More on the Righteous Among The Nations

I recently posted about my friend M's father's rescue by Dutch farmers during the Holocaust. Yesterday, at a ceremony in Ottawa with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, M was able to tell the story again and to honor the family who helped save his father. You can read about the Canadian ceremony and Mr. Harper's speech here.

The Righteous Among The Gentiles

Yesterday Jews around  the world observed Yom HaShoah ve-haGevurah, the day of remembrance of the Holocaust and Heroism. Below is the brief but true story of my friend's father's rescue by Dutch farmers during the Holocaust.

Justice can have a memory.

Sixty-six years ago, M's father accepted 100 guilders and started his journey back to Amsterdam. As he left the Heskampen, he might have walked past a young girl who too would soon begin her own journey back home. Both had survived one of the most heinous acts in our long history of adversity and triumph. Neither could have done it alone. Both were helped by many people. A few in particular stand out, who, even though they may not have recognized it at the time, were Righteous Among the Nations.

My friend M is proud to state that the State of Israel and Yad Vashem in particular have recognized that status. Accordingly, from this time onward, the Rozier and Dreijer families can tell anyone who asks, that their parents or grandparents now occupy a special place in the history of the Jewish people. You can read the full story as published in the JT News.


M attended a special ceremony in the Netherlands last year and will travel to Ottawa, Canada for another ceremony.

 Indeed, justice does have a memory!




(And for those who are unfamiliar with how this holy day is commemorated in Israel, watch this video.) The entire country comes to a standstill when people hear the Holocaust and Heroes Day siren.)

Passover continues

We had two great seders this weekend! The one we hosted was filled with laughter, singing and lively conversation. The one we attended was remarkably similar, only with more people.

I try to do something new and different for each seder. This year we featured the dress-up seder. Everyone either wore a costume or put on a headdress for this group photo. As you can see, Moses, Aaron, Pharoah's daughter (and his son-in-law), Miriam, midwives Shifra and Puah, some other random Egyptians and Israelites all attended -- plus a camep appearance by the Fonz -- standing in as the wicked son. Two of the three dogs present actually made it into the photo, with Cody in a basket as baby Moses. K brought an oud and accompanied much of the singing, while the rest of us played  tambourines and other rhythm instruments.

On other fronts, the weather has been beautiful and so warm Seattle broke the record on Sunday. I was able to work in the garden yesterday and today. Now the entire strawberry bed is weed-free, at some cost to my lower back. A friend planted a new grape vine for us last week, which we water religiously every day. I also planted some pansies to encourage spring to continue flourishing.

It's supposed to rain again. I'll just have to bake some Passover cookies to cheer us up!

The Two-Minute Haggadah

A few years ago I discovered The Two-Minute Haggadah. I'm sure someone sent it on to me, but I wanted to give the source. It's written by Michael Rubiner of Slate.com. You can find versions all over the Internet, but credit where credit is due!

The Two-Minute Haggadah
A Passover service for the impatient.

Opening prayers:

Thanks, G-d, for creating wine. (Drink wine.)

Thanks for creating produce. (Eat parsley.)

Overview: Once we were slaves in Egypt. Now we're free. That's why we're doing this.

Four questions:
What's up with the matzoh?
What's the deal with horseradish?
What's with the dipping of the herbs?
What's this whole slouching at the table business?

Answers:

1. When we left Egypt, we were in a hurry. There was no time for making decent bread.
2. Life was bitter, like horseradish.
3. It's called symbolism.
4. Free people get to slouch.

A funny story: Once, these five rabbis talked all night, then it was morning. (Heat soup now.)

The four kinds of children and how to deal with them:
Wise child—explain Passover.
Simple child—explain Passover slowly.
Silent child—explain Passover loudly.
Wicked child—browbeat in front of the relatives.

Speaking of children: We hid some matzoh. Whoever finds it gets five bucks.

The story of Passover: It's a long time ago. We're slaves in Egypt. Pharaoh is a nightmare. We cry out for help. G-d brings plagues upon the Egyptians. We escape, bake some matzoh. G-d parts the Red Sea. We make it through; the Egyptians aren't so lucky. We wander 40 years in the desert, eat manna, get the Torah, wind up in Israel, get a new temple, enjoy several years without being persecuted again. (Let brisket cool now.)

The 10 Plagues: Blood, Frogs, Lice—you name it.

The singing of "Dayenu":
If God had gotten us out of Egypt and not punished our enemies, it would've been enough. If he'd punished our enemies and not parted the Red Sea, it would've been enough.

If he'd parted the Red Sea—(Remove gefilte fish from refrigerator now.)

Eat matzoh. Drink more wine. Slouch.

Thanks again, G-d, for everything.

SERVE MEAL.

Jill here: The person who sent this to me must have added the rest, because of course the seder doesn't end after we're done eating. Oh, no it doesn't!

Say Grace. Drink more wine. Sing some more songs. Try to stay awake. Who knows one? Who knows two through thirteen? Dad bought a goat for two zuzim. Everyone beats up every one until God steps in.

Go to sleep.

Do it again a second night.

More Passover prep

I continue to find some energy each day to prepare for Passover but I have nowhere near the kind of energy it actually takes to do everything. So I am limiting m cleaning to the fridge, oven and pantry and we'll use our regular dishes, pots etc. this year.

(For those who don't know, the scourge of breadcrumbs in any form is the hallmark of Passover preparation. Those who follow the zero tolerance policy against bread, pasta, etc. use special pots and pans and dishes that have never held any of those food items. It's complicated -- for more, look here.)

We are hosting seder for ten friends. Because I plan to use our regular kitchen supplies, everyone can bring part of the meal. Here's our menu:

During the seder, I like to serve crudités (cut up raw vegetables) and guacamole, ajvar - roasted red pepper puree - or even salad dressing). It staves off the hunger pangs because it's a long time until we eat dinner!

 The traditional foods we eat during the seder include matzah (unleavened bread), horseradish, a roasted egg, charoset (Ashkenazi apple-nut-wine and Sephardic made with dried fruit and spices), a roasted lamb shank (or a beet, for the vegetarians), bitter lettuce (like the beet greens), and spring greens like parsley. And we drink four cups of wine or grape juice during the evening.

The meal:

Chicken soup with knaydlach (matzah balls)

Chopped liver (my dad's recipe)

Gefilte fish with more horseradish

Hard boiled eggs

Chicken Marbella (a good choice since it makes a sauce and therefore can't dry out while staying warm)

Roasted tomatoes with matzah meal topping (this delicious recipe comes from my sister)

Roasted asparagus

Chocolate carrot cake

Apple cake (another family recipe)

Coffee and tea

You can see there's a lot of cooking, so it's helpful when friends bring stuff!

On top of all the cleaning and cooking, there's also spiritual preparation for the seder ritual. I like to make room for something new every year. This time I have invited friends to dress up as characters from the Exodus (Moses, Miriam with her tambourine, Pharaoh, the midwives Shifra and Puah). We could take a tip from the SingAlong Sound of Music, and dress as a wine glass or piece of matzah (i.e., those who dressed as "brown paper packages tied up with string"). A little lightheartedness goes a long way in this celebration. 

I learned once that Passover is the oldest celebrated human ritual, continuous since ancient times. The Haggadah tells us to recall that in every generation each person is to imagine that it was he or she who left Egypt. To make a personal, individual connection to a communal experience of slavery and redemption challenges us each Passover. That may be why the seder experience has been around for so many thousands of years.

Getting ready for Passover

Passover is right around the corner. The first seder is next Friday night and I am already behind in my cleaning and preparations. No doubt I will feel better once at least the refrigerator is clean.

The following cane across my email inbox (now that we am back on line at home). I think you will enjoy both videos. Remember to turn up the volume!

Passover Rhapsody, the Exodus story set to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," from Yeshivah Aish HaTorah,

And a shadow dance interpretation of the Exodus from Denver's Silhouettes, a children's dance team.

Enjoy!