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Apr

14

A Tale of Two Seders

Filed Under Politics | 3 Comments

I didn’t plan it this way, I really wanted to post yesterday but it wasn’t a happening thing. So, there it was, as of today, Good Friday, I’ve made 666 posts to WLST. As I said, I didn’t plan it.

It was the best of seders, it was the worst of seders. We convinced the leaders of each to truncate the services – hooray. But, at the second seder, the food arrived so late that we’d all filled up on soup and wine by the time the prime was ready. While at the first seder, the usually most raucous guest (my “baby” brother who is more than a foot taller than me) arrived a few hours late (if you haven’t driven through NYC or its environs on before seder afternoon, you don’t know the true meaning of traffic jam).

Still, mayhem prospered, children ran amok and made money from finding the afikomen (I remember getting a box of baseball cards and gum when I was a kid – as I’ve said, my four cousins, whose mother hosted Passover, were major jocks, with a dad also very into sports) and dishes were washed well into the night (although not so much by me).

For both seders, we included a fourth matzah to recognize the suffering in Darfur. I’m sad to say that there were a few guests who actually seemed to actually be serious when they said they didn’t know about Darfur or where it is. That depressed me. Having been at the Aswan dam and just a couple of hours from Sudan in the mid-80s, I don’t know what it’s like there exactly, but if it’s anything like the tiny villages I visited up and down that area of the Nile, it’s as third world as I’ve ever witnessed, though my memories are of it being very placid. I’ll post some pictures of it soon.

Anyway – Elijah showed up, and as usual, we tossed his wine, as usual (it’s amazing, given how Jews have suffered with paucity at different times in history how it is that I’ve also come to stereotype Jewish mamalas as always making too much food – but then the idea of leftovers is also very popular – never waste anything, I guess Elijah’s cup is a luxury and once a year recognition).

The Binding of the Innards isn’t going too badly. I’ve been noshing on huge bags of raw carrots for three days. Likewise, I easily passed up gifiltefish without anyone caring. Big sigh of relief.

Being wrapped up in parenthood leaves less time to get wrapped up in the poignancy of many of the prayers and readings associated with Passover, many which I enjoy. But I did take time to locate Beckett’s I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On and stole it from my parents’ house. It appears that it actually was a gift to my younger brother, all those years ago! There’s even an inscription. But, like some of his favorite musical albums, I appropriated it. :) Sisters are such a wonderful thing.

On now to the next leg of our trip. Seems we can’t go a day without driving somewhere and today it’s back to CT (from Boston).

Happy Good Friday to all, and enjoy the memories you’re making. Because after doing the same event so many times, I find anyway, that it’s the memories of all the celebrations past, in the aggregate, that make the holiday or event what it is for me now.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 1:22 pm April 14th, 2006 in Politics | 3 Comments 

Print This Post Print This Post

Apr

14

A Tale of Two Seders

Filed Under Politics | 2 Comments

I didn’t plan it this way, I really wanted to post yesterday but it wasn’t a happening thing. So, there it was, as of today, Good Friday, I’ve made 666 posts to WLST. As I said, I didn’t plan it.

It was the best of seders, it was the worst of seders. We convinced the leaders of each to truncate the services – hooray. But, at the second seder, the food arrived so late that we’d all filled up on soup and wine by the time the prime was ready. While at the first seder, the usually most raucous guest (my “baby” brother who is more than a foot taller than me) arrived a few hours late (if you haven’t driven through NYC or its environs on before seder afternoon, you don’t know the true meaning of traffic jam).

Still, mayhem prospered, children ran amok and made money from finding the afikomen (I remember getting a box of baseball cards and gum when I was a kid – as I’ve said, my four cousins, whose mother hosted Passover, were major jocks, with a dad also very into sports) and dishes were washed well into the night (although not so much by me).

For both seders, we included a fourth matzah to recognize the suffering in Darfur. I’m sad to say that there were a few guests who actually seemed to actually be serious when they said they didn’t know about Darfur or where it is. That depressed me. Having been at the Aswan dam and just a couple of hours from Sudan in the mid-80s, I don’t know what it’s like there exactly, but if it’s anything like the tiny villages I visited up and down that area of the Nile, it’s as third world as I’ve ever witnessed, though my memories are of it being very placid. I’ll post some pictures of it soon.

Anyway – Elijah showed up, and as usual, we tossed his wine, as usual (it’s amazing, given how Jews have suffered with paucity at different times in history how it is that I’ve also come to stereotype Jewish mamalas as always making too much food – but then the idea of leftovers is also very popular – never waste anything, I guess Elijah’s cup is a luxury and once a year recognition).

The Binding of the Innards isn’t going too badly. I’ve been noshing on huge bags of raw carrots for three days. Likewise, I easily passed up gifiltefish without anyone caring. Big sigh of relief.

Being wrapped up in parenthood leaves less time to get wrapped up in the poignancy of many of the prayers and readings associated with Passover, many which I enjoy. But I did take time to locate Beckett’s I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On and stole it from my parents’ house. It appears that it actually was a gift to my younger brother, all those years ago! There’s even an inscription. But, like some of his favorite musical albums, I appropriated it. :) Sisters are such a wonderful thing.

On now to the next leg of our trip. Seems we can’t go a day without driving somewhere and today it’s back to CT (from Boston).

Happy Good Friday to all, and enjoy the memories you’re making. Because after doing the same event so many times, I find anyway, that it’s the memories of all the celebrations past, in the aggregate, that make the holiday or event what it is for me now.

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:22 am April 14th, 2006 in Politics | 2 Comments 

Print This Post Print This Post

Apr

14

A Tale of Two Seders

Filed Under Politics | Comments Off

I didn’t plan it this way, I really wanted to post yesterday but it wasn’t a happening thing. So, there it was, as of today, Good Friday, I’ve made 666 posts to WLST. As I said, I didn’t plan it.

It was the best of seders, it was the worst of seders. We convinced the leaders of each to truncate the services – hooray. But, at the second seder, the food arrived so late that we’d all filled up on soup and wine by the time the prime was ready. While at the first seder, the usually most raucous guest (my “baby” brother who is more than a foot taller than me) arrived a few hours late (if you haven’t driven through NYC or its environs on before seder afternoon, you don’t know the true meaning of traffic jam).

Still, mayhem prospered, children ran amok and made money from finding the afikomen (I remember getting a box of baseball cards and gum when I was a kid – as I’ve said, my four cousins, whose mother hosted Passover, were major jocks, with a dad also very into sports) and dishes were washed well into the night (although not so much by me).

For both seders, we included a fourth matzah to recognize the suffering in Darfur. I’m sad to say that there were a few guests who actually seemed to actually be serious when they said they didn’t know about Darfur or where it is. That depressed me. Having been at the Aswan dam and just a couple of hours from Sudan in the mid-80s, I don’t know what it’s like there exactly, but if it’s anything like the tiny villages I visited up and down that area of the Nile, it’s as third world as I’ve ever witnessed, though my memories are of it being very placid. I’ll post some pictures of it soon.

Anyway – Elijah showed up, and as usual, we tossed his wine, as usual (it’s amazing, given how Jews have suffered with paucity at different times in history how it is that I’ve also come to stereotype Jewish mamalas as always making too much food – but then the idea of leftovers is also very popular – never waste anything, I guess Elijah’s cup is a luxury and once a year recognition).

The Binding of the Innards isn’t going too badly. I’ve been noshing on huge bags of raw carrots for three days. Likewise, I easily passed up gifiltefish without anyone caring. Big sigh of relief.

Being wrapped up in parenthood leaves less time to get wrapped up in the poignancy of many of the prayers and readings associated with Passover, many which I enjoy. But I did take time to locate Beckett’s I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On and stole it from my parents’ house. It appears that it actually was a gift to my younger brother, all those years ago! There’s even an inscription. But, like some of his favorite musical albums, I appropriated it. :) Sisters are such a wonderful thing.

On now to the next leg of our trip. Seems we can’t go a day without driving somewhere and today it’s back to CT (from Boston).

Happy Good Friday to all, and enjoy the memories you’re making. Because after doing the same event so many times, I find anyway, that it’s the memories of all the celebrations past, in the aggregate, that make the holiday or event what it is for me now.

Bookmark and Share

By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:22 am April 14th, 2006 in Politics | Comments Off 

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