The Superhero Haggadah
24 Mar
Culture, Jewish World, Latest

The Superhero Haggadah: When Monoculture Meets Mono-Judaism

We live in a disjointed media market. Gone is the monocultural dominance and the sense of camaraderie you and your coworkers would feel as you gathered around the watercooler to discuss the latest twist on Lost. Instead, we binge whatever Netflix series our personal algorithm drops in our queue or turn to The Office for the umpteenth time. Jews too live in a disjointed market, albeit a religious one. Everyone knows the expression “two Jews, three opinions.” Whether it’s politics, God or Israel, we have never been able to come to a consensus on anything. Heck, we can’t even agree on how to spell the holiday Chanukkah Chanukah Hanukkah.  However, when it comes to Passover, the Jewish people display a certain level of unity and community not seen throughout the rest of the year. On the...

Continue reading

13 Apr
Uncategorized

Passover Remixed

by Amanda Walgrove For thousands of years, the Passover Seder has evoked universal themes of personal liberation and religious freedom. Each generation tells and retells the story of Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt. But the annual remembrance also has a history of being a uniquely malleable occasion that can be customized to certain values of an individual or household. From its conception, Passover has been a holiday predominantly based on interpretation of Bible narrative, using an aggadic midrash as its leading text for instruction and discussion during the Seder. While tradition has always been an important aspect of Jewish practice and ancestry, how much wiggle room is there to expand upon and perhaps amend certain traditions? The adaptation of the Passover Seder is commonly accomplished through the modification of two main tools used during the...

Continue reading

01 Apr
Uncategorized

The Seder: Not Just for Jews Anymore

By Symi Rom-Rymer Did you know that the three pieces of matzo used during Seder represent the holy trinity?  Or that a leg of lamb on the Seder place could replace the shank bone?  Sound absurd?  Perhaps, but not if you’re celebrating Passover as a Christian. Yes, that’s right.  Passover is no longer just the domain of Jews, but also of Christians who are--  according to Rabbi Rami Shapiro, a comparative religions professor at Middle State Tennessee University and co-author of “Let Us Break Bread Together: A Passover Haggadah for Christians”--seeking a closer connection to Jesus as a man and as a Jew.    “The practice of Seders is a growing phenomenon.  Christians are really interested in the Seder meal and are trying to give their members a sense of what it was like during the life...

Continue reading