This article originally appeared in The New York Jewish Week on March 21, 2018.
By Hannah Dreyfus
Eric Thurm, a 25-year-old Brooklynite and writer, has been hosting seders for his contemporaries since his college days.
5 Haggadahs and other Passover supplements to modernize your seder this year
This article originally appeared in the JTA on March 21, 2018.
By Gabe Friedman
(JTA) — Although Jews have celebrated Passover by reading from the Haggadah in one form or another for 2,000 years, Jewish organizations and publishers strive each year to connect the holiday to modern times with fresh Haggadahs as well as supplements.
If you’re looking to give your seder a distinct 2018 flavor, consider these options — they bring up topics ranging from Donald Trump to Ethiopian chickpea matzah.
Be’chol Lashon and Repair the World Create New Passover Seder Supplements to Connect Biblical Exodus Story to Modern Struggles for Freedom
New York, NY — To spark conversations connecting the ancient Passover Exodus story to modern struggles for freedom, Be’chol Lashon and Repair the Word are teaming up to offer specially designed seder supplements this Passover (werepair.org/passover). The materials, part of the Passover campaign, #MemoryToAction, encourage seder participants to engage in meaningful, sometimes difficult conversations about how we talk about individual and systemic struggles for freedom in the context of the Passover story.
“Jews are more diverse than many realize,” says Diane Tobin, CEO of Be’chol Lashon, which advocates for the ethnic and racial diversity of the Jewish people. “We focus on unique expressions of Passover around the world, while coming together over the universal Jewish story of Exodus. Our goal is to spark conversations, connecting the journey from slavery to freedom to the ongoing fight for racial justice.”
The Haggadah insert, with artwork from illustrator Shane W. Evans, is framed around the seder passage Avadmin Hayinu, Hebrew for “we were slaves.” The resource asks each participant to consider what it means to begin retelling the story of Exodus with the words, “we were slaves,” and leads one to explore today’s “fight for freedom on interpersonal, systemic, global and local levels” through the lens of the seder.
Print-at-home Trivia Place Cards offer a fun, interactive way to celebrate Passover rituals and traditions from diverse Jewish communities while also amplifying the multiplicity of identities and experiences within the American Jewish community. Trivia questions include, “Why do Jews from Gibraltar sprinkle a little bit of brick dust into their charoset?” Answer: “To remind them of the bricks that the Israelite slaves were forced to make.”
People not hosting their own seders, but who still want to use these resources at the seder’s they attend, can sign up to have the resources sent directly to their seder host at weRepair.org/Passover. Others looking to connect Passover with volunteer service, to bring #MemoryToAction, can search for volunteer opportunities at weRepair.org/Volunteer.
Repair the World’s ten-month call for young people to Act Now has included the 2017 High Holidays (Act Now for a Different Kind of Service), Thanksgiving (Act Now Against Hunger), MLK Day (Act Now for Racial Justice); Purim (# ShareHerStory), and concludes with the Jewish holiday of Passover. Repair the World has found that during special times in the calendar people are looking to root their celebration in issues that they care about. Over 223,000 people participated in the digital Purim campaign and nearly 10,000 people participated in service experiences as part of MLK Day’s Act Now for Racial Justice.
“Right now, people across the country, specifically young people, are looking for ways to engage their friends, families, and neighbors in conversations about what matters most to them,” says Laura Belinfante of Repair the World, the largest Jewish service organization in the country. “Holidays, specifically Jewish holidays, are the perfect time to open up conversations about social issues with loved ones. We are excited to see people apply learnings from our history towards action today.”
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Online movement fetes diversity of Jewish women
This article originally appeared in The Jewish Advocate on March 14, 2018.
By Alicia Landsman
BROOKLINE – Every year during Purim, Jews around the world retell the story of Esther, a Jewish woman of color who saved her people from imminent genocide. Now, thousands of years later, Mizrahi, Sephardi and Jewish women of color can share their own stories through the #ShareHerStory digital campaign. This new campaign is a partnership between the Jewish Women’s Archive, the Jewish Multiracial Network and Repair the World.
Be’chol Lashon and Repair the World Create New Passover Seder Supplements
This article originally appeared in e-Jewish Philanthropy on March 13, 2018.
By EJP
To spark conversations connecting the ancient Passover Exodus story to modern struggles for freedom, Be’chol Lashon and Repair the Word are teaming up to offer specially designed seder supplements this Passover. The materials, part of the Passover campaign, #MemoryToAction, encourage seder participants to engage in meaningful, sometimes difficult conversations about how we talk about individual and systemic struggles for freedom in the context of the Passover story.
Sharing special stories for Purim
This article originally appeared in The Jewish Chronicle on February 26, 2018.
By Tamara Fish
Traditionally Jews worldwide have shared mishloah manot, little packages of sweets and treats, with their loved ones and friends for Purim. What would the equivalent be for our digital age? Rebecca Katz of Repair the World, a US based organization, asked this very question, and in a brainstorming session with Mikki Pugh from the Jewish Women’s Archive and me from the Jewish Multiracial Network, the #ShareHerStory campaign was born.
Making an impact – Thoughts on Allocating Jewish Philanthropic Time and Resources in 2018
This article originally appeared in eJewish Philanthropy on February 21, 2018.
By Larry Brooks
In his book, Good to Great and The Social Sectors, Jim Collins articulated a question many struggled to ask. Namely, how could the nonprofit sector shift its focus from inputs to outputs, which moves us closer to measuring the genuine impact of the organization’s work? Collins’ words paved the way for even more important queries, including not only how does a nonprofit measure impact, but also how does it articulate its impact.
Jewish Women of Color Highlighted for Purim
This article originally appeared in The Jewish Exponent on February 21, 2018.
By Marissa Stern
Celebrating Purim is more than just eating hamantaschen and twirling groggers. There’s one famous character whose ethnic identity may get overlooked: Esther.
This year, to add to your mishloach manot goodie bag, Repair the World, Jewish Women’s Archive and Jewish Multiracial Network are honoring the legacy of the Jewish woman who bravely saved her people from the evil Haman in ancient Persia.
#ShareHerStory Campaign Celebrates Jewish Women Of Color
This article originally appeared in The New York Jewish Week on February 20, 2018.
By Hannah Dreyfus
Think of her as a modern-day Queen Esther.
Rachel Sumekh, the founder of Swipe Out Hunger, a national initiative focused on ending college student hunger, is a community leader, activist and proud Jew. She is also the daughter of Iranian immigrants and a Persian woman of color.
Purim Project Tells Women Of Color’s Stories, In Esther’s Honor Read more
This article originally appeared on The Forward on February 13, 2018.
By Haley Cohen
Inspired by the upcoming Jewish holiday of Purim, the new campaign #ShareHerStory shares the stories of modern Jewish women of color who are working to create a more inclusive and thriving Jewish community in various ways.
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