In a few hours I go "off the grid" for a combination of two days of Passover (Thursday and Friday) and Shabbat on Saturday. Then I'm back, but gone again next Wednesday and Thursday for the final days of this labor-intensive holiday. It really is a trip – lots of cleaning and cooking and using different dishes and not eating anything with five grains, wheat, rye, barley, oats, and spelt (except for Matzoh which has to be made from one of them. Special mustard, vinegar and all packaged foods need special "Kosher for Passover" labels. I have written about this in other years so this year felt kind of "last year" as wondered what to say before going silent for so long.
Then, thanks to the always-ahead-of-the-curve City Council Candidate Jill Zimon, I learned this: there will be a White House Seder! How cool is that? I've always felt that the Seder and its tale of redemption from slavery was a universal story; one to which anyone with either a history of enslavement or a sense of justice could respond. And now, the first African American president, himself a symbol of freedom and, hopefully, a more just America, has seized upon this universal story as a message of openness and unity.
Listen to the Post's account:
In his letter, Obama called the story of
Jews' ascent from slavery to freedom in the Land of Israel as "among
the most powerful stories of suffering and redemption in human
history," accompanied by rituals and symbols that indicate "the beauty of freedom and the responsibility it entails."
He also said the holiday presented a message for all humankind. "As part of a larger global community, we all must work to ensure that our brothers and sisters of every race, religion, culture and nationality are free from bondage and repression, and are able to live in peace."
As Jill tweeted this morning, I to would give anything to be there – she wants to live-blog it. I'd just like to see it in action. Either way, it's an extra reminder not only of the freedom we celebrate but also of the gift of messengers who remind all of us – Jews and non-Jews, of the many treasured ways to honor and preserve that freedom together, whatever our history. Chag Sameach.