Proud of You, VCM!

I am a couple of weeks behind in my Only Connect viewing, so I only saw this ep this evening. The connection between these clues is that they are all part of the Passover Seder. The contestants guessed the clues were things that were all considered responsible for causing aggressive behaviour. 

?????

Anyway, am proud of Ms Coren Mitchell. Not because this clue was on her show (and as a script consultant presumably she has some say in the content), but because she referred to the bitter herbs as maror in a natural way that suggests she knows her onions. Brava!

Chag Pesach Sameach & Happy Easter!

Our flourless chocolate cake, matzah balls and Ashkenazi charoset are ready, and we are about to head out for the Or 'Ammim Seder, which will be in person this year. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing or not doing, let's hope that this detox experience will give us what we need to go back to the work of healing our world.

This year our festivals coincide, so best wishes to all who are observing and celebrating at this time of spiritual purification.

A&L

Dr King's Message Still Speaks to Us Today

Found this cool photo last night. The chap with the blue X on the left is my father. And I think the one on the far right with a blue Y on his pocket may be Rev. Andrew Young. It was taken on 21st March 1965 during the Civil Rights demonstration that marched from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama.

In the USA tomorrow it will be Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I grew up with stories of the Civil Rights movement and the importance of working together for justice and peace. However, the events of the last few years had greatly dented my hope that such things are still achievable.

Yesterday was not a great day. Just before going to bed here in Europe, news started coming in of a hostage situation in a Reform synagogue near Dallas. A rabbi and 3 congregants were being held by an unknown person who had walked into a Shabbat morning service. I am glad to say that, after several hours of negotiation, and then the intervention of a FBI Rescue team, all hostages were released without physical harm. The gunman was shot down, and we will certainly discover more of the story in days to come.

What strikes me tonight is how people responded, at least in the world that I inhabit. With the assistance of the internet, connections for support and information were quickly made, helping those of us anxiously waiting for news. The moment that had the greatest impact for me, however, was the swift organisation of an online place of meeting, where we could be together, make havdalah together, and share space and emotions during a time of such tension. What struck me most was the outpouring of love and support from those of other faith traditions and none. This dreadful event brought us together, and we were able to give each other strength and hope.

It is still possible, for this is not an old dream of the 1960's. I saw something of it yesterday. Dr King told us:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."*

Today is Tu BiShvat, the New Year of the Trees, when from the depths of winter here in Europe, we look towards Spring and the return of leaves and flowers and plants and fruit. Today we planted parsley seeds, hoping to eat their leaves at our Passover Seder. Last night, at the vigil I attended, and in many others across the land, seeds were also planted, seeds of hope. In order to grow and bear fruit, all these seeds need to be cared for, fed and watered, protected from the cold and given a place in the sun. This is our task for the new year.

Baruch Atah, Adonai, Matir asurim.

Blessed are You, Adonai, who frees the captive.

* from a sermon at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery AL (25.12.1957)

Let's Talk About Chametz

This coming week is all about chametz. Technically, this is food with leavening agents that are forbidden during the festival of Pesach. Yeast, and many items that puff up when in contact with water (unless you are Sefardi, or Italian - it's not as complicated as it feels) are removed from your home down to the last crumb you can find. And then, throughout the festival, you eat only permitted foods. No challah for Shabbat, but matzah. No pancakes for breakfast but matzah brei. Sheets of matzah replace lasagne. Balls of matzah cook in broth. And we eat too much of Nigella's flourless chocolate cake. Or Ottolenghi's. Or your grandmother's.

So this is a time for spring-cleaning. But we don't just clean the kitchen, there is also the idea of a spiritual cleansing. How puffed up are our egos? What emotional chametz do we need to discard? 

This week I received a gift. Someone who had been a friend many years ago, but I felt had let me down badly maybe ten years back, they wrote me a brief note. For all these years I held onto my anger. Every time I saw something from them on social media, the feelings would blow up and I'd be mad all over again. What a lot of energy I invested in those feelings. And I couldn't, or wouldn't let them go.

Nu, we met up by chance at a Zoom gathering the other day. The next day they sent me a brief note:  "glad to see you so happy". And on seeing a message from them my anger did not blow up. No, my anger melted away. It's gone, really gone. What a blessing! I feel like some chametz has been removed from my heart. A perfect start to the preparation for Pesach. Thank you.

Wishing good luck to all who will be searching for chametz this week.

Living under Lockdown Day 32: A Thought About Bitter Herbs

I've come across various versions of this thought over the last couple of days as I've been working on our online Haggadah for tomorrow night. The first was this animated film by Hanan Harchol. It's one of those lessons about which we need a regular reminder. Bitterness itself is part of life, and things that taste bitter can still have value for us. That value is the sweetness that we taste when we eat the charoset with the maror on our Seder plate. The problem comes if we let ourselves be consumed by bitterness. So I had a go at a drawing!

In fact, I thought I'd add this drawing to our Haggadah for the Or 'Ammim Seder. Lior helped me with an appropriate Italian translation. Italian-speakers, che cosa ne pensate?

Chag Pesach Sameach!

Before we who are preparing and all who are celebrating disappear in the direction of the Sea of Reeds, just wanted to wish everyone a safe and healthy and happy Passover. 

This Pesach may be very different from those we have known in the past, but it gives us the opportunity to experience the story of our ancestors' journey from oppression to freedom in a more visceral way. 

Here's a drawing I did back in 2017. Chag sameach!

Living under Lockdown Day 17 - Horseradish

Last year I discovered how hard it was to find raw horseradish in Modena. There was nothing in the supermarket, and even the famous Albinelli market gave me no joy. We had to rely on a friend in Bologna to bring something to the Seder. This year our Seder will be small (just L & me & Sara the Cat), but we shall be Zooming with our friends in Bologna and beyond. Thus, it was thrilling to go through the international section of Conad (La Rotunda) and spot this little jar on a shelf. Hurrah! We have our bitter herbs!!

A Facebook Haggadah

Passover will soon be here. For Jews who observe this festival, we get together for a big meal with family, friends and strangers; we wait forever until the actual meal begins, and we stay up quite late drinking a minimum of 4 cups of wine (or juice). The purpose is to tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt, so that we remember that we were slaves, and now are free. This is to encourage us to work for freedom in the world today for everyone. It is considered a good deed to be creative with ways of telling the story, and a kind friend on facebook just shared this with me. I enjoyed it greatly, and hope you do too.

Whatever it is that you celebrate at this time of the year, when spring is finally springing; or the other side of the world is doing what it does, may it be a time of reflection and peace.