72 Friday, March 26, 1982

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

New Conservative Haggada Has Modern Revisions

ments and our own hopes for
What Role Did Women
Cultural inspiration and
liberation."
inducements to learn from Play in the Exodus Story?
The Jews of ancient
Women
were,
in
a
sense,
the
the past and apply the
Egypt
won their battle for
knowledge to the present prime movers. When
freedom with the help of
during the Seder ceremony Pharaoh ordered them to
God and their leaders,
is enriched in the literary kill Israelite baby boys at
Rabbi Harlow noted; But
and artistic qualities of the birth, the midwives refused
the fight against bondage is
to
obey
orders,
opting
in-
newest Haggada.
an ongoing struggle,
"Passover Haggada: The stead to obey the voice of
whether it applies to Soviet
Feast of Freedom" the conscience. The Egyptian
Jews including Anatoly
product of the Rabbinical citizenry had no compunc-
Shcharansky or the people
Assembly, the official body tion about carrying out
of Poland.
of Conservative Judaism, is Pharaoh's infanticidal pol-
As another example,
icy,
but
with
the
refusal
of
the first of its kind produced
Rabbi
Harlow cited the cur-
by,the Conservative faction the two courageous mid-
rent attempt to proclaim
wives,
the
Israelite
resis-
of American Jewry in the
Martin Luther King Jr.'s
82-year history of that body. tance movement was born.
birthday
as a national
In spite of the crushing
It is a literary landmark.
American holiday. "His life
enslavement,
the
women
of
It includes the text of the
made a difference. He
Haggada, the entire Seder Israel never gave up hope.
taught us that we can sur-
service, is beautifully illus- They continued to bring
vive only if we care about
children
into
the
world.
The
trated with color drawings
The Rabbinical Assembly's new Haggada, "Feast one another. This lesson has
and it provides replies to rabbis tell us . that these
a message for everyone."
scores of questions that may women were forced to do of Freedom," suggests the fifth cup of wine at the Thus when the Haggada
Passover
Seder,
usually
set
aside
for
the
Prophet
"men's
work,"
to
undertake
arise regarding the festival
talks about compassion and
of Passover, historic Jewish tasks well beyond their Elijah, also be dedicated to the state of Israel and its freedom, he said, the ex-
struggle
for
survival.
physical
capacity.
Yet
they
experiences and the role of
perience of Dr. Martin
women in Jewish tradi- would find enough strength seasoned with ramifications compassionate . . . and Luther King Jr. comes to
to
go
out
to
the
fields,
bring-
tions.
historic and iulkloric. Why, hospitable. * * *
mind.
Rachel Ann Rabinowicz ing warm food and warm it even has theological and
The Haggada stresses the
edited this volume. It took comfort to their downtrod- moral overtones!
This Haggada eliminates role that women played in
five years for the making of den husbands.
Salt reminds us of the bit- sexist terms, wherever pos-
"They shall never subju- ter tears shed by the en- sible, and contains new the Jewish struggle for
this work, and it was the
freedom. "This teaches us
first time such a task was gate us," declared these slaved Israelites in Egypt. It translations of Hebrew pas- even today the importance
exemplary
wives
and
under the editorship of a
reminds us of the solemn sages, a new historical sec-
mothers. "The Holy One rites of the ancient Temple tion and fresh insights and of the family unit, and
woman.
beyond that the concern
Miss Rabinowicz had as will redeem us!" No wonder in Jerusalem, for salt ac- comments from scholars that we must show for
the
rabbis
say
that
it
was
associates in the prepara-
companied every offering. and writers, past and pre- friends and neighbors,"
tion of "The Feast of Free- because of the remarkable What's more, since salt is a sent, such as Martin Buber, Rabbi Harlow added.
dom" Rabbi Max J. Rout- women of that generation preservative, it is a symbol Samuel Dresner, Louis
The pre-holiday, cere-
tenberg, together with Rab- that the Israelites were re- of permanence, a reminder Finkelstein, Robert Gordis, mony of searching for and
bis Wolf Kelman and Jules deemed from. Egypt.
the covenant between Abraham Joshua Heschel, removing hametz, or
Who Is the Invisible that
Harlow. They represented
God and the children of Is- Max Kadushin, Chaim leavened bread, from the
the Rabbinical Assembly Guest Whom Jews All , rael is eternal, immutable. Potok, Solomon Schechter, home shows that "we all
Over the World Will Be
Haggada Committee.
It brings to mind Sodom Harold Schulweis, Elie have hametz in ourselves
Stating that they ap- Welcoming on Passover?
and
Gomorrah, the sinful Wiesel and the hasidic mas- that we must try to elimi-
proached their task as Sec- At the Seder, the heart of
nate. We have anti-social
cities
that were turned into ters.
ond Century rabbis tackled the Passover celebration,
The Rabbinical Assembly forces, negative impulses
saltlands,
a
cataclysmic
the
biggest
and
most
beauti-
similar studies, they stated:
Haggada underscores the struggling with our good
"We consciously took a ful goblet is set aside for the event that took place, ac- lessons of the past and impulses. If we don't root
fresh look at the traditional prophet Elijah and; at the cording to rabbinic tradi- applies them to today. Sec- these out we are going to
text and asked ourselves appropriate moment, filled tion, on Passover. Why did tions discuss freedom, corn- remain slaves."
what each passage says to to the brim with wine. Gen- the "cities of the plain" de- passion, concern for others
In adapting the past to
us today. With this formula erations of Jewish children serve this fearful fate? Be- and the importance of fam- the present, some old words
cause
their
denizens
were
have
gazed
wide-eyed,
within the classical
were changed or took on
ily life.
framework, we changed wakefully, watchfully at notorious for their callous-
"The Seder should be an new meanings. For exam-
ness
and
cruelty
towards
this
mystical
goblet,
seeing
some passages and retained
in the ripples on the surface the poor, for their mal- exploration of ourselves," ple, Rabbi Routtenberg, the
others."
treatment of strangers. So Rabbi Harlow stated. `We Haggada Committee
Expressing confidence of the wine "evidence" of salt even reminds us to b
all have our own enslave- chairman, explains that the
Elijah's
visitation.
that this Haggada will ap-
Elijah lived a stormy life,
peal to all Jews, Rabbi Kel- vanquishing single-
man said, "Any Jew any-
the false prophets
where, regardless of handedly
of Baal and fighting fear-
background, can recognize
this book. Our volume re- lessly for social justice. We
tains the traditional form are told in the Bible that he
the deaf, and the mentally capabilities.
By L.E. EZER
and the order of the Hag- was "translated" to heaven
Together they planned
Joint Distribution Committee
ill.
in a chariot of fire, but many
gada service."
the
institute and provided
"Our
injunction
to
engage
are certain that Elijah
— In s- in this particular work," ob- the first students with JDC
There is a running never left the earth.
rael, three out of every one
question-and-answer com-
The unseen Elijah has hundred children born suf- serves Henry Taub, presi- scholarships. In the 12
mentary alongside the been a living presence in fer some form of mental re- dent of the JDC, "stems years since then, more than
from the very foundation of 1,200 have graduated, all of
Haggada text, and the re- Jewish life for nearly 3,000 tardation.
Judaism, the Bible, where them enjoying JDC scholar-
sponses are to such ques- years. A chair is prepared
An estimated two percent we are enjoined to care for ships. They have spread out
tions as what role did for him at every circumci-
women play in the Exodus sion. And spellbinding are midly retarded. Another the elderly, the handicap-
story, why are we forbidden legends tell of his miracul- .75 percent are moderately ped, the fatherless and the
to hu ,e the Egyptians, what ous appearance — in dis- retarded and approximately widow. In this work, we are
traditions are associated guise, of course — to rescue .25 percent are highly re- all partners."
with eggs and many more Jews or Jewish com- tarded.
The National Institute for
that may be puzzling but munities in distress.
The American Jewish the Training of Teachers of
are clarified in the text.
What Does Salt Water Joint Distribution Commit- the Retarded, located in
Here are some of the at the Seder Represent? tee (JDC) has an overall Jerusalem, is one example
examples of the questions Salt is the most com- program of aid for the hand- of JDC aid in this field. Back
and answers as they are monplace of everyday icapped which embraces the in 1969, the goal of the
treated in this imposing items. Right? Wrong! Even physically and neurologi- newly opened institute was
the salt at the Seder table is cally impaired, the blind, to graduate 1,000 teachers
work:
of the retarded within 10
years.

word Mitzrayim was re-
tained in the original Heb-
rew rather than translated
as Egypt, since that Middle
Eastern country today
stands for a nation trying to
live in peace with Israel.
The editors of this Haggada
adopt the word Mitzrayim
to represent oppression in
all its forms.
A special tribute honors
the state of Israel by dedi-
cating a fifth cup of wine ne
only to the Prophet
but also "in anticipation ur
the redemption that will
bring enduring peace."
The value of the new
Haggada, the scholarly
work entailed in its prep-
aration, the influence of the
woman editor, are in evi-
dence. It helps to transform
the Seder into a scholarly
seminar, enabling all, re-
gardless of previous know-
ledge, to learn the facts and
to discuss them.
Providing guidance for
the preparation of the Seder
table and the welcome to be
given to the Passover festi-
val, the Haggada serves an
important purpose in the
home. Furthermore, there
is inducement for total par-
ticipation in the Seder with
recitations and songs.
The 26 colorful graphics
in the book by Israeli artist
Dan. Reisinger enhance the
work.
Preceding the current
work, there was an experi-
mental edition published
two years ago under the
editorship of Michael
Strassfeld.
Enthusiasm for the new
Haggada by many scores of
Conservative rabbis intro-
duce this volume, with a
certainty that it will have a
global. response from obser-
vers of the festival who, in
the process, aro inspired
and enlightened.
—P.S.

Teacher Training Center for Retarded
in Israel Gets Boost from JDC Program

Ralph I. Goldman, execu-
tive vice president of JDC,
who was then its associate
director in Israel, and
Zacharia Gamliel, director
of the institute, were con-
vinced that these children
deserved to be educated to
. the fullest of their

around the country, bring-
ing a new light into the lives
of the children they serve.
All of the handicapped in
Israel are now included
under the umbrella of the
Association for Handicap-
ped Children and the Re-
tarded in Israel.

A student teacher at the National Institute for the
Training of Teachers for the Retarded helps an outpa-
tient learn to distinguish shapes. The student teacher
hopes to join the ranks of the institute's 1,200
graduates 'since 1969.