c. 1998 Religion News Service
NEW YORK _ Hundreds of women _ young and old _ sang, danced, clapped hands and banged tambourines Tuesday (March 31) at a banquet hall in lower Manhattan in an early celebration of the Jewish Passover holiday.
The occasion was a feminist”Seder,”and although the celebration was more than a week early _ Passover begins at sundown April 10 _ the sponsoring group, Ma’yan, a New York-based Jewish women’s group, chose the timing so participants could bring elements learned back to traditional observances with family and friends.”What we’re trying to accomplish is a transformation of Jewish life,”said Ruth Silverman, special events director of Ma’yan, which means”fountain”or”wellspring”in Hebrew.”Our ultimate goal is to make the community more responsive to and inclusive of the needs of women.” The Seder is the central ritual of Passover, the holiday that marks the exodus from Egypt of the ancient Israelites.
Organizers said the pre-passover”Seder”has been extremely popular since it began in 1994 and this year’s event was spread over three nights in order to accommodate the nearly 1,500 people who attended. Participants ranged from college students to former Manhattan Borough President and mayoral candidate Ruth Messinger, and from secular Jews to Orthodox women.
The idea of a feminist Seder is not unique to Ma’yan. Such rituals began among grassroots Jews in the 1970s and 1980s.
But the popularity of this”Seder”and its decidedly non-bohemian setting in a posh hall overlooking the East River illustrated how feminist religious ritual and theology have moved into the mainstream for many American Jews.
Similar pre-Passover”Seders”have been led by Ma’yan and other activists as far afield from New York, Birmingham, Ala., and Louisville, Ky., at the request of local women’s groups, Ma’yan officials said.
Ma’yan’s Seders, in addition to retelling the exodus story of the journey from slavery to freedom, emphasize the experiences of women, blending innovation with tradition.
The tambourine dancers, for example, emulated Miriam, Moses’ sister, who according to the Bible led women in celebration on the shores of the Red Sea.
Shifra and Pu’ah, the midwives who delivered Moses, also play a prominent role in Ma’yans Haggadah _ the ritual guidebook to the Seder service. Their Haggadah also uses female images of God, gender-neutral English, and traditional Hebrew blessings that address God in masculine form.
Four cups of wine _ part of every Seder _ are dedicated to historical women for their contributions to the Jewish community and society as a whole.
According to Ma’yan leaders, the group’s Seders are reaching people with little experience of feminist religious ritual.
Emily Milner, for example, describes herself as”very much a Jewish feminist.”Still, Tuesday night was her first experience of a feminist”Seder.””I thought it was great, just wonderful,”she said after the ceremony, adding she will attend a Passover Seder at the home of friends and plans to show them the Ma’yan Haggadah ahead of time so they can use it.
Barrie Raik, another first-timer, said she plans to use some of the stories of unsung Jewish heroines in her Seder.
The pre-Passover celebration also attacked a smattering of men.”It was a very spiritual experience,”said Michael Rand, pointing especially to the music of prominent feminist musician Debbie Friedman.”With the music, it almost felt intimate even though it’s such a big crowd. The texts we read were powerful but for me, the music was maybe even more powerful.” For many women at the seder, feminism is an established fact of life, sitting comfortably besides tradition. Adeena Sussman, who celebrates Passover with her Orthodox family, said she did not think the notion of a feminist Seder was particularly radical.”Feminism is a part of life for almost everyone now,”she said.”It’s just out there.” DEA END NEUBERG
