The Charlotte Jewish News- April 2026- Page 20
From the Bimah Who’ s Coming to Your Seder?
|
By Rabbi Michael Wolk
One of the most beloved rituals of the Jewish year is the Passover Seder. Held on the first two nights of Passover in America, this ritual goes all the way back to the Torah and the story of the Exodus from Egypt. God commands our ancestors to join with their families and neighbors to offer the Passover sacrifice and enjoy a festival meal of the offering together with matzah and bitter herbs.
Then God instructs them to celebrate the same night each year in memory of that miraculous night with a reenactment of the Passover sacrifice. Over time, as we moved away from worshiping God through animal sacrifice, the focus of the night shifted from sacrifice to
|
study, but the focus on having guests and celebrating together remained. While you certainly can hold a Seder by yourself, it’ s much more meaningful to discuss the story and themes of the Exodus with other people. Some Passover guests are obvious. You start with your family. Then there are long-term family friends. For me, as a child, the Seder started with my grandparents, who stayed with us, and neighbors down the street who always brought kosher for Passover coffee cake and brownies. Then you look for people in the community who may not have a place to go. As we begin the Seder, we sing,“ All who are hungry, come and eat.”
Sometimes you invite unexpected people. I remember the
|
first time I invited someone who was not Jewish and had no Jewish family connections. It was my first year as a rabbi in Louisville, and I invited the woman who lived downstairs in my duplex apartment. Sarah was Catholic and fascinated by the Jewish stories, rituals, and foods. Since then, I’ ve learned how enjoyable it can be to invite colleagues like Christian ministers to the Seder. They know the Exodus story well, but it’ s a learning opportunity to see how Jews today continue to live with this ancient story.
It’ s interesting to note that in ancient times, when Passover was based around a sacrifice, people who were not Jewish could not participate. Now, I think that the Passover Seder is a
|
perfect opportunity to teach our neighbors about Jews and Judaism. As we continue to worry about antisemitism in the country around us, the Passover Seder tells exactly the story that we want everyone to know.
We want them to understand that we have a history of persecution and being“ othered” that stretches from the Pharaoh in the Torah to neo-Nazis and anti-Zionists today. But we also want them to know that despite this hatred, we are living people who still celebrate our unique stories, culture, history, and practices.
If you come to a Passover Seder, you can see Judaism not as a headline or stereotype, but as a living tradition practiced by real people. You have the chance to experience Jewish life at its most
|
open and generous by telling stories, asking questions, singing songs, and eating too much. The Seder is an experiential lesson that Jewish survival is not only about what we have endured, but about what we continue to build and live by.
So, as you prepare for Passover this year, think about – who’ s coming to your Seder?
|
The Diaspora We Are Becoming
By Jonathan Shaw
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines diaspora as Jews living outside of Israel. This is who we are. As such, our observances, our lifestyle, and our connections look different from those of Jews living in Israel. In Israel, being Jewish is simply part of the fabric of daily life. Here in the Carolinas, being Jewish can be a bit more challenging.
Our communities are small. Access to kosher food is limited. We are often asked,“ What church do you go to?” And how many of us have heard the statement,“ I’ ve never met a Jewish person before?” This is life in the diaspora. Out here, we do not always instinctively know when to begin and end a holiday as they do in Israel. We add extra days to make sure we have observed the proper amount of time.
Reading this might make life in the diaspora sound uneasy, but it is not. Something beautiful happens here. We come together in small communities. We build strong bonds and deep relationships. We join congregations, show up for one another, and actively choose Jewish life. We find our Jewish home.
Temple Kol Ami is just that: home.
There was a time when a commonly heard phrase was,“ I thought I was the only Jew around.” That statement was probably never true, but in a small community, it can certainly feel that way. The United
States is filled with countless small congregations, many of which eventually must close their doors when young families stop moving into the area. These places are not far-flung or isolated.
Take New York City, for example. One would assume that a city with such a large Jewish population would be immune to this challenge. Not so. I personally know of a congregation in Queens that was once vibrant and filled with young families and is now on the brink of closing. Its membership has aged, the numbers have dwindled, and there is no longer a reliable minyan. The rabbi must bring people in from outside the community just to hold services. Only an endowment has allowed the congregation to remain open.
Here, we cannot solely focus on today’ s numbers. We cannot say,“ This is the South, and this is just how it is.” The people who once lived in Queens went somewhere. In conversation after conversation, I hear the same refrain: they are coming here from all over the country.
We are becoming a second diaspora – a micro-diaspora, if you will.
Which raises important questions: How do we embrace and engage members of the Jewish community who are not affiliated? How do we make people aware of the vibrancy that already exists here? Do all Jews look for Jewish life within the walls of a congregation? And the answer is: not always. At Temple Kol Ami, we are intentional with our programming. We know services alone are not enough. We also understand that today, affiliation is not at the top of everyone’ s mind. Non-affiliation is not indifference. Families still seek connection, celebration, and community.
Access to Jewish life must exist beyond the conventional model of synagogue membership.
In Israel, during Sukkot, you can walk down streets lined with sukkahs. There is no reliance on a single community sukkah. During Purim, the streets fill with people in costumes, dancing and celebrating together. In Israel, Jewish life spills into public spaces. It is about people coming together to share celebrations.
This is the kind of atmosphere we can grow here. Community celebrations that exist alongside congregational life, programming that is inclusive and welcoming to all, and opportunities to connect that do not require a membership form before a relationship begins.
In the diaspora in which we live, this can be real. With thoughtful, inclusive programming, we can build a community of strength – one that is proud to be Jewish, proud to gather, and proud to call this place home.
Temple Kol Ami is a Reform Jewish congregation that was formed in the spring of 2010 to answer the needs of a growing and diverse Jewish community in the greater York County area. We are a warm, caring, and egalitarian community; cherishing tradition while yearning for expression in modernity. To learn more, please email yorksynagogue @ gmail. com or visit templekolamisc. org.