Headline News!U.S. President Obama is trying to win over United States Jews via their stomach, their culinary memories. Last year, during the Passover blogging season I blogged that a traif seder was better than none at all, and I still consider that so under most circumstances.
I draw the line where a goyish (non-Jewish) politician uses the Jewish Holiday to score points, mend fences, play politics etc. For Jews going to the White House to a seder officially hosted by the American President goes 100% against the message of the Passover Holiday.
The story of Passover in the Haggadah begins:
"We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt."
Most people erroneously, and dangerously, delete or ignore the phrase "to Pharaoh" and concentrate, emphasize "in Egypt." The major problem leading up to the Exodus from Egypt and all that needed to be done to execute it by Moshe, Aaron etc, was that the Jewish People felt more loyal to Pharaoh, and Egyptian culture, than to G-d. This is the root of the problems and sins of the Jewish People after leaving Egypt, which caused the forty year trek and the additional problems during those forty years.
The Obama staff probably thinks that hosting the seder was good politics. I'm sure that the Jews who attended consider themselves very privileged, like the Persian Jews who partied with King Ashashverosh... but that was Purim, last month's holiday...
The photo is a family seder from over sixty years ago. Many of those who participated are long dead... but not forgotten.
May their memories be blessed.
L'Ilui Nishmatam
8 comments:
I senrt the Obamas my Bubbe's special Passover macaroon recipe:
1. Open can.
2. Serve.
3. Eat.
See
http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/04/09/moses-and-macaroons/
Maybe we're related. I use the same family recipe.
this is an important piece, thanks for posting. i don't get that your readers aren't responding (yet?)...
slaves to Paro is an essential key point. this is the problem in america.
they have matza, but no balls.
My readers don't always comment. And many aren't on the internet over the holiday.
An afternoon seder.
Hashem Yishmor.
Daniel, one of the autistics, is 'screaming' for American Jews to leave immediately. I wonder what the catalyst for the next catastrophe will be; major stock market crash, major terrorist attack...?
josh, afternoon, wow! That's a good one.
I don't think anything would get the Americans to leave. They're great excuse-makers.
Shalom!
Josh, I can top that! I heard about a family that postponed the Seder until the weekend because the actual date was inconvenient. Slaves to... ???
Batya, what did it take to get us to leave Egypt? Is leaving America going to be any less painful?
Hadassa
P.S. I'm also fond of that macaroon recipe. It's apparently become quite a tradition.
Hadassa, symbolic, traif and on the wrong day... gevalt.
Think of the Yekke Jews still mourning their cultural lives in Germany. And Jews have even returned.
For Jews to leave America, it's terrifying to imagine. But it's the America in the mind which is the equivilant of "avodim hayinu l'paroh..."
Nu, so we're family too with the same recipe.
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