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In the early 1980s, while speaking at Oberlin College Hillel, Susannah Heschel was introduced to an early feministHaggadah that suggested adding 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). Heschel felt that to put bread on the seder plate would be to accept that Jewish lesbians and gay men violate Judaism like ...

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Instead of looking at the ten plagues mentioned in the story fo Exodus, tonight we think about modern 'plagues' that afflict us, our communities, and our societies. As we mention these plagues, we spill a drop of wine onto our plates. May these plagues be resolved in our times.

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Instead of reading the exodus story, this is a chance to share our own stories or thoughts of oppression and liberation, for ourselves or others. 

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The four questions in the traditional seder ask "How is this night different from other nights?" Tonight, we take a few minutes to write our own questions about the seder, the haggadah, the meaning of freedom or slavery, or any other relevant questions.

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WISE GIRLSAt times, we are wise girls, strong and confident in what we know and in who we are, curious and eager to learn more, seeing clearly through tangled and complex dilemmas and able to make wise and appropriate decisions for ourselves and on behalf of others. Yet, as wise girls, we risk growing complacent in our knowledge, smug in the “superior” wisdom of the status quo, and so caught up in the pursuit of learning and producing that we neglect...

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The four cups of wine are traditionally linked to the four promises God made to the children of Israel: As it is written: "I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt. I will deliver you from bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great judgements. I will take you to be my people and I will be your God" (Exodus 6: 6-7). Tonight we dedicate the four cups of wine to important or inspirational women...

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Miriam's well was said to hold divine power to heal and renew. It's fresh waters sustained our people as we transformed from a generation shaped by slavery into a free nation. Throughout our subsequent journeys, we have sought to rediscover these living waters. Tonight let us remember that we are still on a journey. Just as the Holy One delivered Miriam and her people, just as they were sustained in the desert and transformed into a new people, so may we...

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 מה טבו סדרינו בנות ישראל כאור חדש המאיר עולםMa tovu sidreinu b’not yisra’el, k’or chadash ha’me’ir olam Women of Israel, the wonder of our seders brings new light to the world. 

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Why is this night different from other nights?On this night, we gather to prepare for Passover, outside of our kitchens, in a way our foremothers could have never imagined.On this night we join as a community to rid ourselves of a different kind of  chametz. What do we cleanse ourselves of tonight?The exhaustion of cleaning and cooking.The echo of exclusionary language.The weight of history.The fear of women's voices.The silencing of women's stories.The violence done to women's bodies.The pressure to conform to...