Thursday, June 20, 2013

By Lori Shaller
Published: April 2, 2009

Passover, the story of the ancient Israelites' exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt, is a great story. It's got larger-than-life heroes, enormous conflicts, mystery, universal symbolism, and resolution with redemption. It will be celebrated at traditional dinners in many Jewish households next Wednesday and Thursday, around Martha's Vineyard and around the world.

The Biblical instruction: "You shall tell your son on that day: It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came forth from Egypt" (Ex.13:8). And it is that directive that is carried out at the Passover Seder, an elaborately choreographed feast, during which the haggadah - the story of the exodus - is read in turn by all who are present.

The Passover dinner table includes a traditional Seder plate containing symbols of the observance.
Photo by JJ Gonson

The theme of the urgent exodus is symbolized by the eating of matzah (unleavened bread). Only matzah, rather than conventional bread made with yeast, is eaten for the eight days of the holiday in recognition of the fact that the Israelites had no time to let bread rise before leaving.

Last year, the universal theme of freedom from bonded slavery came across especially clearly for Judy Salosky, a Tisbury resident who with her husband, Jim Pepper, celebrated Passover in Uganda. Ms. Salosky said, "There we were on the other side of the world, but we were doing the same things we'd have been doing on the Vineyard. This may be a story about Jews, but it's really a story about all people everywhere who are oppressed."

Typical preparation for Passover is cleaning the house from top to bottom. There are rituals for making sure that all of the chametz (the leavening) has been removed before bringing in the traditional Passover foods.

While many families serve gefilte fish, a Passover staple, ready-made in a jar, Howie Bromberg and David Schechter, a friend of his from Providence, R.I., have been making their own for years. Gefilte fish is an amalgamation of fresh water fish bound with eggs, onions and matzah meal, formed into patties, boiled in a fish stock, and served chilled with horseradish.

Another tradition is that the youngest child at the Seder table recites the four questions that precede the telling of the story.

There are as many different haggadot, or books of "the telling," as there are Jewish communities worldwide. Tammy Hersh of West Tisbury explains, "We use a traditional haggadah, but we put many, beautiful, illustrated haggadot on the table for people to look at during the Seder."

"The way we tell it, the interpretations we use evolve," says Lori Sue Herman of Edgartown, who has used humanistic and feminist haggadot. "The story has to be accessible to everyone there, so it evolves as the kids get older. My son, Jesse, used to like to act out the saying of the 10 drops of wine," representing the 10 plagues brought on the Egyptians.

Ben Cabot of West Tisbury says he loves seeing how his daughter, Violet, assimilates the lesson she learns at the Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center's religious school where his wife, Nicole, is the educational director. "She brought home the Seder plate she made and showed me how she's learning to write the Hebrew letters for the ritual items on the plate. She's so into it."

As it is written: "You shall teach your children."

Gefilte fish

Stock
Bones, heads, and skin from 4 pounds of non-oily fish
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 onions, sliced
1 tbsp. salt
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
12 peppercorns

Boil all the ingredients in a large pot with about two quarts of water. Remove froth as it collects on the surface. Simmer for an hour and strain, discarding bones and skin.

Fish Patties
4 pounds freshwater fish fillets, such as whitefish, carp, and pike
2 medium onions, quartered
4 eggs
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
2 shakes of white pepper
1 cup matzah meal

Put onions, eggs, salt, sugar, and pepper into food processor and process to the consistency of cream. Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in matzah meal.

Cut fish into pieces and process about 5 seconds until finely chopped - not made into a paste. Add the fish to the onion, egg and matzah meal mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Then, with wet hands, shape mixture into palm-sized ovals. Lower into the fish stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Lift out of the stock and drain. Serve chilled with horseradish. Garnish with carrots from the stock. Makes approximately 30 patties.

Lori Shaller of Oak Bluffs is Assistant Director for Program and Development at Rabbis for Human Rights, North America.