Passover........

[osodecanela]

Last year, or perhaps the year before that, I was having lunch with a friend. We'd gone to a rather tasty downtown Santa Rosa Thai restaurant. Over soup, she confided in me that she had recently discovered that her matrilineal great-grandmother had been Jewish, and that she understood by Jewish law that made her maternal grandmother, and consequently her mother all Jewish and by extension all the way to her. Having still had some degree of a bad taste in her mouth from her Catholic upbringing, this tickled her. She also confided in me that she had, earlier that spring, gone to a naked lesbian seder in Oakland.

I put down my soup spoon and wrinkled my brow. "A naked lesbian seder?”
"Yup.”
"Naked?"
"Ayup"

I must've really looked somewhat confused. She looked at me and said, "is there a problem with that?"
"No, not really. But this spectrum of places to hide the afikomen just astounds me."

This hit her mid-swallow. I nearly got sprayed with coconut milk soup.

Sometime thereafter she introduced me to Shoshana who has since become a good friend. She invited us last weekend to a seder at her home but as I was on call that was an impossibility. However on Sunday, the day of the seder, Christopher (a.k.a. father of our four godchildren) confided in me his sadness of not having been able to expose the girls to the seder is he remembers from his childhood. (For Christopher the Jewish background is patrilineal.) A call to Shoshana remedied all that. We decided to make a seder on Saturday down in Oakland.

Shoshana and her partner had adopted two boys now aged three and four. Both the girl's mother, as well as my husband, decided to take a pass on the seder, so late Saturday afternoon, Christopher and I attacked the four girls into the SUV and trundled off to Oakland.

Shoshana and her family have authored their own post-feminists Haggadah and the children took to the seder much like a duck to water. There was as much attention to the contributions of our foremothers to the survival of the Jewish people, as to that of our forefathers. Miriam's cup sat in a place of honor on the table next to Elijah's cup, a rather well-known Orthodox rabbi once made the comment that women have as much a place on the bema (the area at the front of the temple in front of the arc with the Rabbi and Cantor are seated), as an orange has on the Seder plate. Well, this year there was an orange on the Seder plate.

I had not been to a seder in I cannot think of how long. This was a wonderful way to return to that tradition.

Comments

[eireangus.livejournal.com]

I am glad you had a great Pesach seder. It's a bit nontraditional, but I think it's a wonderful start!!!

I am sure my Lubavitch Rabbi would shudder, but it's unique for sure! While I share a different view of a woman's role within Judaism, you are correct that they hold an extremely special and sacred place to G-d.

One of the things that I love about Judaism, is the diversity that is allowed. No matter your level of observance, there is *something* for everyone. From lesbian naked seders to Charedi traditional seders. Yay!

Now that Pesach is officially over, bring on the chametz! ;-)

[osodecanela.livejournal.com]

A bit non-traditional? Angus, you have a flare for understatement!

With the invitation came a request for each of the guests to bring with them something that symbolizes freedom to them. It is afterall a holiday that celebrates the liberation of a people. My contribution to that never did get shared though, with 2 kids at the table, 5 of them under 6, that part of the tradition got a bit lost. My chunk of cement from the Berlin Wall is safely back in my curio cabinet, next to the kiddish cup used at my Grandfather's Bar Mitzvah in 1908. It is one of the few things I have from him, and one of the only things he brought with him from the UK.

These women incidentally are fiber artists by avocation and are doing some rather avantgard Judaic textile work. They make tallit among other things. Shoshana pulled out several they've done (kosher fabrics - nu?), including the one she wore to their wedding, which of course matched the chupah they made for the occassion.

Their ketubah hangs in their living room and is just gorgeous. That was done for them by a Sephardic artist (Turkish background - something Shosh and I have in common).

[eireangus.livejournal.com]

I was trying to be polite and open-minded. I've been called "extremist" at times. Even though it's not traditional (halachic) practice of a Pesach seder, it's still a start in my eyes.

Wow, those are quite the personal treasures you have! :) You should take a photo of the Kiddish cup; I'd love to see it.

These women sound very interesting, perhaps someday I can meet them (and you of course). I would be curious to see the tallit, and wonder how they were kosher-certified? I love Sephardic art!

PS

[eireangus.livejournal.com]

When I say "it's a start", I am talking from a Chabad perspective of bringing Jews back to Judaism. Although I am 100% fine with any flavor of Judaism, in my own humble beliefs I feel as though doing halachic mitzvot will bring the Messiah faster! :-)

ME + YOU = MUST MEET SOON!

[madknits.livejournal.com]

It sounds like a terrific seder. I only made it to the first night this year, after helping to kasher the kitchen. I've been to a feminist seder (this was before everyone was post-anything), and enjoyed the haggadot that we used. I like the idea of bringing something that symbolises freedom, though I'm not sure what I would bring. Maybe my divorce decree? A rainbow flag? Dunno.