Sadness and celebration: Friedman JCC hosts Passover Seder dinner

Yahoo

13-04-2025

Apr. 13—"In Israel right now, there is a lot of sadness. This is a tough Passover," Rabbi Larry Kaplan said as about 80 members and friends of the Friedman Jewish Community Center in Kingston gathered on Saturday evening for a Passover Seder dinner.
"We have one empty table here where nobody is sitting. In Israel, do you know how many empty tables there are? With sons or daughters killed in battle? Or they're hostages? I think people there are dumping their whole cup of wine out."
The part about spilling wine was a reference to a custom that is part of the annual Seder dinner, and the Kingston crowd took part in it as usual — not dumping but gently dipping a finger 10 times into their glass of wine or grape juice to draw out a drop and lay it on a plate.
The ritual marks one drop for each of the 10 plagues — from lice to boils to the death of firstborn children — that influenced the Egyptian leader, Pharaoh, to release the ancient Jewish people from slavery hundreds of years ago.
And it was a symbol, Rabbi Larry Kaplan explained, "that our joy is diminished" at the knowledge of anyone suffering, even the Egyptians who had kept their ancestors in bondage. "We don't gloat," he said.
Despite the acknowledged tough times, joy was evident at the Passover dinner too, with singing in both Hebrew and English, with children encouraged to jump around like frogs (because an infestation of amphibians was also one of the plagues in ancient Egypt) and with people simply enjoying being together.
"It's tradition," Patti Heller of Kingston said with a smile. "I've always felt it's not Passover without a Seder. My parents, my grandparents, my husband, we always had a Seder. But now my family has dwindled. So here I am with friends."
At another table, Melanie Franco of West Pittston said her family is in the process of converting to Judaism. "The community is so beautiful, so welcoming," she said. She added that she grew up in a church that discouraged questions, but she has found that questions of all kinds are welcome in the Jewish faith.
During the Seder meal, there are ritual questions to ask and answer, among them, Why is this night different from all other nights? and Why are we eating matzah (unleavened bread)? The answers reflect the story from ancient Scripture about "Adonai, our God, ruler of the universe," bringing the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt, where they left in such haste they did not have time to wait for bread to rise.
Some of the other symbolic foods include a roasted egg, maror, which sometimes can get its bitterness from horseradish, and charoset, which typically gets its sweetness from apples, nuts and wine. One piece of matzah bread, traditionally hidden during the meal so that it can emerge and be dessert, is called Afikomen, which is a Greek word. Another way to refer to matzah is Halachma Anya, which Kaplan said translates to "this is the bread of poverty" in Aramaic.
"Do you know who else spoke Aramaic?" the rabbi said with a knowing smile for some of the Christians in the audience. "This nice Jewish boy? The carpenter?"
Following the ritual meal, guests feasted on a more substantial meal of chicken soup with matzoh balls followed by chicken schnitzel with lemon sauce, eggplant shakshuka, rosemary roasted potatoes, carrot souffle and roasted vegetables. Dessert was sorbet with fruit compote and streusel.