An Enlightening Passover Seder Experience
Moses may have had it easier than me because it took me more than forty years to get settled down in a fully and very enjoyable Passover Seder for the first time in my life. On Wednesday, April 19th, I participated in the Jewish Deaf Community Center (JDCC) multimedia Passover Seder experience after learning about its uniqueness. This is JDCC’s sixth Seder, but its second year in multimedia format.
With 84 other people in the room at Burbank’s Temple Emanu El, we all sat down at Deaf-friendly round tables. Large video-projection screens were placed at two opposite corners of the room and within the visual range of every Seder guests. As the Seder started, the video projection showed JDCC’s President Sharon Ann Dror welcoming us all to gather for the first night of Passover. Sharon was signing the story of Passover with captioned text displayed underneath her on the screen.
As the Seder started with the Kadesh, the Blessing of the Wine, I began to become absorbed in this new experience because there was no Haggadah to fumble through while signing or even to ask your table mate for the page number. Even better, not having to worry about trying to keep pace with everybody else reading the Haggadah.
Each table was assigned a table leader so that she/he can coordinate the other table mates to be the readers as the Seder progressed. The evening continued with everybody’s participation as the video continued with Sharon’s presentation along with the displayed English and Hebrew transliteration text. The items on the Seder plate were explained in details as well as to hide the Afikomen. The youngest person at each table had the honor to ask the four questions. Each person at the table related the Story of Exodus before Sharon led us all through the ten plagues. We all chorused together in “Dayeinu” (“Enough”) song. After the explanation of the final Seder plate item and eating the hard-boiled egg, we started to have the Seder repast.
In keeping tradition with separate Pesach dinnerware, the meal items were served on disposable dinnerware. Starting with the traditional chicken soup with matzoh balls, we continued on with gefilte fish before the main entree of chicken, potatoes, and tzimmes. Topping off the meal was the delicious dessert of Pesach pastry.
After the meal, the Afikomen had to be found before we continued on with the rest of the Seder. After the third cup of wine, we welcomed Elijah and enjoyed the fourth cup of wine with the thoughts of L’Shana Haba’ah b’Yerushalayim! (Next Year in Jerusalem!)
The evening concluded with everybody singing and signing together the CHAD GAD-YO (only one goat kid) song, an unhappy adventure of a father who bought a young goat for his son for only two coins to convey an expression of hope.
This multimedia format marks a great improvement over last year’s format and those who attended last year were pleased with the change because it included a video portrayal of a signer instead of a read-only text concept that was presented in 1999. The videotaping for this presentation was coordinated by David Rosenbaum: In observance of any Yom Tov holidays such as the first two days of Passover and last two days of Passover where Jewish people are not allowed to operate electrical devices, the operation of the video projection equipment during this Seder was done by a Gentile.
A write up of this Seder was published in the Burbank Daily News as well as to be broadcasted on NBC that evening.
Connie Schultz was the voice interpreter who made the experience totally and further accessible for the hearing people. JDCC provided parents of young children with child care services so that the parents could fully enjoy the Seder with an uninterrupted true Jewish experience.
This year’s Seder was funded through grants from Steven Speilberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation and the Ruth/Allen Ziegler Foundation.
Sharon Ann Dror and Rachel Braver coordinated all aspects of this year’s Seder and waving hands accolades are due to them.
Here’s to next year in JDCC Seder, oops, Jerusalem!
