize.
A unique seder provided through Hillel was the Peace and Justice seder, which kept the traditional framework, but added readings and themes about issues connected to social justice. The dinner took place in the Faculty Dining room of Mugar Hall. The service had the same prayers as the other services, with Hebrew readings focused on social justice related injustices of the slavery of the Jews, to broader themes of inequality, economic distribution, or environment.
Junior Laura Horowitz attended the Peace and Justice Passover seder and found connections of the Jewish exodus and freedom from slavery to issues of social justice today.
"My family always tries to liven up the Passover seder, and every year we try to incorporate contemporary things to our seder. So I like the non-traditional seder," Horowitz said. She estimates that 40 students participated in the dinner.
The readings at the seder pertained to the core of the Jewish holiday.
"Passover is a holiday about freedom... so the peace and justice connects the theme of freedom with ideas of social justice, parts of the Jewish tradition to broader campaigns for social justice throughout the world," Horowitz said.
"Passover happened thousands and thousands of years ago - how are you supposed to connect that to things in your personal life?" Horowitz explains that the Peace and Justice seder did just that, by making the themes of Passover relevant to today.
Alternative seder options for students included a seder dinner in South Hall.
Sophomore Lauren Weintraub, who had never previously attended a Passover seder at Hillel, particpiated in Hillel's traditional seder to remind her of home.
"[I went to the traditional seder] because it mostly closely resembles the one I go to every year. I wanted something that was most familiar," she said.
While there were over 100 students in attendance at the traditional seder, Weintraub says that Rabbi Jeffrey Summit tried to make everyone feel at home.
"The rabbi at the beginning said that he understands that most people would rather be home with family... he encouraged conversation at the tables and tried to make a family atmosphere."
Weintraub felt that Rabbi Summit was successful in making the seder like home, except for the food.
"The food doesn't even closely resemble home-cooked food, but in general it was a nice atmosphere and it was a good substitute," Weintraub said. "Not the real thing, but comes close, a good way to celebrate on campus."
Other students went off-campus for a more homey seder dinner. Students visited the homes of friends who live in the area, or were set up with a local Jewish family through Hillel.
Students who wanted to hold a seder at their home away from home could purchase a Seder Kit To Go, which has eight Haggadot, a Seder plate, matzah, grape juice, and other materials to help you personalize your seder. The kit, from Hillel, enables students to lead a seder in their own home.
