Gay rabbi ‘passes it forward’ for Passover
THE PASSOVER FEAST CELEBRATES THE Jewish people’s passage out of slavery and into freedom, and Rabbi Joshua Lesser of Congregation Bet Haverim hopes this year’s ceremony will mark the passage out of fear and into economic recovery.
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Congregation Bet Haverim is a progressive synagogue founded by gays and lesbians (and member of the World COngress of GLBT Jews). Lesser said he plans to feed 120 people at his Passover Seder.
“I wanted to do something different this year and recognize how many people in my community, and the community at large, are having financial problems this year,” he said. “Because the Seder requires specialized food it can be fairly expensive.”
During the Seder feast participants read from the story of the Jewish exodus out of Egypt. The ritual calls for a series of courses with specific ingredients, and four glasses of wine per guest.
At one point in the meal the youngest person in the room opens the door symbolically for the Prophet Elijah.