A creative revolution is refashioning the ancient rituals of Passover, as Jews--and, increasingly, non-Jews--use the holiday in thousands of new ways to explore their own modern-day plagues, oppressions and struggles.
The eight-day holiday, which begins tonight, has been faithfully celebrated by Jews around the world for 3,300 years in commemoration of the escape from slavery in Egypt and the "passing over" of Hebrew homes by the "angel of death" sent by a wrathful God to persuade the Pharaoh to let his people go. The holiday is marked with special foods, worship services and a commemorative ritual feast, known as a Seder, reliving the Exodus.
But the holiday's rich symbols, powerful ritual and timeless themes of freedom and redemption are now being embraced in Seders for groups as diverse as vegetarians, lesbians, Latino garment workers, feminists, environmentalists and the handicapped.
Increasingly, Christians are adopting the Passover ritual to reclaim what they see as a rightful part of their own tradition.
"Jesus, who is the author of all Christianity, was a Jew," said Jim Gaffney, a pastor at Mariners Church in Irvine, which will hold its fourth annual Passover celebration next week. Among other things, he said, the Holy Communion--now a major part of most Christian Easter observances--first occurred at the Last Supper, which by most accounts was a Jewish Passover Seder.
"We want to bless the Jews, who are God's chosen people," Gaffney said. "We want to honor and understand their traditions. This is a real coming together of the Judeo and Christian traditions, which really do connect."
Tari Lennon, senior pastor at the Neighborhood Congregational Church in Laguna Beach, agrees. "In our church," she said, "we are of the opinion that the separation of Jesus from Judaism has had dire consequences for people throughout history, most notably our Jewish brothers and sisters."
Unfortunately, Lennon said, there has been "a strain of anti-Semitism within the traditions of Christianity that we intend to overcome. We believe that Jews, Muslims and Christians hark back to the same roots, worship the same God and are part of one another. Religion should bring people together, not drive them apart. That, essentially, is what Passover is about because we think that's what Jesus was about."
The universal themes of Passover seem to appeal to diverse human interests and agendas.
