Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation

Passover

Passover Plans 2023!

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Passover Seder Sign Up

One of the things that I love about our congregation is the way that opportunities are built in to be a part of a tight-knit community and make personal connections with people. One of the really special ways that we do this is to make sure that every member has a Seder table to join for the Passover holiday. Being invited to someone’s Seder table is a really meaningful opportunity to experience the Passover Seder through the perspective of another family. The way that everyone approaches the Seder is always different, getting to experience this can provide new insights and ways of looking at the Passover story. 

How the process works is that two sign ups are created for people to offer seats at their Seder table and request seats at a seder table. Once that we have all of the information about available and needed seats, we will match families to each other and exchange contact information. If you are interested in participating, sign up here!

Saturday Shabbat During Passover

Second Saturday Shabbat Morning service will fall during shabbat this year. This service will be led by Brenna Reichman and Tara Cohen! These two soulful women will surely bring joy, insight, and lots of heart to your mid-passover week. You won’t want to miss it! The service will be held at the JCC of Ann Arbor and on Zoom at 10:30am, April 8th.

Mimouna Pizza Party Bonfire

We will also be hosting a Mimouna Pizza Party Bonfire at Jeff and Rena Basch’s house at the end of Passover. Mimouna is a Sephardic tradition that celebrates the end of Passover as well as the harvest. Learn more about Mimouna here. Its a really fun way to mark the end of the Passover holiday. Come enjoy pizza, donuts and other chametz at the end of Passover at Rena and Jeff Basch’s house. The party will Friday, April 14th, 6pm-8pm. Address will be sent out to registrants. Sign up to attend HERE!

We hope that you will find an opportunity to connect with each other during the passover holiday this year. As always, let us know if you have any questions!

Passover 2022 Resources

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Please enjoy this list of resources for your Passover holiday this year!

Restaurants Catering Passover Meals: 

Plum Market: Visit plummarket.com/springcatering to see their Passover Menu. 

Zola Bistro: Visit https://www.bistrozola.com/family-passover-celebration-menu/ to see their catered meal and seder plate. 

Zingermans Deli: Visit https://www.zingermanscatering.com/passover/#Passover-Menu to see Zingerman’s catered seder plate, seder meal for one, and seder meal for the family. 

Grocery Stores with Passover Supplies: 

Plum Market North and West has your regular Passover fare including matzoh, gefilte fish, and Manischewitz cookies in a can!

Kroger on Washtenaw has an online Passover selection you can find here.

Meijer locations in Ann Arbor are currently having a sale on many Kosher for Passover items. You can order these items online and pickup curbside!

Online Haggadah Resources: 

If you’re looking for something simple and ready-made, download this Zoom-gaddah, a ready-to-use Powerpoint Haggadah!

Clare Kinberg compiled an excellent list of creative themed Haggadot in 2018, and Avodah put together an extensive list of Haggadot and seder supplements for adults and kids; the list includes rituals and readings for COVID, immigrant rights, food justice, racial justice, gender justice, and more.

And of course we would be remiss to discuss Haggadot without mentioning our own Carol Levin’s beautiful family Haggadah. 

Go to Haggadot.com to customize your haggadah with meditations, skits, coloring pages and more! 

Or download one of their ready-to-print favorites 
Comedy Seder
Haggadah for Justice
Heroes Haggadah (NEW!)
Women’s Seder
Minimalist Haggadah

If you have some resources you would like to add to the list, please comment below!

Passover Plans 2022

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Passover Seder Sign Up

One of the things that I love about our congregation is the way that opportunities are built in to be a part of a tight-knit community and make personal connections with people. One of the really special ways that we do this is to make sure that every member has a Seder table to join for the Passover holiday. Being invited to someone’s Seder table is a really meaningful opportunity to experience the Passover Seder through the perspective of another family. The way that everyone approaches the Seder is always different, getting to experience this can provide new insights and ways of looking at the Passover story.

How the process works is that two sign ups are created for people to offer seats at their Seder table and request seats at a seder table. Once that we have all of the information about available and needed seats, we will match families to each other and exchange contact information. If you are interested in participating, sign up here!

Serenity Shabbat

Fourth Friday Shabbat will fall during Passover this year. We will be having a Shabbat service and potluck that is focused on addiction awareness and the wisdom of Jewish tradition as it relates to the spiritual practice of recovery. Everyone is welcome, including members of the recovery community, friends and family who have been affected by a loved one’s addiction, and anyone interested in a meaningful spiritual experience. 

Mimouna Pizza Party Bonfire

We will also be hosting a Mimouna Pizza Party Bonfire at Jeff and Rena Basch’s house at the end of Passover. Mimouna is a Sephardic tradition that celebrates the end of Passover as well as the harvest. Learn more about Mimouna here. Its a really fun way to mark the end of the Passover holiday. Come enjoy pizza, donuts and other chametz at the end of Passover at Rena and Jeff Basch’s house. More details to come!

We hope that you will find an opportunity to connect with each other during the passover holiday this year. As always, let us know if you have any questions!

Passover Recap 5781!

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A Month of Passover Workshops

By Gillian Jackson

Our congregation came prepared this year to make the best of the second Passover holiday during the pandemic. It was a true community effort, with a month of member-led enlightening workshops scheduled in an effort to support a meaningful holiday.

The month started off with a create-your-own-Haggadah workshop with Debbie Zivan and Deb Kraus. Once everyone had a chance to start building their own Haggadah, Sharon Haar and Patti Smith led a class that provided useful tips for navigating Zoom seders. Leading up to Passover, Idelle Hammond-Sass and Carol Levin led congregants in a reflection on the idea of dayenu, or ‘enoughness,’ using art-making as a tool of exploration. Days before Passover, Rabbi Ora taught participants about the meaning and ritual for getting rid of chametz, with a special pizza-making workshop following the lesson. The holiday wrapped up with a ‘Songs of Freedom’ musical hour with Laurie White and Paul Resnick.

It is a blessing that our congregation was able to make use of the myriad talents that our membership embodies. Thank you so much to all of our Passover volunteer workshop leaders. Our community is grateful to you!

Beit Sefer’s Locally Sourced Seder Plate Symbol Search

By Clare Kinberg, director of the Beit Sefer
Photo of locally-sourced seder plate items: Photo Credit Clare Kinberg

Our AARC Beit Sefer students learned this year that the symbols on a seder plate, plus the matzah and grape juice/wine, are not only props to assist the drama of telling the story of the Exodus. Like everything we eat and use, the seder plate symbols come from somewhere and are made by someone. They symbols themselves can express our values such as regard for the environment. Combining this value with the school’s effort to get the kids outside, I devised a “Locally-Sourced Seder Symbol Search.” The requirement was for each seder plate symbol to be made in Michigan, and we succeeded: 

  • Matzah: Homemade by Rosh Clare from whole wheat flour grown in Grand Traverse and milled at Zingerman’s Bakehouse
  • Horseradish: Grown at The Farm on Jennings and dug by the Ullmann/McLane family.
  • Apples for Charoset: Grown organically in Michigan contributed by Moreh Mirel.
  • Eggs: Lain in Ann Arbor on the Brenden and Diana Hayden Farms, and picked up by Brenna and Jack.
  • Sparkling White Grape Juice: Produced and bottled in Paw Paw, and contributed by the Spindler/Nelson family.
  • Greens and Parsley: Grown in Michigan and contributed by the Ball, Dieve, and Levin/Passey families.
  • For the shankbone, I introduced my own tradition of using a Hamsa, the Jewish and Muslim hand of protection.

Take Part in a Socially Distanced or Virtual Afikomen Hunt This Weekend!

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There are two opportunities for a fun addition to the Afikomen Hunt portion of your Seder this weekend! If you are having a virtual Seder and would like to engage your guests with a ‘virtual’ Afikomen hunt, we have a hid an Afikomen on our website!

The Afikomen hidden on the website will look like the image below. Comment at the bottom of the blog if you found it!

If you would like to get outside with your guests this weekend, AARC has partnered with other area congregations to host a geo-cache outdoor Afikomen Hunt.

If you take part in either Afikomen Hunt, tell us how it went in the comments below!

Local and Online Resources for Passover

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A Photo from Leora Druckman’s Virtual Seder Last Year.

This time around for our ‘virtual’ seders, we have compiled a list of COVID-safe options for catered meals, curbside pickup grocery, and online haggadot. Enjoy the list and if you have any suggestions, please add them in the comments!

Restaurants Catering Passover Meals:

Plum Market: Visit plummarket.com/springcatering to see their Passover Menu.

Zola Bistro: Visit https://www.bistrozola.com/family-passover-celebration-menu/ to see their catered meal and seder plate.

Zingermans Deli: Visit https://www.zingermanscatering.com/passover/#Passover-Menu to see Zingerman’s catered seder plate, seder meal for one, and seder meal for the family.

Cornman Farms: Visit https://shop.zingermanscornmanfarms.com to see their catered meal for two.

Grocery Stores with Passover Supplies:

Plum Market North and West has your regular Passover fare including matzoh, gefilte fish, and Manischewitz cookies in a can!

Kroger on Washtenaw has an online Passover selection you can find here.

Meijer locations in Ann Arbor are currently having a sale on many Kosher for Passover items. You can order these items online and pickup curbside!

Online Haggadah Resources:

If you’re looking for something simple and ready-made, download this Zoom-gaddah, a ready-to-use Powerpoint Haggadah!

Haggadot.com has an online tutorial and many resources for creating your own Haggadah online.

Clare Kinberg compiled an excellent list of creative themed Haggadot in 2018, and Avodah put together an extensive list of Haggadot and seder supplements for adults and kids; the list includes rituals and readings for COVID, immigrant rights, food justice, racial justice, gender justice, and more.

And of course we would be remiss to discuss Haggadot without mentioning our own Carol Levin’s beautiful family Haggadah.

If you have some resources you would like to add to the list, please comment below!

AARC Resilience Apparent in Virtual Seders!

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Jews have a long history of taking rough stones and polishing them into jewels. At one of our recent virtual check-ins, Rabbi Ora mentioned our collective tendency to manifest reliance, selected for by generations of adversity. This trait is much in evidence this Passover!

Leora Druckman’s virtual seder table

The weeks leading up to Passover were marked with not-so-subtle correlations: the scarcity of wheat, the presence of plague, etc. … But in true Reconstructionist style, we used what we had and produced seders that were gems of both levity and gratitude – and virtual ingenuity! Please enjoy these AARC members’ reflections on their seders:

“For what it’s worth, I actually quite liked it a lot. It should’ve felt cold, I suppose, but for some reason it felt extra special to see everyone do extra work to still make it happen, but also by making sure to connect with each other online against the quarantining in these times. That meant a lot for so many and was not taken for granted. It felt like it reaffirmed relationships, values, our holiday … It felt like that extra special desire to still connect and meet anyway we could, was also in our kids. This Pesach really held extra special meaning none of us could’ve ever appreciated on such a level before.”

– Mark Dieve

“It was nice to talk with family we don’t normally get to see this time of year. I took a pic of our table from the angle of the camera before we sat down.”

– Amie Ritchie

“I shared flowers (via Carole Caplan) and food with several people who usually attend our seder. Two of the three chose to attend other seders – so it was just my brother’s family and my mother sharing ours. That’s good because it took us 20 minutes to connect via Google Meet – chosen because it gave my 85 year old mother closed captions.

“Food deliveries included flowers, matzah ball soup, salads, charoset, chicken dinner ready for the oven, and all the fixings for my mother’s seder plate. She made us brisket. We did a physical distanced food exchange and visited in the sunshine with her for a bit. She was very grateful to have a seder with us.

“The computer was placed at the far end of the Seder Table.”

– Carol Lessure
Carol Lessure’s seder plate delivery package!
Carol Lessure’s seder table
Carol Lessure’s flower delivery via Carole Caplan

“The Eisbruch family enjoyed being able to join with family members and friends in time zones from Israel to California. That was a very special treat.”

– Emily Eisbruch
Deb Kraus’s cat drinking from Miriam’s cup (on cue)

So many members were able to make the most of the day and find ways to share in the depth and joy of the seder in unique and meaningful ways. How was your virtual Passover? Please share in the comments!

Passover and Counting the Omer

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By: Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner

Beginning the second night of Passover, Jews around the world will begin counting the omer. The omer is counted every day for 7 weeks, ending with the holiday of Shavuot.

The 49 day-period between Passover and Shavuot marks two kinds of movement through time: the period of time between the first barley offering and the first wheat offering during the Temple era, and the transition from slavery to spiritual liberation.

During the Passover seder we recall the moment when our ancestors took their freedom. Although the Exodus happened in a matter of hours (hence the under-cooked matzah), Jewish tradition teaches that it took considerably longer for the Israelites to truly feel free; only once they received the Torah on Shavuot were the Israelites able to conceive of their role in redemption.

In Michigan, we’re far away from the wheat and barley harvests of Israel, as well as far from the experience of being enslaved. But as spring unfolds for us, counting the omer can help us shake off the stiffness of winter and recommit to the work of tikkun hanefesh (healing the soul) and tikkun olam (healing the world).

Some resources for counting the omer this year:

A brief meditation and exercise for each day from Rabbi Simon Jacobson

Daily themes from a variety of writers on RitualWell

More apps, books, and websites to help you count the omer

Not Your Grandma’s Haggadah

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You may feel it’s time to retire your Grandma’s old Haggadah. Or perhaps you’re considering putting it in a drawer and trying something new, just this once. If so, this Passover you can celebrate with Haggadot ranging from one based on Hamilton, The Musical to another in the form of a graphic novel. You can even make your own on www.haggadot.com!

It seems fitting that we increasingly move beyond simple readings of the traditional story to more actively engage with our heritage. When Clare was practicing the Four Questions with Beit Sefer students last Sunday, she remarked, “Not only is Passover a holiday for asking questions, asking questions is what Judaism is all about!” Clare was of course correct that Judaism, and in particular Reconstructionism, begs us to interact with the material in order to ask questions, to learn, and to incorporate new ways of thinking into our lives. What better time to do this than at the Seder table with our friends and family?

In this week’s blog I have selected some new and interesting Haggadot for you to explore and potentially make use of this Passover. Enjoy!

Rabbi Ora has recommended Velveteen Rabbi, the website of Rabbi Rachel Barenblat. There you will find a Haggadah that focuses on poetry, mindfulness, systems of oppression, and a theology of liberation.

The Reconstructionist movement’s Haggadah features recommended outlines according to your demographic (younger children, older children, women, and interfaith families).

The American Jewish World Service’s Haggadah focuses on global justice.

Last but definitely not least, I couldn’t fail to celebrate the newly published work of AARC’s very own Carol Levin! Haggadah Reggata! is written especially for children and features beautiful, fanciful watercolor illustrations.

Whether these creative Haggadot inspire you to try something new this year or you decide to stick with Grandma’s old faithful, I wish you a peaceful and thought-provoking Passover!

Resources for Passover 2018

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A contemporary illustrated haggadah by the Israeli artist Avner Moriah in the Jewish Museum (NY) collection

If every year we used the Haggadah from last year, Dayenu, it would be enough.

But given our creative, ever seeking natures, we also like to embellish the Haggadah (and our seders) each year with something new. The history of adding to the Haggadah with additional readings, illustrations, and songs is explained in this Jewish Virtual Library entry.

At Haggadot.com, you can create your own Haggadah using clips that others have contributed. The site has some great examples of Haggadot that you can use, too!

 

Below are some resources for celebrating Passover this year:

The Hadar Institute, whose mission is to empower Jews to create and sustain vibrant, practicing, egalitarian communities of Torah, Avodah, and Hesed, is the only full-time, gender-egalitarian yeshiva in North America. Here are Passover resources from Hadar.

Jacob Richman’s (a Jewish librarian colleague) Passover Spotify Playlist (over 100 songs).

From Jews for Justice (Baltimore): A Seder for Migrant Justice

From the 1969 Freedom Seder

The Shalom Center has put together a new “MLK + 50 Interfaith Freedom Seder” commemorating 50 years since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated.  And here is a link to the original, 1969 Freedom Seder.

Repair the World and Be’chol Lashon have partnered to create two resources for your Passover Seder: Avadim Hayenu is a one page Haggadah insert and Trivia Place-Cards for your seder table  highlight multi-ethnic and multiracial Jewish Passover traditions from around the world. You can download the insert and the Trivia Place-Cards here.

Just a really nice interview with Marquis Hollie from Reform Judaism, At the Intersection of Passover and Shared Otherness: The Making of “Go Down Moshe”

American Jewish World Service has a full Haggadah, an insert about the Rohingya Crisis, “An Exodus in Our Time,” and several different readings all downloadable here.

Refugee Haggadah: This 2017 supplement, created by the refugee resettlement group formerly known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, ties the Jewish refugee experience to that of modern-day refugees.

T’ruah Rabbis for Human Rights is distributing stickers that say “Resisting tyrants since Pharaoh” here.