Pesach with Friends :)

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