Part celebration, part act of remembrance, the Jewish holiday of Passover was marked Wednesday on campus with many students partaking in the traditional Seder meal held in Gerlinger Lounge.
Approximately 130 gathered for the evening dinner sponsored by the local chapter of Hillel, a national religious affiliate organization.
The eight-day Passover observance began Wednesday with the first Seder, a word meaning “order” and referencing the series of historical events that led to Hebrew liberation from Egyptian tyranny more than 3,000 years ago.
The Seder meal itself, down to the precise placement of representative foods on the plate, is comprised of either five or six items that connote the trials of enslavement in Egypt.
To this day it continues as a tradition wrought with symbolism and meaning for present-day Jews. And with the recent addition of an orange to the Seder plate in recognition of women rabbis, the past is melded with the present in this coming together of a community honoring its continuity.
Erin Rosenblatt, University graduate and office manager at Hillel, said the feminist modernization comes from a famous male rabbi who chided that “we’ll have a woman on the bimah [altar] when we put an orange on the Seder plate.”
In recent decades, as women
For those on campus who couldn’t make it home to be with family during the holiday, Hillel sponsored Wednesday’s Seder to offer the next best thing for stranded students.
“I’m really glad we’re providing a home away from home for students,” Rosenblatt said. “When I was in school, I know I felt at home being able to come here and have this experience. And it’s pluralistic; it’s for everyone to connect from the different sects of Judaism.”
Boris Dolin, a senior linguistics major, helped lead the shabbat service that accompanied Wednesday’s feast and said he believes Passover is the one holiday that holds particular significance for people, especially those away from home.
“The incredible thing about this is that if we don’t do it, many of those attending wouldn’t have Seder,” he said. “We try to make it participatory as well, so everyone feels at home.”