April 19, 2024
One of the core roles of Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRCs) across the country is building bridges beyond our Jewish community, knowing that we are stronger when we collaborate and partner with other communities.
For any Jewish organization engaging in intergroup relations work, it’s important not only to identify areas of common cause and allyship with other communities, but to turn inward, look and listen. Recognizing and celebrating our own community’s diversity, and ensuring we create spaces welcoming to Jews from diverse backgrounds is critical to ensuring a vibrant, thriving, Jewish community and to building relationships with other groups.
Growing up in an Asian-Jewish family, Asian and Jewish have always gone hand in hand for me. Angela Buchdahl, the first woman to head the Central Synagogue in NYC, and the first Asian-American ordained as a cantor or rabbi in North America, has gained prestige and notoriety in the last several years — certainly amongst my extended family who circulate her sermons more than any other! Rabbi Buchdahl’s very public leadership role is helping normalize that rabbis and other leaders in our Jewish community can look many different ways.
For the last two years, your Federation’s JCRC has been honored to be part of a local Asian-Jewish Initiative, led by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC). Throughout the toughest months, it’s been a shining example of learning, allyship, and solidarity. At the post-October 7th vigil, I was grateful to see many members of the Asian-Jewish Initiative come to show their support, and it’s been many of those same individuals and groups who we teamed up with this past legislative session on efforts bills to address growing bias and hate.
Last week, the JCRC and ADL were privileged to host the first Asian-Jewish Passover Seder at Minyan Ohr Chadash in Seward Park. Forty-five leaders from civic, government, religious, and nonprofit spaces (including two state supreme court justices and various other electeds) gathered to learn, sing, reflect, and break matzah together. I was unable to attend the seder as it was my Dad’s 70th birthday. In place of my reflections, I’d like to share some words from those who did attend:
Ilana Cone Kennedy, Chief Operating Officer, Holocaust Center for Humanity: “I wasn’t sure what to expect when I signed up to attend the Asian-Jewish seder and I had some concerns. Which Haggadah would be used? What about the killing of the firstborn? (Yikes, that’s always a hard one to explain…) What about Israel? I loved that individuals were selected to help read through the Haggadah and provide a little bit of commentary and context. I loved that everyone showed up with an open mind, ready to talk and laugh and sing and eat some food. I was fortunate to be seated at a wonderful table with one or two familiar faces, and at least 6 others that felt like my friends by the end of the meal. Thank you to everyone for planning this wonderful experience and for keeping it warm and welcoming. And thank you to all of the participants who had never been to a seder before and came to learn and experience the Hillel sandwich and so much more.”
Michael Itti, Executive Director, CISC: “Thank you for the wonderful evening and all your hard work to organize the event. The four board members who attended from CISC enjoyed the experience and were inspired to think of ways we could further bridge cultures and communities. I was honored to read a passage and to learn more about the significance of the Passover Seder. The event showed the importance of participating in different cultures, traditions, and faiths.”
Rivy Poupko Kletenik, Chair, JCRC Intergroup Relations Committee: “Picture a room filled with goodwill, humor, and empathy – a distinct flavor of joie de vivre that comes with the facing of shared challenges, triumph, and struggles yet to be borne. The Asian Jewish Seder was a lovefest – folks we knew, folks we got to know. Oh, and a program loose enough for laughs and profound enough to reflect the intensity of the moment.”
I would like to give a huge mazel tov to my colleague, Cassie Garvin, for her incredible work planning this event with the team at the ADL. I would also like to extend gratitude to Rivy Poupko Kletenik, the Chair of the JCRC’s Intergroup Relations Committee, for her work leading the seder. Numerous other members of the JCRC and the Asian-Jewish initiative stepped up to make contributions to the seder. We couldn’t have done this without the commitment of leaders from both communities coming together to partner and build a better world — one that is reflective of our shared values and shared humanity.
There has been a long history of collaboration between our local Jewish and Asian communities. The seder was an opportunity to share Jewish history, culture, and traditions. As we flip the calendar into May, which marks both AAPI and Jewish American Heritage Month, we welcome yet another opportunity to shed light on the unique and shared experiences and contributions of our communities to this special region we call home.
Chag Pesach Sameach (Happy Passover),
Max Patashnik
Director of JCRC & Government Affairs
Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle
P.S. I know that for many of us, this Pesach will not and cannot be joyful. In fact, I learned last week that many local Israelis may not be marking the chag (holiday) at all this year. It feels impossible to celebrate the liberation of our people and hope for a future where all peoples can be free when there are still hostages in captivity and horrific conditions in Gaza for Palestinians. While it is a small comfort, I would like to share a haggadah supplement for your seder from our local UnXeptable chapter that brought meaning and sense to this year’s holiday for me.
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