"Ha lachma anya... This is the bread of affliction, the poor bread, that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.

All who are hungry, let them enter and eat. All who are in need, let them come and celebrate the Passover..."

Dear G-d, as we begin this year's Passover Seder, we pause to reflect on the meaning of these words. 

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by Lauren Goodtree

Spring bears many gifts; an important one being Passover. The holiday of Passover is designed to initiate inner and outer reflection on the meaning of freedom, standing for freedom, and fighting for freedom. Israel and the U.S. both exemplify the very nature of striving for freedom, but what does that mean? While Jews as a people are internally contemplating our religious and historical journey to be a free people, we are perhaps drawing many connections to the comparable journey of the American people, and how those similar journeys have created an entirely independent group of people: Pro-Israel Americans. It is noteworthy that while we are considering these events as historical, at the same time there are many countries whose citizens are embarking on the very same journey as we speak.
 
Throughout the Middle East, citizens of Sudan, Oman, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen are all forcefully demanding their rights as human beings. Suppressed and violated, citizens of the region are unable to stand up for their basic rights and live in freedom.

Amidst such chaos, Israel stands alone as the only true democracy in the Middle East. With gay and women’s rights on par with those of our own country, as well as unprecedented religious and political freedoms, Israel exemplifies our national values. While Israel respects democracy and equality, its neighbors are known for their gross abuses of power, violations of human rights, and strangulations of freedom.

With increased cooperation between the United States and Israel, their alliance has remained strong for more than six decades. Israel leads by example with its democratic justice system and its government’s efforts to create peace in a war-torn and unstable region. Israel embodies everything the United States stands for, and it frequently does so under the worst of circumstances. Under constant existential threats, Israel maintains and upholds liberty and justice for all.

As two countries that pride themselves on upholding freedom, do they both have the same definition of freedom? Does freedom have different meanings in different contexts? Is it merely a relative concept that is fluid and malleable depending on the situation? If so, how can we be sure that the freedom we are pursuing is the “right” one? How do we know that our standards for freedom are as high as they can be? Do we only qualify ourselves as free because we are comparing ourselves to vicious dictatorships, or do we have a consensus on a concrete standard for freedom? Does the freedom we pursue equate to maximum happiness for all citizens?

These are all vital questions to ask ourselves and our countries, especially in such times of change. Given the current climate, one specific query has been nagging me. Do we pursue freedom because of its positive effect on society, or do we pursue freedom because of how it makes us look? For example, in recent history Egypt has had one of the best relationships with Israel out of all its neighbors, supplying natural gas and working with Israel to halt weapons trafficking into Gaza. With the recent political transition in Egypt, there has been international applause promoting the movement towards “freedom”. However, how many Pro-Israel Americans are subconsciously a little uncomfortable with the prospect of a new Egyptian government? Israel has a lot to lose with its relationship with Egypt, and new leadership isn’t necessarily better leadership. It’s difficult for people and organizations who champion freedom to be opposed to Mubarak leaving, because it seems to be the popular decision. At the same time, many of us are considering the potentially negative alternatives to the old leader. Does it make us selfish to hesitate in our support of a new Egyptian government, even if it could mean problems for Israel? Are we less passionate supporters of freedom if we pick and choose which freedoms we want?

Being role models of democracy and free society means difficult decisions. The cooperative friendship and power between the US and Israel is the best example of freedom in the world today. While opinions on how to best promote freedom stem from individuals, the alliance of the two countries is undoubtedly the surest way to spread and strengthen freedom throughout the world. The two countries will protect each other from threats in a drastically shifting international political landscape, and in doing so will reflect how true freedom can function, rather than merely freedom by name. Whatever you personally feel the best route in dealing with the Middle East may be, standing by the pillar of the US-Israel relationship is one of the only ways we can be assured that we will remain safe, prosperous, and free, and hopefully we will be able to lead by example and bring the countries in turmoil to their end goal of legitimate and lasting freedom as well.

by Todd Juran

We are almost upon my least favorite Jewish holiday of the year. The sunset of April 6 brings the start of Passover—an eight day long holiday that really interferes with a majority of the food I enjoy eating. My conflict about Passover is that while not being able to eat real food is terrible, the Seder is one of the most fun and enjoyable family gatherings of any of the holidays. We get together with a huge group of people to recount the story of our ancestors’ exodus from Egypt and learn about the significance of the meal on our table. This may sound kind of boring to an outsider, but the Haggadah actually makes the Seder quite entertaining. Of course, it’s entertaining to make fun of your brother for fumbling over his words in the passage he is reading, but I’m referring to the actual ”activities” we encounter during the feast.

Dipping your finger into the wine: We do this to represent one drop of wine for each of the 10 plagues. I usually end up making a smiley face on my plate with the ten drops because I consider myself a food artist, and my plate looks cooler than everyone else’s. And what’s with not being able to lick my finger after it’s over? I’m left with stained skin, and eventually a stained shirt once I forget there’s wine on my finger and I have to fix my collar.

Reading a passage in one breath: I’m sure most families don’t do this, or they do it with different songs/verses, but our family has a tradition of reading the passage following Dayenu in one breath. (“He gave us manna, He gave us the Sabbath, He led us through the wilderness…”). Throughout many Seders in my lifetime, I’ve been lucky enough to have never had this reading land on me at the table. Why lucky? Because either your face turns bright red and you nearly pass out while trying to finish reading, or you completely mess up, come nowhere close to succeeding and have everyone laugh at you. It’s a lose-lose situation.

The Four Questions: The Passover Seder really gets the children involved. Maybe the most popular tradition during the meal is when the youngest child must recite the Four Questions. I was the youngest child at my Seder for seven straight years, and I will tell you it is kind of terrifying. Everyone gets really quiet and focused because it’s an important passage, and it just adds that much more pressure. All eyes are on you, and all you’re trying to do is not mess up. This is the youngest child at the table - shouldn’t we back off a little bit and not make him or her the main orator?! Of course, in the end, the youngest child gets through it and everyone goes on to say, “Great job! Fantastic job! You’re such a good reader!” And all the women kvell about how adorable he or she is.

Hiding the Afikomen: I obviously saved the best for last, because trying to find a hidden item in a house is fun, no matter what age you are—especially when the winner receives money. Which begs the question: how come only the kids get to play this game? Just because I’m 15 years older than someone else does not give me an edge in any way, shape or form. They have the ability to look in the exact same places I do. As a matter of fact, it may actually give them the advantage for being able to run faster than me and being able to crawl into smaller crevices than me. And if the game is being played on their home turf, then they know all about the secret spots that I would never guess to look in. Basically, it comes to down to who needs the prize more; I need money for gas, and they need money for the ice cream truck. I think I deserve a chance to find the Afikomen no matter my age. I want to be involved in this fun—some kids never grow up!

Now that I’ve deconstructed the actual Seder, I’d like to turn my attention to the real antagonist of the Passover holiday, matzah. Do you want to know what’s on my plate during nearly every meal I eat? Bread (yea, I know, I’m super healthy). I can deal with fasting for 24 hours pretty easily on Yom Kippur, but not being able to eat bread for eight days is quite a tall task. So now I’m stuck eating the driest, non-flavorful cracker ever invented on this planet. When chefs see this ingredient on TV, they make a scrunched up, confused face and ask, “What in the world am I going to do with this?” My dog won’t even clean up the crumbs off the floor. And don’t even get me started on how matzah breaks into pieces 93% of the time you try to spread something on it. Matzah only has five redeeming qualities—that’s it. They are:

Matzah Pizza – Put some marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese on matzah, stick into toaster oven and you have yourself a pretty solid meal.

Matzah PB&J – Peanut butter and jelly on matzah. You can put peanut butter on anything, and it will taste good.

Matzah Brei – It’s this weird mix of eggs and matzah, but damn, does it taste good with some (kosher?) syrup.

Matzah with cream cheese – I don’t know how this came about since no one really puts cream cheese on regular crackers, but it’s delicious. Oh riiight, we sorta love bagels and cream cheese. My advice? Buy whipped cream cheese to spread since the matzah is so brittle.

Matzah with butter and cinnamon – Like toast, but on matzah. You surprisingly do not lose a ton of flavor with the substitution of matzah.

Believe me, these are the keys to surviving the Passover holiday. If I can hold off eating bread and other non-kosher-for-Passover foods for eight days, then you can too. Eight days can be a long time, but just remember what our ancestors had to go through. Granted, they could have left us with a little something tastier than matzah…but I can work with it. I suggest you come up with a game plan to get your mind and body right when Pesach begins. After all, there is an obligation to drink four cups of wine at the Seder. That’s not a bad place to start.

Recipe by Eric Silberman

Eric Silberman's award-winning Matzo Ball Soup

The below recipe is a simple twist on the classic Matzo Ball soup meal, just in time for Passover 2012. This recipe was provided by the winner of the 6th Annual Manischewitz Cook Off and can be found, along with other great kosher recipes, at JoyofKosher.com

"Mod" Matzo Ball Soup

Servings
6

Ingredients

6 medium carrots, sliced into 1-inch pieces
2 medium turnips, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, diced
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 box Manischewitz® Matzo Ball Mix (reduced sodium)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin + pinch
14.5 can diced tomatoes (unflavored)
6 cups Manischewitz® All Natural Vegetable Broth
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place carrots, turnips and onion in mixing bowl .Toss well with 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, a pinch of cumin, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Spread evenly on a metal sheet pan.

2. Roast in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until brown, mixing halfway to ensure even browning.

3. While vegetables are roasting, prepare matzo balls according to package directions with a few “secret” changes. Crack 2 eggs, into one mixing bowl, but instead of beating everything together right away, tilt the bowl and try to beat some of the whites separately until frothy, and once done, place the bowl back on the counter and incorporate the yolks as well.  Add remaining 2 tbsp vegetable oil and whip again until fully incorporated and bubbly. Add packet of Manischewitz® Matzo Ball mix and stir just until combined. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

4. Combine 4 cups Manischewitz® All Natural Vegetable broth, ½ tsp kosher salt and ½ tsp ground cumin in a 4 quart pot, bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

5. Remove matzo ball mix from fridge. Form into balls with hands, just under the size of ping pong balls; makes about 8.

6. Drop matzo balls into broth, cover and lower heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes. When vegetables are finished roasting, remove from oven and set aside briefly.  Remove cover from pot and add remaining 2 cups Manischewitz® All Natural Vegetable Broth and diced tomatoes. Add vegetables and bring soup to boil over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 more minutes. Uncover and add salt, pepper or cumin to taste.