Between Two Worlds: Celebrating Pesach in Sofia and Milan

April, 2016

When I think of Pessach Seder, I can usually portrait a very specific picture, I can tell who will sit around the table and where, what food will be served, who will lead the Haggadah, and even know what jokes will be made. On any case, one thing for me is certain- that no matter where I am in the world- doing a Seder Pesach is a must.

Me and my peers in Israel are confronting our traditions and trying to find a way to make them more meaningful to us. How do we make sure that we are not only sticking in traditions and “to dos”, but also add content and have a meaningful discussions around the table, that will let us grow from year to year. What kind of new rituals do we want to have.

This year I was about to experience a different Seder, or should I say Seders, because I participated in two Seders these year - the first one was in Sofia, and the second in Milan. It was my first time doing two Seders. 

Although the two Seders were led by young adults, they were quite the opposite from each other. The first one was in Sofia, Bulgaria, where most families don’t do Seder at home. In a country that only a little more than 20 years separates between them and communism, people didn’t and couldn’t keep these traditions. So where can I find a Seder Peach to join to? I found myself in a Seder held in the local Moishe house, that for whoever is not familiar with the model - its a house where young Jewish people aged 20+ live and create meaningful experiences in their local communities. Young Jewish adults didn’t grow up here with these traditions, but are now leading them by themselves. The Seder started like business as usual, we had the Seder plate and Matzah, we did the blessings. But than, instead of reading the Haggadah, we played a game. For me it was quite odd , but I realise that this is their way to engage people and make it an experience they would like to take part in. The fact that they are in fact doing a Seder - is the important thing. And maybe, the fact that they do not have these strong traditions and rituals might allow them to adjust the Seder to be more communicative and meaningful for themselves and for the next generations.

Moving to the second Seder in Milan. After a long trip, me and my two colleagues came from Bulgaria to a Seder held on the second day of the holiday. Most guests did not know each other but were all linked to the charming host. People were around 30-40, single and couples. We all received a Haggadah and read it thoroughly. We did all the traditions, we had wine, we sang, we read out loud. It was obvious that in Milan there is a strong tradition that was kept all through the years. The melodies of the songs were not like any other I heard of, not Sephardic nor Ashkenazi, but beautiful Italian melodies that I now really want to adopt. And even there were sitting arrangements that are a common thing in any event here. 

But in addition to all these traditions, people were very engaged, there were explanations and discussions on the text, related to current issues. It was really amazing to see how, without any elderly people and without any children we should tell the story to (“ve-higadeta le-bin-cha"), people were very passionate about the Seder.

I came to think about it, that maybe the two communities, that come from such different places, are going through somewhat similar process of making our ancient traditions relevant for people today, each in its own way. And adding to it all, realising that this Seder in Milan was actually the first Seder that my Bulgarian colleague had ever participated in her life made me think that maybe in our interconnected world today we can all enrich and learn from each other so much, on how each of us can embrace and re-own our Jewish life.