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Growing up, sophomore Alanna Mandel would always look forward to her family’s Passover Seder. Celebrating with her family was valuable to her, but she didn’t know how she could continue that tradition in college.

“One of the hardest parts about college is being away from home during holidays,” Mandel said. “Jewish holidays have always been really important to me, and a huge thing to my family.”

On Wednesday night, Mandel and sophomore Charlotte Beede coordinated the Passover Seder for Syracuse University’s chapter of Hillel. The dinner saw over 400 students come together to celebrate, reflect and eat.

During the eight days of Passover, some Jewish people reflect on the exodus of their ancestors from Egypt, Rabbi Ethan Bair said. There is a Jewish tradition of fighting for justice, equity and goodness for everybody, he said, something that is strongly reflected in Passover.

One of the key themes in the celebration of Passover is the phrase “l’dor v’dor,” which Bair explained means “from generation to generation.”

“Everyone has to see themselves as having personally left Egypt in every generation,” Bair said. “There will always be ways to connect the story of the Israelites, our ancestors and redemption from Egypt with issues today, modern-day plagues or issues of overcoming injustice.”

At the beginning of the seder, Rabbi Bair said the celebration of Passover is the “Jewish Super Bowl.” The traditions represent the best aspects of the Jewish people, he said, and are a great place for people to have open and honest discussions.

“I think that the beauty of participating in Jewish holidays in college is that it makes you connect with your peers, about the traditions and makes you really reflect on what’s important to you, what aspects of the holiday really matter to you and how you want to honor that and carry that forward for yourself,” Bair said.

To help attendees reflect, Mandel and Beede programmed the seder around a series of small group discussions. They wanted to give students the ability to be open and reflect on the Passover story, while giving everyone a sense of family and company they might be missing from home.

“Even though we might not have all the same traditions for holidays, or how we celebrate Jewish culture, it’s about community and coming together and seeing what our differences are and seeing what similarities we have,” Beede said.

Many students were excited to have a place where they could come together with their friends and celebrate as if they were with their families.

One of the traditions of Passover is that Jews who keep kosher only eat unleavened bread. This is meant to represent the bread the Israelites took with them when they fled Egypt. Surya Vaidy | Staff Photographer

Sophomore Sarah Pivawer came to the seder last year, and said that she loved to be around her friends and celebrate with a new group of people that she was close to. It’s special to see a group of people bond over their traditions and get closer to each other through a seder, she said.

“You saw the entire Syracuse community coming together,” Pivawer said. “And you had (the community) even if you didn’t have your parents there.”

Throughout the seder, student leaders facilitated discussions about challenges or prejudices they’ve overcome, encouraging reflection on difficult situations and fighting against oppression toward a better future. Mandel wanted to make each discussion personal, while also relatable for the entire group.

Beede and Mandel said one of the most important aspects of the seder is that it is inclusive, both to everyone’s thoughts and to the many different ways that people celebrate the holidays. Not everyone’s traditions for Passover seder are necessarily the same, Mandel said, but the common thread in every seder is coming together to enjoy each other’s company.

“There’s this idea that because it’s a religious institution that you have to be a certain level of this or that,” Mandel said. “But it really isn’t that serious and everyone’s welcome. The only requirement is just show up with a smile.”

Published on April 5, 2023 at 10:34 pm