Features

With the violence in the Middle East, the slumping economy, the controversy over gay marriage, and a do-or-die election quickly approaching, the Jewish holiday of Passover is especially meaningful for many this year. 

The holiday, which starts at sundown on Monday, April 5, traditionally celebrates the liberation of Jews from slavery in Egypt. With the theme of liberation at its heart, it’s a time to remember the past but also reflect on the present. Not surprisingly, however, the holiday has been adapted over several thousand years to fit various individual and group takes on what it means to celebration liberation. You can probably guess that Berkeley is no exception. 

A good indication of just how varied this year’s celebration will be can be found at several of Berkeley’s local bookstores in the Haggadah section. The Haggadah is the book used during the dinner feast that guides participants through the ceremony developed to remember the events of Passover. One quick glance over the shelves reveals a variety of themes, including women’s rights, peace, lesbian rights, Yiddish culture, and youth, among others. 

“When we read the Haggadah we don’t want to think of something that happened in the past. If you don’t take into account what’s going on around you, it’s hard to understand it,” said Ira Steingroot, who currently works at Spectator Books but used to manage what he claims is the world’s largest selection of Haggadahs at Cody’s Books. 

“If we were in a place where everyone belonged to synagogues, like those of us from the East Coast, everyone would use the same Haggadah,” Steingroot added. “Now we’ re are out in the West—the frontier—and for that reason people are looking for an alternative way. You come to Berkeley looking for an alternative lifestyle.” 

According to Steingroot, Seders (the traditional Passover dinners) were strictly by the book until the 20th century. Around World War I he said, people began to develop their own themes, and by World War II, it was a free-for-all. Over the years, Steingroot admitted he’s seen everything from the strictest Orthodox interpretation to the most liberal reinvention. 

“Every generation needs their own interpretation, just like Homer or Dante,” he said. 

One theme that stays constant, however, is liberation.  

“Our religion is nothing else but a struggle for freedom, our own as well as for others,” said Rabbi Ferenc Raj, from Congregation Beth El. “Our teachings say that every person represents the entire universe. If you destroy one person, you destroy the entire universe. If you help one person, you help the entire world.” 

The Seder, Raj said, is a time to remember this basic teaching and a time to pass it on to the younger generations. 

Both Raj and Steingroot agree that much of the focus on liberation is also a result of more recent struggles within Jewish community. From the concentration camps, the pogroms, and the ghettos of Europe to the pronounced anti-Semitism existing here in the United States during the first half of the 20th century, the need for liberation has been a constant theme. 

“They cannot take this love of freedom from us,” said Raj. “Even when we were oppressed in the ghettos we were free because we did not let them take our souls. Jews are called prisoners of hope, and this is so true. We are obsessed with hope.” 

Steingroot said one of the most moving Haggadahs he ever saw was a copy printed by the American Army in Germany after WWII. The type machines they used to print the books were dirty so they had to find something to clean them. The only thing around were old Nazi flags, which they tore into shreds to clean the type. 

The holiday will also be unique because of the current political climate. As violence continues to plague Israel and Palestine, many Jews here find themselves in the middle of the controversy that surrounds the conflict. On the one hand, there is the Jewish connection to Israel, and on the other there is acknowledgment of the Palestinian struggle against the occupation. 

One group, Jews For a Free Palestine (JFFP), will be hosting a community Seder that focuses on the legacy of liberation among the Jewish community but refuses to restrict the struggle for freedom to Jews. For the JFFP, the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupation is just as important.  

“I think our goal is to create a space where we can celebrate the legacy of the biblical story of the exodus ” said JFFP member Eric Roman, “and at the same time build support among Jews and alliances of Jews and non-Jews, for modern day movements for liberation, especially in Palestine.” 

Roman said he, along with others, recognizes the strong legacy of social justice work in the Jewish community but are upset that parts of the community turn their back when it comes to the conflict with Palestine. 

“The strands of that legacy, the commitment to social justice, exist in the broader community,” he said. But unfortunately, he added, parts of the broader community also “have by and large really reactionary politics when it comes to the conflict. We talk about never again… and yet what I came to see in the world is that what some Jews meant was never again meant never again to us. I don’t mean to offer harsh criticism, but that’s getting it wrong.” 

Roman said the Seder that JFFP will host is meant to build community among Jews, non-Jews and allies who feel similarly and want to ensure that support for liberation means support across the board. 

Lisa Stampinsky, a graduate student at Cal and member of Tzedek, a progressive Jewish student group on campus, said their group is also planning a Seder that takes the theme of liberation to mean everyone. 

“Passover is centrally about liberation ,” she said, “so I think it’s important to open that up and not only focus on the history of our own people, but also use the issue to be able to think about the importance of liberation of all people.” 

Several of the Seders Berkeley groups are hosting are open to the public and both Jews and non-Jews are invited to attend. For information for the Seders at Congregation Beth El call 848-3988 ext. 11 or write to frontoffice @bethelberkeley.org. For the information on the Tzedek Seder on Tuesday, April 8, write to caltzedek@hotmail.com. For the JFFP Seder on Wednesday April 9, contact renouncealiyah @yahoo.com. To find Haggadahs, both traditional and alternative, contact Afikomen at 655-1977, or stop by their store located at 3042 Claremont Ave., Berkeley.