A virtual Passover in passing

 

Other items in this column include:
*San Diego Judaica
*Recommended reading

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO — On Wednesday night, many of us had Passover seders we’ll always remember, when we met by Zoom, Facebook, and other Internet devices because the Coronavirus made it unsafe for us to hold our usual celebratory family gatherings.  We’ve been collecting photos from Facebook and our email of San Diegans in their unusual celebrations.

I’ll start with my own family. Our seder spread out over two rooms.  Above,  our grandson, Shor Masori, in the foreground, home from UC Berkeley, led the seder, attended by Carleigh Gold who is dating Shor’s father Shahar Masori. Shor’s younger brother Sky Masori sits across from them. Seen participating via Zoom on the computer are my wife Nancy Harrison and myself, sequestered in another room of the house; family friend Amy Atava at her home, and our grandniece Jessica Harrison at her home.  Not shown is our daughter, Sandi Masori, who took the photo.  Jessica was raised in Mexico as a Catholic by her mother, but remains interested in Judaism and enjoys participating in family holidays. … At left, Jeanne Shenkman, our Seacrest Village Retirement Community correspondent, pictured one of the seder plates served to residents in their rooms at the home operated under auspices of the San Diego Jewish Community.  At right is the Haggadah passed out for the occasion.  The seder could be seen over closed circuit television.

 

*

At left, San Diego Community College Board Trustee Bernie Rhinerson utilized some ceramic frogs to represent the biblical plagues as he set his table for a Passover seder.  He kept in touch with family and friends via his computer, and as you can see he had plenty of matzos and wine at hand. … At right, Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort of Chabad of La Costa, forever seeing the brighter side of things, had a T-shirt printed up for this unique Passover.

Rabbi Zevi New, who leads the Youth Action Movement in San Diego County, provided this interpretation of the “Four Sons” who are spoken about during the seder.  ” The Wise Son: Our Jewish educational experiences, positive biases and conceived notions should culminate into us having a well-rounded, balanced outlook on the world. A purview of fairness and justice. The Rebellious Son: The inquisitive mind must be harnessed to explore deeper meaning and understanding of the world around us. Questions -especially on bettering our understanding of Jewish practices- should be welcomed and given due attention. The Simple Son: Simplicity, at times, is the best way to attain higher levels of faith in G-d. By circumventing any complexities and doubts we may have in G-d’s existence, and by implementing small increases of Torah and Mitzvot into our lives anyway, we can propel ourselves to more meaningful, enriched heights.  This is our time. We must stay strong! The Bewildered Son: It is okay to assume mentors and individuals who can provide guidance to us when we are stuck or in need of direction. We should look to the people around us who can help us in matters of personal or spiritual growth.  In fact, there is a fifth son who is not even seated at the table. His absence is because he has no knowledge of the traditional experience (lack of Jewish upbringing etc). So it is incumbent upon us to reach out to him and make him feel as welcomed and invited as anyone else.”

*

Above, Sue & Ed Cherlin have dolls they gave to their daughters Caryn, Deborah, and Becky some 30 years ago serving as their representatives at a seder for only two on Wednesday night. ..  At left, Norene Schiff-Shenhav and Amir Shenhav of Fallbrook set their table for two with photos of their children to keep them company during their seder. …  At right is the table setting at the home of Shuli Hanover, who came to this country after growing up in the Tel Aviv suburb of Holon, Israel.  …. Some years ago, Rabbi Deborah H. Prinz, former spiritual leader of Temple Adat Shalom in Poway, wrote On the Chocolate Trail, in which she examined the historical connections between Jews and the manufacture and transportation of chocolate, both for eating and drinking.  So, I turned to her book to learn what exactly makes chocolate “Kosher for Passover” and learned that all depends on whether you are Ashkenazic or Sephardic.  If you are Ashkenazic, you don’t eat legumes (kitniyot in Hebrew) or anything made with legumes.  On the other hand, if you are Sephardic, legumes are considered appropriate for Passover.  Some chocolate candy has the additive of soybean lecithin, which makes the texture smoother.  But the soybeans are legumes and thus prohibited according to Ashkenazic rules.

*In the video above, Benny Josephson, 7, a San Diego Jewish Academy student who is the son of Natalie & Anthony Josephson, plays and sings a spirited rendition of Dayenu.
*

San Diego County Judaica

*Jennie Starr shares with us an art work made by her late father, Maury Ipowich, showing the Ashrei prayer (Happy are they who dwell in Your house).  “Around the side he inscribed in Hebrew our names: Jennie, Stuart, Dani and Guy.”  At the bottom, in Hebrew, he inscribed the message, “There’s nothing sweeter to a man/woman than his/ her home.”  Starr said that her father “was an architect, born in Poland, and raised in Israel after arriving as one of 1,000 children without their parents in the war.  He was raised in an orphanage camp north of Haifa and after the Army in Israel immigrated to the States.  He always loved woodworking and in retirement made beautiful Judaica. He passed three years ago.

 

 

*
Recommended reading

*Kate Morrissey reports in The San Diego Union-Tribune that Jewish Family Service and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed a complaint against the Border Patrol in a case in which they say a Guatemalan refugee woman who was in labor was improperly cared for as she was giving birth.  According to the complaint, the woman gave partial birth in her pants while leaning over a garbage can.  The Border Patrol gave a different account.

*
Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World.  He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com.  He and his wife and co-publisher Nancy Harrison wish everyone a sweet, HEALTHY, Passover.