Read Rabbi Peter's 10 New Plagues for Passover* on the Huffington Post
Reviews
The New Traditional Haggadah
By Ben Harris, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, March 27, 2009
...Of course, the liberal Jewish world will not be entirely silent at this year's seder. Rabbi Peter Schweitzer, who leads the City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism in New York, has published "The Liberated Haggadah," a secular Haggadah with a number of new rituals that depart significantly from the traditional service.
Schweitzer has introduced an orange to the seder plate, a symbol of openness and inclusivity that stresses the holiday's universal message. The plagues have been modernized to reflect the concerns of the day, including AIDS, hunger, poverty and racism. Supplementing the traditional seder-ending songs, several of which Schweitzer re-wrote as secularized anthems, is the Civil Rights era stalwart "We Shall Overcome."
"As secular Jews, we want to claim the holiday for ourselves in a way that makes sense to us when the miracles don't necessarily work," Schweitzer said. "Our position would be that we as humans chart our own destiny. And we are free in each generation to define our own Jewish identity."
Secular Jews reject the historicity of the Exodus story; Schweitzer noted the paucity of historical evidence to support the account given in tradition Haggadahs. But the very fact that so many Haggadahs are now available, both traditional and contemporary, is, Schweitzer said, a modern reflection of the holiday's ancient message.
"The diversity of Haggadahs," he said, "is itself an expression of freedom."
By Ben Harris, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, March 27, 2009
...Of course, the liberal Jewish world will not be entirely silent at this year's seder. Rabbi Peter Schweitzer, who leads the City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism in New York, has published "The Liberated Haggadah," a secular Haggadah with a number of new rituals that depart significantly from the traditional service.
Schweitzer has introduced an orange to the seder plate, a symbol of openness and inclusivity that stresses the holiday's universal message. The plagues have been modernized to reflect the concerns of the day, including AIDS, hunger, poverty and racism. Supplementing the traditional seder-ending songs, several of which Schweitzer re-wrote as secularized anthems, is the Civil Rights era stalwart "We Shall Overcome."
"As secular Jews, we want to claim the holiday for ourselves in a way that makes sense to us when the miracles don't necessarily work," Schweitzer said. "Our position would be that we as humans chart our own destiny. And we are free in each generation to define our own Jewish identity."
Secular Jews reject the historicity of the Exodus story; Schweitzer noted the paucity of historical evidence to support the account given in tradition Haggadahs. But the very fact that so many Haggadahs are now available, both traditional and contemporary, is, Schweitzer said, a modern reflection of the holiday's ancient message.
"The diversity of Haggadahs," he said, "is itself an expression of freedom."
The Liberated Haggadah:
A Passover Celebration for Cultural, Secular,
and Humanistic Jews
Review by Alicia Ostriker, www.jbooks.com, April 18, 2006
In my family we use, each year, a Reconstructionist haggadah entitled The New Haggadah. Edited by Mordechai Kaplan, among others, illustrated with charming folkloric-looking images, it is dated 1942 - a war year. We inherited it from my husband’s family, and it is ornamented with the traditional wine and gravy stains. There is a new-new edition, dated 1978, which we’ve used as a supplement, but it lacks the required stains - so I always make sure I get a falling-apart old copy at my seder table. The editors explain that it is dedicated to “the age-old struggle between those who cherish freedom and those who would deny it to their fellow men.” The commentary gently modernizes this theme, explaining, for example, that Pharaoh for our forefathers was every tyrant who enslaved his people, that the experience of slavery was to teach us to play the role of defenders of justice and freedom everywhere on earth, and that we hope for freedom for the whole world. What I love best about this haggadah is that it skips by the plagues in a short paragraph, as if looking the other way. No joy in the humiliation of our enemies!
So the first thing I check out in any haggadah is what it does or doesn’t do with the plagues. The Liberated Haggadah does the following:
Moses returned to Egypt to rally his people and bring them out of slavery. He went to Pharaoh and first tried diplomacy. This was rejected. Then he tried magic. This was simply matched, trick for trick. Then he tried plagues. Now this was successful! But even then Pharaoh hardened his heart and rescinded his permission to let the Hebrew people go. Determined to escape anyway, they woke at midnight to leave under the cover of darkness. Because they left in haste, they could take only the clothes on their backs and the pleasant memories of their youth in the good land of Goshen.
This is interesting in a number of ways. No gloating over the plagues, but also no mention of the death of the first-born. Similarly, in the account of the crossing of the Red Sea, we get the story of Nachshon having the courage to step in first, but no drowning of the Egyptians. Later, the plagues are listed on a page that also lists ten modern afflictions, from AIDS and drugs to poverty and war, and we are asked to spill wine from our cups as these are mentioned.
The framing of this haggadah is historical rather than mythic. The text states up front that the exodus is legend rather than fact, and points out that the Passover festival is related to spring festivals before it. The reasons to celebrate this story, it claims, are that it is the first story in the world to embody the idea that slaves could become free people; that it has inspired Jews throughout history, “even in our darkest moments;” and that “it teaches us to have compassion for those who are still not free - because ‘we, too, were once slaves in Egypt.’” The stress throughout is on the linked ideas of freedom and responsibility. The initiative-taking roles of Moses, Miriam, and the people as a whole are equally represented. The story of the all-night rabbinical conversation is used to offer suggestions for post-meal discussion. What enables people to fight oppression? What makes people - like the midwives - take risks for others? What we would have done if we were there during the Warsaw ghetto uprising? What about the fact of slavery being virtually ignored all over the globe today? What can we do about racism? Most radically, the text quotes the saying that it was not only necessary to take the Jews out of Egypt, it was necessary to take Egypt out of the Jews, and draws a parallel with the Holocaust. “How,” it asks, “do we escape becoming enslaved to the traumas and memories of the past? How do we resist enshrining the Holocaust as the defining moment of our identity?” It even asks us to ask questions about Israel and Zionism. As believers in freedom, should we not support Palestinians’ right to self-determination? Should we not support “choice of religious expression” for Israel’s secular citizens? This is a haggadah that, if used as intended, will stimulate and provoke discussion indeed. I wish I could hear some of those discussions.
As a mom and grandmom, one of the features I like about The Liberated Haggadah is the way it responds to the four types of children. Call me permissive, but I appreciate the way it asks us to encourage them all, including the irreverent one:
The rebellious child asks: What does this mean to all of you? This child is oppositional - and also skeptical. This child likes to protest for protest’s sake, but he still comes to the table. He wants to appear not to be listening, but he takes in all the lessons. He wants to still belong, and his challenges need to be taken seriously.
Say to this child:
We welcome your defiance and
independence.
We will guide you to find your
place among us.
To my ear, this seems both realistic and inspirational. Would it might be so in all our families.
Alicia Ostriker is a major American poet and critic. Twice nominated for a National Book Award, she is author of nine volumes of poetry, most recently "The Little Space: Poems Selected and New, 1968-1998." This review originally appeared on jbooks.com
A Passover Celebration for Cultural, Secular,
and Humanistic Jews
Review by Alicia Ostriker, www.jbooks.com, April 18, 2006
In my family we use, each year, a Reconstructionist haggadah entitled The New Haggadah. Edited by Mordechai Kaplan, among others, illustrated with charming folkloric-looking images, it is dated 1942 - a war year. We inherited it from my husband’s family, and it is ornamented with the traditional wine and gravy stains. There is a new-new edition, dated 1978, which we’ve used as a supplement, but it lacks the required stains - so I always make sure I get a falling-apart old copy at my seder table. The editors explain that it is dedicated to “the age-old struggle between those who cherish freedom and those who would deny it to their fellow men.” The commentary gently modernizes this theme, explaining, for example, that Pharaoh for our forefathers was every tyrant who enslaved his people, that the experience of slavery was to teach us to play the role of defenders of justice and freedom everywhere on earth, and that we hope for freedom for the whole world. What I love best about this haggadah is that it skips by the plagues in a short paragraph, as if looking the other way. No joy in the humiliation of our enemies!
So the first thing I check out in any haggadah is what it does or doesn’t do with the plagues. The Liberated Haggadah does the following:
Moses returned to Egypt to rally his people and bring them out of slavery. He went to Pharaoh and first tried diplomacy. This was rejected. Then he tried magic. This was simply matched, trick for trick. Then he tried plagues. Now this was successful! But even then Pharaoh hardened his heart and rescinded his permission to let the Hebrew people go. Determined to escape anyway, they woke at midnight to leave under the cover of darkness. Because they left in haste, they could take only the clothes on their backs and the pleasant memories of their youth in the good land of Goshen.
This is interesting in a number of ways. No gloating over the plagues, but also no mention of the death of the first-born. Similarly, in the account of the crossing of the Red Sea, we get the story of Nachshon having the courage to step in first, but no drowning of the Egyptians. Later, the plagues are listed on a page that also lists ten modern afflictions, from AIDS and drugs to poverty and war, and we are asked to spill wine from our cups as these are mentioned.
The framing of this haggadah is historical rather than mythic. The text states up front that the exodus is legend rather than fact, and points out that the Passover festival is related to spring festivals before it. The reasons to celebrate this story, it claims, are that it is the first story in the world to embody the idea that slaves could become free people; that it has inspired Jews throughout history, “even in our darkest moments;” and that “it teaches us to have compassion for those who are still not free - because ‘we, too, were once slaves in Egypt.’” The stress throughout is on the linked ideas of freedom and responsibility. The initiative-taking roles of Moses, Miriam, and the people as a whole are equally represented. The story of the all-night rabbinical conversation is used to offer suggestions for post-meal discussion. What enables people to fight oppression? What makes people - like the midwives - take risks for others? What we would have done if we were there during the Warsaw ghetto uprising? What about the fact of slavery being virtually ignored all over the globe today? What can we do about racism? Most radically, the text quotes the saying that it was not only necessary to take the Jews out of Egypt, it was necessary to take Egypt out of the Jews, and draws a parallel with the Holocaust. “How,” it asks, “do we escape becoming enslaved to the traumas and memories of the past? How do we resist enshrining the Holocaust as the defining moment of our identity?” It even asks us to ask questions about Israel and Zionism. As believers in freedom, should we not support Palestinians’ right to self-determination? Should we not support “choice of religious expression” for Israel’s secular citizens? This is a haggadah that, if used as intended, will stimulate and provoke discussion indeed. I wish I could hear some of those discussions.
As a mom and grandmom, one of the features I like about The Liberated Haggadah is the way it responds to the four types of children. Call me permissive, but I appreciate the way it asks us to encourage them all, including the irreverent one:
The rebellious child asks: What does this mean to all of you? This child is oppositional - and also skeptical. This child likes to protest for protest’s sake, but he still comes to the table. He wants to appear not to be listening, but he takes in all the lessons. He wants to still belong, and his challenges need to be taken seriously.
Say to this child:
We welcome your defiance and
independence.
We will guide you to find your
place among us.
To my ear, this seems both realistic and inspirational. Would it might be so in all our families.
Alicia Ostriker is a major American poet and critic. Twice nominated for a National Book Award, she is author of nine volumes of poetry, most recently "The Little Space: Poems Selected and New, 1968-1998." This review originally appeared on jbooks.com
Let My People Download
By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY, April 6, 2006
...Secular Jews who identify with their heritage culturally but not religiously can link to excerpts from Rabbi Peter Schweitzer's ... printed booklet, The Liberated Haggadah, published by the Center for Cultural Judaism (www.culturaljudaism.org).
The whole Haggadah is not online, but sections that can be printed out to supplement other texts include a modern version of the Exodus story of the 10 plagues that persuaded the Pharaoh to free the Jewish slaves. Instead of intoning about frogs, boils and locusts, this Haggada lists AIDS, illiteracy, terrorism and more...
By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY, April 6, 2006
...Secular Jews who identify with their heritage culturally but not religiously can link to excerpts from Rabbi Peter Schweitzer's ... printed booklet, The Liberated Haggadah, published by the Center for Cultural Judaism (www.culturaljudaism.org).
The whole Haggadah is not online, but sections that can be printed out to supplement other texts include a modern version of the Exodus story of the 10 plagues that persuaded the Pharaoh to free the Jewish slaves. Instead of intoning about frogs, boils and locusts, this Haggada lists AIDS, illiteracy, terrorism and more...
* 10 New Plagues for Passover 2012, Rabbi Peter H. Schweitzer, www.huffingtonpost.com, April 3, 2012
