Exeter Celebrates Passover
Surrounded by their classmates, members of the Jewish community celebrated the week of Passover with the annual Seder on Friday, April 19. Hosted by Rabbi Jennifer Marx Asch in Grainger Auditorium, the dinner event attracted both Jewish and non-Jewish members of the community. The dining halls will continue to serve Passover-friendly meals through Saturday for students and other community members observing dietary restrictions during the holiday.
The weeklong festival commemorates a time when ancient Israelites would bring offerings and make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem. It celebrates Exodus, the Biblical story of Moses, Pharaoh and God helping Israelites leave Egypt after hundreds of years of slavery. According to Marx Asch, there are two especially significant aspects of the celebration. “The first, to follow the Biblical commandment to teach children the story [of Exodus]. The second, to experience the holiday as if we were ourselves being enslaved and freed,” she said.
Overall, the Seder was less packed than it has been in recent years. Marx Asch owes the quiet week to Passover falling on a weekend, allowing many members of the Exeter Jewish Community (EJC) to return home for the holiday, as well as the beginning of Passover coinciding with the Easter holiday, prompting many of the usual non-Jewish attendees to also return home for religious observances.
However, according to Instructor of Mathematics Thomas Seidenberg, attendance at Passover Seder has increased significantly over the last 20 years. He noted the venue change as a testament to the Passover Seder attracting more members of the community.“This time [the Seder] was in Grainger,” he said. “The fact that there is now a Rabbi on campus has really made [Passover] a lot better… [It] makes all the difference in the world.”
Some Exonians felt that although the Seder succeeded in providing a home away from home, there were still elements that they would like to see improve in the future. “I think when I have a Seder at home it is with my family and a lot more personal,” upper Ethan Rosenthal said. “When you have Seder in a big room like that, with a bunch of little tables, it kind of makes it impersonal. Even if there was one, big, super-long table, it would be more fun and it would be more personal, because everyone would be sitting at the same table.”
In addition to the Friday Seder, the annual Chocolate Seder took place on the following Saturday. A beloved event to the community, Marx Asch brought the Chocolate Seder to Exeter her first year as EJC advisor in 2009 – this year marked the ten year anniversary of its establishment. “It is a great, fun way for people to experience Judaism first hand,” said senior and EJC co-head Andrew Loevinger, who created “a triple decker chocolate covered matzo, Nutella, marshmallow sandwich, topped with some religious iconography” at the Seder. Others echoed his sentiment. “I miss the Chocolate Seder,” said alumnus and former EJC co-head Theo Jaffrey ‘18. “I hope I’ll be able to return to Exeter for it again at some point.”
The practice is in some ways reminiscent of the blend of practices Marx Asch herself grew up with. “We kind of had a mix of different Jewish traditions,” she said, referencing the traditions of her Orthodox mother, Conservative father and Sephardic family friends. “Passover is a home-based holiday,” Marx Asch said. “Everyone has similar yet different experiences. Many families will take time to create creative twists for their own families; things that speak to their own traditions. It is a very grassroots holiday.”
While the Chocolate Seder is certainly a creative twist beloved by Exonians, it also serves in fulfilling one of the main purposes of Passover: community. “I think it is important that Exeter host a Seder so that one is easily accessible to all Exonians,” senior and EJC co-head Peter Tuchler said.
Many also feel that the Chocolate Seder is important in exposing members of the Exeter community unfamiliar with Judaism to Jewish traditions. “I find that a lot of non-Jews feel less intimidated to come to [the Chocolate] Seder, and yet they have the opportunity to understand what Passover means,” said Campus Safety Officer Lauri Winter, who has been attending the Passover Seders for eight years. Upper Aiwen Desai, who attended the Seder for the first time this year, agrees. “It educates students of different faiths about Passover,” she said.
The Friday night Seder ended with Winter’s annual performance. Many people in the room joined in on her rendition of “If I Had A Hammer” by Pete Seeger, bringing the night to a fun and energetic close. “The more that we all understand what everyone's religious celebrations are about, the more that I feel everyone can find more compassion and empathy for one another,” Winter said. “[It] is so very important for people to have tolerance and understanding of others’ religious beliefs.”