Eileen’s Passover table in Ocean Grove. April, 2022. Eileen Goldfinger photo. © Click to enlarge. Make the matzah balls bigger.
J.A. Joel, Jewish soldier in the Union Army. 1862. Author of the Civil War seder article described below. (photo: Jewish Virtual Library)
During Reverend Stokes’ time, a Passover seder in the Grove would have been highly unlikely. But these days, given the changing demographics in what used to be a one-size-fits-all religious environment, seders in the Grove do occur.
The seder is a festive celebration devoted to family, traditional foods and retelling the story of the Exodus. A guide book called the Hagaddah is used during the seder. It was invented about 1500 years ago and hasn’t changed much in its essentials over those generations.
Although Passover is a happy holiday, the recitation of this phase of Jewish history is a solemn obligation and a touchstone for Jewish identity. Most American Jews celebrate a seder at Passover. But seders are held all over the world, and, although the framework is the same for each seder, there are many variations of the rituals, depending on regional and cultural differences.
It is surprising where seders have occurred in the past. We know, for example, that secret Passover celebrations were held “underground” during the Inquisition, in Spain and Portugal.
Image courtesy of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA. Two marines and a soldier attend a seder in 1944. In front of them are Australian matzohs. They are probably in the Pacific.
In America, there are reports of seders being held by soldiers during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. There were matzoh factories in unlikely places such as Montana and the Dakotas.
In 1862, an account by soldier, J. A. Joel of the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Regiment, of a seder celebrated by Union soldiers in Fayette, West Virginia, was published in The Jewish Messenger. Joel and 20 other Jewish soldiers were granted leave to observe Passover. They received matzoh shipped from Cincinnati.
Said Joel, “We sent parties to forage for Passover food while a group stayed to build a log hut for the services. We obtained two kegs of cider (Ed. note: wine was unavailable), a lamb, several chickens and some eggs. We could not obtain horseradish or parsley, but instead we found a weed whose bitterness, I apprehend, exceeded anything our forefathers ‘enjoyed.’ “ (Ed. note: The seder table includes “bitter herbs” to recall the terrible times as slaves.)
Joel went on to report how they used “Yankee ingenuity” to make substitutions for other traditional components of the seder. Those Jews who fought with the North felt like they had the moral high ground (compared to Jews serving in the Confederate Army) because of the similarity between the freeing of Jewish slaves in Exodus and their participation in freeing the American black slaves. Happy Easter and Passover to those Grovers who celebrate these holidays.
Here is a link about a seder in Ocean Grove in 2011 with references to Haggadahs.
—Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
ETTA JAMES: “Down by the Riverside.”
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Passover begins on Friday night, April 3, at sundown. We originally posted this article three years ago. Nothing has changed since then except the dates. The seder is always done the same way, although in different families and different places around the world, the traditions may vary a bit. In our family, the motto is “Don’t let your pot roast.” Actually, brisket is more accurate. —PG
Enjoyed your article. I have celebrated Seder meals at Faith church here in Fort Myers. It is truly a moving celebration to think about the sufferings of so many, whether they be Jewish, slaves or any other ethnicity. Thank you for this insight.