
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 31, 1994                   TAG: 9403310161
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: S-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

RABBI WANTS TO UPDATE SEDER

For more than 3,000 years, Jews have been celebrating their special relationship with God and freedom from oppression by remembering a pivotal event in the history of the people who were called Hebrews.

We name the celebration Passover and the event the Exodus.

The observance of Passover has been marked with the Haggadah - the telling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt - and the Seder - an ordered service including a ritual meal - in much the same way for centuries.

There is wine, unleavened bread symbolic of the rush to flight from Egypt, bitter herbs reminding participants of the hardships of enslavement,a sweet fruit-and-nut mixture symbolic of the clay out of which the Israelites made bricks for Pharaoh, the shankbone of a sacrificial lamb and an offering of a boiled egg.

Part of the Haggadah reads: "In every generation let each man look on himself as if he came forth out of Egypt. As it is said, `And thou shalt tell thy son in that day, saying: It is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.' [Exodus 13:8] It was not only our fathers that the Holy One, blessed be he, redeemed,but us as well did he redeem along with them."

The retelling of the story in the present tense, then, is intended to make Passover,Exodus and redemption personal experiences,not ancient history.

Keeping the experience fresh was the objective of a series of preparatory lessons taught this season at Beth Israel Synagogue by Rabbi Jerome Fox.

"Updating your seder" was the theme, Fox said, and he shared excerpts from some of the dozens of specialized Haggadahs now available.

For instance, at least one "women's seder" Haggadah is available, emphasizing a feminist approach to the holiday. Women may read not of their fathers, but of their mothers. They will introduce themselves as the daughters of, and they will retell the legacy of, Miriam, the sister of Moses.

There is a peace seder, too, focusing on the hope for peace between Jews and Palestinians;a "liberated lamb" Haggadah for vegetarians;children's Haggadahs;even a "Santa Cruz" seder with references to "self-actualization" and other California ideas, Fox said.

The last didn't go over very well with his group.

On the first night of Passover,Fox encourages synagogue members to observe the traditional seder meal. But on the second night, he hopes they will take "a creative approach" to the ritual. That would be the time he recommends using an alternative Haggadah, different music, modern poetry or literature to "put themselves into the story."

This year, the Feb. 25 massacre of Islamic worshipers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was an incentive to focus on the peace process between Jews and Palestinians,Fox said.

He also has had a particular interest in the condition of Ethiopian Jews who in recent years were evacuated to Israel. Fox has been sharing stories about Ethiopians he met on a trip to Israel a couple of years ago, including some of the distinctions of their religious practices.

by CNB