Community Briefs

Online Hagaddah

Well, that didn’t take long. Add to the fast-growing list of items available online the traditional seder liturgy. The Men’s Club of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino has posted the complete text of the hagaddah online: www.vbs.org. Click on it and you can read, download and print every bit of the text, in Hebrew, English and a transliteration. There’s even the occasional illustration to provide a bit of color. Now all you have to do is give each guest at your seder table a laptop and a modem…

Passover Mitzvah

During Passover, as Jews remember the suffering in ancient Egypt, Amnesty International USA is hoping that individuals and organizations will make human rights a centerpiece at their seder with the help of Passover Action.

Launched by Lyn Dobrin in 1999, Passover Action includes suggestions for enriching the seder by connecting Israelite enslavement to modern-day persecution and letter-writing activities in support of three human rights defenders. The project went nationwide last year with 1,500 people incorporating Passover Action materials into their seders.

This year’s Passover Action will focus on Rebiya Kadeer, an Uighur businesswoman in China sentenced to eight years in prison; Irene Fernandez, a Malaysian who is involved in her nation’s longest-ever trial after “maliciously” publishing a report about the torture of migrant workers; and Alpha Condé, who is serving a five-year sentence for leading peaceful political opposition in Guinea.

For more information or to receive copies of the Passover Action, please call (312) 427-2060 or visit www.amnestyusa.org /action/passover/ .