My parents came to California in 1950, determined to put geographic and emotional distance from their families on the east coast. Both had left behind difficult family situations, and wanted a fresh start. As as a result, my sister and I grew up in northern Orange County with very small (and brief) Passover seders, often inviting along a non-Jewish friend or two. But even without a large family gathering, we enjoyed the annual ritual with my Mom singing “Go Down Moses” in her best bluesy imitation, Dad showed off his ability to read the Aramaic parts of the Haggadah and all of us drank the overly sweet Manischewitz wine.
Much has changed since then–I got married and set up a kosher kitchen, had two kids, and now drink much better, drier wine, but there are still some parts of the Passover seder that resonate deeply. The distinctive smell of the horseradish, the first crumbs of the broken middle matzah and the hand washing ritual transport me back in time to a younger version of myself. I especially always liked the use of plural pronouns as we read together in the beginning of the core Passover story, “We were slaves unto Pharoah in Egypt…”
When our son, Danny, with special needs was little, the seders could sometimes be too long for him, especially if he was too hungry or too tired. Giving up his beloved toast and Cheez-Itz crackers was hard to understand. But from repeated viewing of Israeli kid holiday videos in Hebrew, he memorized all the Passover songs and prayers. And now at age 20, his familiarity with the Passover ritual and words is complete, and he starts looking for the Passover music videos on YouTube as soon as the first 5-pound box of matzah appears in the house.
Last Sunday, we attended a pre-Passover special needs program at Vista del Mar's Jewish Life Programs, where Danny proudly helped to lead many of the prayers and songs along with his friends and wonderful volunteers. He nibbled at the matzah and gulped down the grape juice. We know that he will be an active, engaged participant in the upcoming two seders and he will stay up until the very last verse of Chad Gadya is sung. He will be fully included in our people’s journey from a time of bitterness to a place of great joy and liberation.
Happy Passover to all!
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