Interfaith Passover Seder
Welcoming the "Stranger in Our Midst"
April 17, 1997

SEDER SERVICE

This is a Passover Haggadah, which means "the telling." The ritual we will observe today is called a Seder, which means "order." This refers to the order in which we are supposed to proceed, according to ancient custom. The Seder is part of the observance of Passover, and is traditionally observed on the first night, or the first two nights, of Passover. It is the retelling of the historic liberation of the Hebrews from Egyptian bondage. This particular Haggadah has been adapted for the public Seder sponsored by the Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights (ICIR) on April 17, 1997.

The Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights organizes several pubic witness events each ear. These events aim to raise the human and moral voices too often absent in immigration discussions. In December, ICIR organized our second annual posada. This event includes the reenactment of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem, where they walked from house to house seeking shelter and hospitality.

The Jewish holiday of Passover was chosen as our Spring public witness event because it provides an opportunity to tell another faith's story about the struggles of migration and how these struggles relate to the predicament of immigrants in our communities today. For, just as the Hebrews left oppression and slavery thousands of years ago and went from oppression to freedom, we are witnessing today the attempt to leave life-threatening societies. Just as the Hebrews spent time in the wilderness on their way to what was to be the Promised Land, immigrants who come to these shores are escaping persecution and seeking a land of promise and hope.

The Seder is used as a teaching tool for those who may not know how good God has been to people. You may notice that the important points are repeated (just in case you might miss them). In addition, everyone here will take an active part in the Seder itself by partaking of the food and participating in the reading. Enjoy! Enjoy!

I. PREPARATION FOR THE FEAST

READER: Since God commanded the observance of the Passover, Jews all over the world have kept this festival to remember their liberation from slavery in Egypt. Throughout the week of Passover, matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten instead of leavened bread or anything else with leaven in it. This is because the Jews had to flee Egypt in a hurry and did not have time to let their bread rise before they baked and packed it for their journey. When we refrain from eating leavened bread, we remind ourselves of that history and of others in our communities today who have also had to flee their homes and communities with little or no preparation. The Biblical command orders the removal of all leavened food (chametz) from the house before Passover begins. Traditionally this is done during the weeks just before Passover. Once the chametz is removed the house is declared clean and suitable for the feast. Chametz has also been interpreted as a symbol of pride, so this cleaning marks a spiritual purging as well as a general Spring-cleaning. The head of the house pronounces the house clean with this statement:

READER: MAY ALL MANNER OF LEAVEN WITHIN MY DOMAIN, BOTH SEEN AND UNSEEN, AND WHETHER I HAVE REMOVED IT OR NOT, BE DECLARED NULL AND VOID AND AS DUST OF THE EARTH.

II. LIGHTING OF THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

READER: One person at each table may now kindle the Passover lights. Traditionally this has been done by a woman, representing the mother of the house. Our tradition suggests that this is most fitting, for we are reminded of God's promise that the Messiah, the light of the world, would not come from the seed of man, but from the seed of woman and by the will of God.

READER: PRAISED ARE YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD, RULER OF THE UINVERSE, WHO HAS SANCTIFIED US BY YOUR COMMANDMENTS AND COMMANDED US TO KINDLE THE FESTIVAL LIGHTS.

PRAISED ARE YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD, RULER OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO HAS KEPTY US ALIVE, SUSTAINED US, AND BROUGHT US TO THIS SEASON.

MAY OUR HOME BE CONSECRATED, O GOD, BY THE LIGHT OF YOUR COUNTENANCE, SHINING UPON US IN BLESSING AND BRINGING US PEACE.

ALL: AMEN.

III. KIDDUSH, THE BLESSING OF THE FEAST

READER: Passover has begun. Before Jews eat anything, they are expected to say appropriate blessings. During the course of our Seder we will drink form our cups and replenish them four times. The cup from which we drink is called a kiddush cup. The first cup is called the Cup of Sanctification.

(Each person pours the juice or wine into their own cup, following the lead of the head of each table. All raise the first cup.)

READER: WE PRAISE YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD, RULER OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO CREATES THE FRUIT OF THE VINE.

(Everyone drinks the first cup.)

READER: Ritual washing has been part of traditional Jewish life since God commanded Aaron to bathe his hands and feet before approaching the altar of God. The traditional washing of hands during the Festival meal symbolizes the cleansing necessary for those participating in the ritual. We customarily wash our hands at this time as a token of our desire to live lives of acceptable service to our Almighty God.

(A server presents a basin, pitcher and napkin to the leader, who washes hands while saying the following prayer.)

READER: PRAISED ARE YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD, RULER OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO HAS HALLOWED US WITH YOUR COMMNADMENTS AND HAS COMMANDED US CONCERNING THE WASHING OF HANDS.

READER: The green herb (karpas) represents life; salt water represents the tears shed by the oppressed Hebrew slaves in Egypt and the tears of all oppressed people who have followed them. Before we eat the karpas, we dip it into the salt water to remind us that life has its share of tears. Today we remember the immigrants who have experienced oppression, exploitation and economic hardship in their homelands and on their journey to the promised land.

(All take a piece of karpas (parsley or celery), dip the herb into the salt water, and say together):

ALL: PRAISED ARE YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD, RULER OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO CREATES THE FRUIT OF THE EARTH.

(All eat the green herb.)

READER: Unleavened bread was prescribed for the eight days of Passover to commemorate the first Passover. For in the flight from Egypt, there had been no time to let the baking bread rise. Three pieces of unleavened bread, matzah, are set on a special plate next to the ritual Seder plate, each piece separated from the others. The leader takes out the middle matzah and breaks it in two. The larger piece, known as the afikoman, will be hidden away either by the children or the leader. The smaller piece is replaced between the two whole matzot. The custom of hiding the afikoman arises out of historical Passover traditions. Originally, a young lamb was sacrificed and eaten on Passover night (the Paschal Lamb). It was customary in those days to reserve a small portion of this lamb to be eaten at the close of the meal. When lamb sacrifices ceased, a piece of matzah was saved and eaten instead. This piece came to be called the afikoman from the Greek meaning "that which comes after." Nowadays the hiding of the afikoman has become something of a game, to keep the children alert during the entire service. The finder of the afikoman may demand a reward for returning the afikoman to the leader, for without the matching half, the Seder may not conclude.

IV. THE NARRATION-THE STORY OF THE DELIVERANCE FROM EGYPT

READER: (Holding up the matzah, says:) this is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate In the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat; let all who are needy come in and share the Passover feast. This year we are here; next year we shall be in the land of Israel. This year we are slaves; next year we shall all be free. Because of federal welfare reform, there will be more hungry and needy this year: In this state alone, 200,000 immigrants will be losing their Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and 425,000 newcomers will be losing their food stamp benefits by the end of August.

(All pour a second cup of wine, the Cup of Plagues.)

More than half of those losing food stamps are going to be children. Hundred of thousands of immigrant families with children could lose Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) once welfare reform is fully implemented. Yet children and non-citizen residents are the least likely to be able to advocate for themselves. This is why it is important during this service, as in every Passover Seder, that we hear the voice of the children. Like the questions asked below, immigrant children will be asking questions that are important and embarrassing to us. We wanted to be able to say "now that your have come to this country, you are free;" but unfortunately, this is not the case. We know it is our obligation to keep working to ensure the rights and dignity of these children and to improve living conditions for immigrants and refugees in our communities.

CHILD 1: Why is this night different from all other nights?

CHILD 2: On all other nights we eat leavened bread and matzah; why on this night do we eat only matzah?

CHILD 3: On all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs; why on this night do we eat bitter herbs especially?

CHILD 4: On all other nights we do not dip bitter herbs; why on this night do we dip them in salty water?

CHILD 5: On all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining; why on this night do we eat reclining?

ALL: We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Almighty, our God, took us out form there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. Now, if the Holy, Blessed One had not taken us out from there, then we, our children, and our children's children would still have been enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt. Even though we were, all of us, wise, all of us understanding, all of us aged, and all of us learned in the Torah, we should still be commanded to tell the story of the going out from Egypt so that we remember that we were all immigrants as well; that we, too, were oppressed and had an opportunity to experience liberation.

WOMEN: The Bible teaches that during a great famine in the land of Canaan, the sons of Jacob journeyed into Egypt to purchase food. There they were united with their brother, Joseph. Because of his influence they were permitted to dwell in the fertile plains of Goshen. At first, the House of Israel numbered less than eight people. But in time their numbers swelled, their flocks increased, and they became a mighty people.

MEN: And then there arose a new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph. He beheld the might of Israel, and he feared that in time of war the sons of Jacob might join themselves with Egypt's foes. So he subdued the Hebrews and afflicted them with cruel labor. Taskmasters were placed over them, to compel them to make bricks and to build Pharaoh the great store cities of Pithom and Rameses.

WOMEN: But despite their hardships they continued to thrive just as God had promised. This caused Pharaoh even greater alarm, and he ordered the slaughter of the Hebrews' infant sons. By his command every male child born to the Hebrews was to be cast into the Nile and drowned. How sore were the afflictions of the Hebrews! In anguish they cried unto the God of their ancestors, and God heard their cry. God remembered the covenant, raising up a deliverer and redeemer, Moses. And God sent Moses to the Pharaoh's court to declare the commandment of God.

ALL: LET MY PEOPLE GO!

READER: Today we make another demand to our policy makers:

ALL: LET THE UNITED STATES BECOME A PLACE OF REFUGE!

MEN: But Pharaoh would not hearken to the God of Hosts. So Moses pronounced God's judgment on Pharaoh's house and lands. Plagues were poured out upon the Egyptians, upon their crops and flocks. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened. He would not yield to the will of God. He would not let the House of Jacob depart. Pharaoh defied God and placed his own will above the will of God. As a result, God brought destruction upon his house and lands.

ALL: So God heard our cry and delivered us with signs and wonders.

(Everyone lifts their cups and continues:)

A full cup is a symbol of complete joy. Let us, therefore, diminish our cups as we recall the plagues that befell the Egyptians.

(Each person empties a drop from her/his cup for each of the ten plagues, and says:)

Blood, lice, flies, cattle, disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, slaying of the firstborn.

READER: Today we have other plagues that are just as serious. They include racism, xenophobia, poverty and sickness, homelessness and inhumanity. If anyone else would like to name a present day plague, please do so now.

As God delivered the Hebrews from oppression in their past, we pray that God will free everyone from their oppressive circumstances.

ALL: PRAISE ARE YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD, WHO CREATES THE FRUIT OF THE VINE.

How many abundant favors God has performed for us! Dayenu!

ALL SING: Da-da-ye-nu, Da-da-ye-nu, Da-da-ye-nu, Dayenu, Dayenu, Da-da-ye-nu, Da-da-ye-nu, Da-da-ye-nu, Dayenu, Dayenu.

READER 1: Had God split the sea for us and not let us pass through it onto dry land, Dayenu!

READER 2: Had God given us the Sabbath and not given us the Torah, Dayenu!

READER 3: Had God given us the Torah and not brought us to the Land of Israel, Dayenu!

ALL SING: Dayenu…

CHILD: The Passover sacrifice that our ancestors used to eat at the time when the Temple was standing in Jerusalem, what was the reason for it?

ALL: The Holy One, Blessed is God, had passed over the houses of our forebears in Egypt, as it is said: "And you shall say: it is a feast of Passover unto God, For God passed over the houses of the children of Israel when smiting the Egyptians, but our houses God spared. So the people knelt down and prostrated themselves.

CHILD: This matzah which we eat, what was the reason for it?

READER: The dough of our ancestors did not have enough time to rise, when the Ruler of Rulers, The Holy One, Blessed is God, was revealed to them and redeemed them. As it is said, "And they baked the dough which they had taken out of Egypt as matzah, for it was not leavened, for they were driven from Egypt and could not linger. Also they had not prepared any food for themselves." Many immigrants today also have had to flee at a moment's notice with very few items and little preparation.

CHILD: This bitter herb that we eat, what was the reason for it?

READER: (Showing the bitter herb, horseradish): The Egyptians embittered the lives of our ancestors in Egypt, as it is said: "And they embittered their lives with hard labor at clay and bricks, and with all manner of toil in the field, all the servitude which made them serve at racking labors." Many of the immigrants in this country do the most backbreaking and low paying work available. Undocumented workers do the most demeaning work, are not guaranteed any labor rights, including decent working conditions, minimum wage, or even pay at all. Furthermore, they are not given access to benefits should they fall on hard times. Immigrants did not leave oppression only to be oppressed again.

READER: In every generation we should regard ourselves as though we, personally, had come forth form Egypt, as it is said, "And you shall tell your child on that day, saying: this is an account of what God did for me when I went forth from Egypt." Not only our forbears did the Holy One, Blessed is God, redeem, but also ourselves did God redeem with them, as it is said, "And us did God take out form there in order to bring us to here, to give us the land which God has sworn to our ancestors."

ALL: (Raising our cups and saying aloud:) Therefore it is our duty to thank, praise, laud, glorify, uplift, extol, bless, exalt, and adore the One who did all of these miracles for our ancestors and us. God brought us forth from slavery to freedom, from sorrow to joy, from mourning to festive day, from darkness to a great light, from subjection to redemption. Let us, then, sing before God a new song: Hallelujah, Praise God! While celebrating the liberation of those who came before and confronting the situation of those who come now, this Seder will remind us that until all in this country have all that they need, we are all enslaved. Because of our history and our liberation, we are obligated to take action to help those behind us.

READER: PRAISED ARE YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD, RULER OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO CREATES THE FRUIT OF THE VINE.

(All drink the second cup of wine.)

LEADER: (Lifting the three pieces of matzah:) PRAISED ARE YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD, RULER OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO BRINGS FORTH BREAD FROM THE EARTH.

ALL: PRAISED ARE YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD, RULER OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO HAS HALLOWED US WITH YOUR COMMMANDMENTS, COMMANDING AOBUT PARTAKING OF MATZAH.

PRAISED ARE YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD, RULER OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO HAS HALLOWED US WITH YOUR COMMANDMENTS, COMMANDING THAT WE PARTAKE OF BITTER HERBS.

ALL: That is what Hillel did when the sacred Temple was still standing: He used to combine the pesach offering with matzah and bitter herbs, eating them together, in observance of the teaching, "They shall eat it together with matzah and bitter herbs."

(Place some of the bitter herb and some charoset between two pieces of matzah. Now eat them.)

V. THE SEDER SUPPER would normally be served at this time. However we are skipping the meal as an act of solidarity with non-citizen residents who will soon be losing their benefits.

(At the end of the meal, the children return the hidden afikoman, demanding a reward for its return.)

VI. DRINKING THE CUP OF BLESSING

(When the meal is finished, the leader takes the afikoman, breaks and distributes it to all present. Each participant eats the afikoman, the last food tasted.)

LEADER: FRIENDS, LET US GIVE THANKS.

ALL: MAY THE NAME OF GOD BE BLESSED FROM NOW UNTO ETERNITY.

LEADER: PRAISED ARE YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD, RULER OF THE UNIVERSE WHO FEEDS THE ENTIRE WORLD WITH YOUR GOODNESS, WITH GRACE AND WITH LOVINGKINDNESS.

ALL: PRAISED ARE YOU, O GOD, WHO FEEDS ALL YOUR CREATURES.

(The third cup of wine, the "Cup of Blessing" is poured.)

LEADER: PRAISED ARE YOU, ALMIGHTY GOD, RULER OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO CREATES THE FRUIT OF THE VINE.

(Everyone drink the third cup of wine.)

LEADER: The Cup of Elijah is seen as the Cup of Hope, hope that God would soon bring peace through the Messiah. Elijah was to come as a forerunner to the Messiah, so each year the children go to the door, open it, and look to see if Elijah is coming.

(Children go to the door to look for Elijah. They close the door and return to their seats.)

LEADER: We drink the four cups in remembrance of the four divine promises of redemption, as it is said:

ALL: I AM THE ALMIGHTY AND I WILL BRING YOU OUT FROM UNDER THE EGYPTIAN YOKE.
I WILL DELIVER YOU FROM BONDAGE.
I WILL REDEEM YOU WITH AN OUTSTRETCHED HAND.
I WILL TAKE YOU TO BE MY PEOPLE.

LEADER: Our redemption is not yet complete, but as we raise the final cup in remembrance of the fourth cup of redemption, our hearts beat strong with hope.

(All drink the fourth cup.)

ALL: Our Seder now concludes, its rites and customs done. This year's task completed, we look to a time yet unborn. We look to the light of dawn, tomorrow's promised Passover, the days of peace, the days of life, the time of full redemption.

LEADER: We shall all sit under their vines and under their fig trees, and none shall make them afraid.

ALL: FOR US AND ALL ISRAEL,
FOR US AND ALL IMMIGRANTS,
FOR US AND ALL HUMANKIND:
NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!
NEXT YEAR ALL THE WORLD REDEEMED!

LEADER: We say "Next Year in Jerusalem" because it was the promised land. For many strangers in our midst, the United States was to be the promised land. While celebrating, how can we work to assist the strangers in our midst? On the table you will find some suggestions for education, advocacy, and direct service activities that aim to improve the conditions for immigrants in our communities. We encourage you to participate in these important actions.