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[Yiddish for: In Struggle]     by Margot Meitner     Passover is my favorite chag (holiday). It’s the one in which I have always taken the opportunity to make a STATEMENT: Sometimes a political statement about my personal life; other times a personal statement about my political life. There was the time I plopped an orange on the Seder plate (representing the role of women in Judaism), or the time I nervously placed a crust of bread there (representing Queers in Judaism). There was...

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By Maya Kasowsky, Rabbinic Intern at Be'chol Lashon Every year at Passover Jews gather round tables to share in the Seder, reliving through custom and ritual, the experience of leaving Egypt and slavery, and emerging into freedom. The words only tell the story. The customs, songs, and foods help create that sense of being there. Around the world, Jews have passed down a variety of traditions that bring the Exodus to life. These global traditions provide wonderful ways to prompt new...

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Our First Passover By Natalia Nikova It was April 1980. My mother, my teenage daughter, and I were flying from Rome to New York City. Our journey started two months earlier in Leningrad, where after a long waiting period we were allowed to emigrate. We stayed a week in Vienna and a month and a half in Rome. Our documents were thoroughly checked, fingerprints were taken, and finally we got permission to settle in the United States. Looking out the window...

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English What makes this night different from all [other] nights? 1) On all nights we need not dip even once, on this night we do so twice? 2) On all nights we eat chametz or matzah, and on this night only matzah? 3) On all nights we eat any kind of vegetables, and on this night maror? 4) On all nights we eat sitting upright or reclining, and on this night we all recline? Hebrew Mah nishtanah halyla hazeh mikol halaylot...

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¿Qué hace diferente a esta noche de todas las [demás] noches? ¿Ma nishtaná haláila hazé micól haleilót... 1) En todas las noches no precisamos sumergir ni siquiera una vez, ¡y en esta noche lo hacemos dos veces! ...shebejól haleilót éin ánumatbilín afílu paám eját, haláila hazé shtéi peamím? 2) En todas las noches comemos jametz o matzá, ¡en esta noche solamente matzá! ...shebejól haleilót ánu ojlín jamétz umatzá, haláila hazé kuló matzá? 3) En todas las noches comemos cualquier clase de...

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By Marissa Weitzman One of my earliest and endearing memories from my childhood is with my Bubbie, Ruth Gipstein, and mother in the kitchen preparing matzoh ball soup for Passover.  To reach the granite countertop, I would balance on a stepping stool and we would set up in an assembly line.  Scoop the dough up, squish and roll it into a ball, and gently drop the sculpture into a pot of boiling water.  After the balls were cooked, we placed them...

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What are the requirements for karpas? It needs to be fruit of the earth, not of the tree or vine.Where does it come from? From the Greek word karpos, meaning fresh raw vegetable. Karpas also comes from similar words for the color green in a number of different ancient languages. For example, karpas was the denotation for the color green in Farsi, and was the name for the color green according to Rashi (old French). Karpos was one of the original...

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During Maggid, Syrian Jews throw sacks of matzah over their shoulders and say a special verse in Hebrew about leaving the Egypt in haste.

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What happened to the tortoise? The tortoise, the tortoise A breadfruit fell on the tortoise The tortoise, the tortoise What happened to the breadfruit? The tortoise, the tortoise A stake pierced the breadfruit The tortoise, the tortoise What happened to the staff? The tortoise, the tortoise Termite ate up the staff The tortoise, the tortoise What happened to the termite? The tortoise, the tortoise A fowl ate the termite The tortoise, the tortoise What happened to the fowl? The tortoise, the...

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YiddishTate ich vil bei dir fregen di fir kashes:Vos iz Anderesh fun der Nacht fun Pesach fun ale necht fun a gants yor?1) Di ershte kashe iz,Ale necht fun a gants yor tunken mir nisht ayn afileh eyn mol, ober di nacht fun peysach, tunken mir ayn tsvey mol — ayn mol karpas in zaltz vasser, di tsveyte mol maror in charoses.2) Di tsveyte kashe iz,Ale necht fun a gants yor esn mir chomets ader matseh, ober di nakht fun peysakh,...

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"Passover" By Yehuda Amichai My father was a god and did not know it. He gave me The Ten Commandments neither in thunder nor in furry; neither in fire nor in cloud But rather in gentleness and love. And he added caresses and kind words and he added “I beg You,” and “please.” And he sang “keep” and “remember” the Shabbat In a single melody and he pleaded and cried quietly between one utterance and the next , “Do not take...

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Three Questions There is a Sefardic (Iraqi or Afghani) custom of turning to the person beside you, asking these three questions, and offering the three brief answers. Try this, and see what opens in you.  Who are you? (I am Yisrael.)  Where are you coming from? (I am coming from Mitzrayim.)  Where are you going? (I am going to Yerushalayim.) from the Velveteen Rabbi

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Below the Four Questions with a translation into Ladino (Medieval Spanish) Abajo las <<Cuatro Preguntas>> traducidas en Ladino (el judio-espaÃnol medieval) “Kuanto fue demudada la noshada a esta mas ke todas las noshadas? Ke en todas las noshadas non mos entinyentes afilu vez una  la noshada la esta dos vezes. Ke en todas las noshadas mos komientes levdo o sesenya i la noshada la esta todo el sesenya. Ke en todas las nohadas mos komientes resto de vedruras i la noshada...

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By Sarah Spencer Passover is a time for people to gather around tables, share stories food and rituals. It can be joyous and exciting. But like with any communal setting, is can also be complicated to navigate the different needs and agendas people bring to the table. Still, if we follow Jewish tradition, we will find Passover can be a model for how to create positive diverse communal connections. Its rituals and structures teach us to talk across differences and celebrate...

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Ehad Mi Yodeah - in Ladino   Ken supiense i entendiense, alavar al Dio kreense.  Kualo es el uno (1)?Uno es el KriadorBaruhu ubaruh Shemo.  Ken supiense i entendiense, alavar al Dio kreense.  Kualo son los tredje?Tredje (13) son los ikarim.Dodje (12) ermanos kon Yosef.Onze (11) ermanos sin Yosef.Diez (10) mandamientos de la Ley.Mueve (9) mezes de la prenyada.Ocho (8) dias de la milá.Siete (7) dias de la semana.Sesh (6) livros de la Mishna.Sinko (5) livros de la Ley.Kuatro (4) madres de...

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In Cuba, Jews are poor and can't access all of the fruits needed to make Charoset, so they use matzah, honey, cinnamon, and wine instead. In Gibraltar, a British overseas territory on the coast of Spain, they put brick dust in Charoset to resemble the mortar used during slavery. In India, Charoset contains raisins, dates, and sesame paste. In Spain, they put dates, apricots, pistachios, pine nuts, and coconuts in the Charoset.

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In Spain, the first-born sons eat a roasted egg to show appreciation for being spared during the 10th plague.

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Persian and Afghan Jews lightly hit each other with scallions during Dayenu to symbolize the slaves being whipped by the Egyptians