I'm sorry that this blog post is a little tardy!
My name is Sarah, the one from Minnesota. I have now officially been in
Cincinnati, Ohio for 6 months! I had an amazing experience last Monday, April
9th. It seriously was the best evening of my experience thus far.
Let me give you some background. I was
raised attending Open Circle Church of the Brethren in Burnsville, MN. It was
there that my family met, and quickly became friends with, Kim and her husband
Howard. Howard, was raised Jewish and both Howard and Kim wanted to share the
traditions within the Jewish culture with their children. Every year,
since I can remember I have attended a Pesach (Passover) Seder.
Consequently, Passover has become my FAVORITE holiday.
For those of you that are not familiar with this
tradition, it is this culturally rich experience to honor the liberation of the
Jewish people from Egypt. It is the celebration that Jesus was celebrating,
that Christians call The Last Supper. A Seder is a 20 step process that is
filled with prayer, food and wine. It is about being intentionally mindful of
the suffering that the Jewish people incurred under the oppressive rule, and
also taking the time to celebrate the gifts that God has given us. God felt his
people suffering and God was there to console and to help end the painful
times. The reason that I love this tradition so much is because of how it
takes pause for intentional thought. It's not just a rush to get through
dinner. It is a history lesson, a biblical lesson, and a time to remind
ourselves to be hopeful, grateful, and that liberation is possible.
This year I was having a rough time being away
from my family and friends during my favorite holiday. So I called Kim up and
asked her if she would help me with ideas for hosting my first Seder. She sent
me my very own Haggadah (prayer book) as well as recipes to make the food! I
invited my roommates, coworkers, and a couple from church to join in on this
incredibly meaningful experience with me. Mary Kay, a wonderful woman from my
church, graciously took me to a store that sold the things that I would need. I
eagerly purchased the matzo, the parsley, the horseradish, and things to make
Matzo Ball Soup and Charoset.
Fast forward to Monday night, I came home from
work and hurried to prepare my Seder meal. People brought dishes and/or wine to
share and we shared the kitchen and laughs as we prepared for my favorite
night. Then for the next two hours we sat around the kitchen table reading our
prayers (in Hebrew I might add) and retelling the story of Pesach. It was an
amazing night of fun and community building. It was fun to introduce my
coworkers to people from my church, and to have everybody come together to
share in something that is so special to me. I want to end by sending out a
special thank you to all of those who were involved. A big thanks to Howard and
Kim, Mary Kay and Patrick, Jeanne, Ashley, Marc and Sarah Marie. Thank you for
letting me share this experience with you. Thank you for attempting to speak
Hebrew. Finally, thank you for helping me have a little glimpse of home here in
Cincinnati.
--Sarah
