The Scene

Jonathan and
Jennifer
Samuels bring
out their
Passover china.

JULIE WEINGARDEN
Special to The Jewish News

G

rowing up in Wilmington,
Del., one Jewish holiday
was extra special for
Jennifer Samuels: Passover.
It was the most celebrated holiday in
her house.
Her grandparents would come in
from Germany and when she was in
college, she'd always fly home for the
celebration, even if it fell during the
week. "It was a bigger deal than the
High Holidays," says the 28-year-old.
Her family seders were small but
special. "My grandfather would
always run the seders. Before World
War II, he had gone to rabbinical
school. He wanted to be a rabbi, but
the war happened. He knows all the
prayers and the right way to sing
them. We did the whole Haggadah in
Hebrew and English," she says.
Her husband, Jonathan, 29, a
native of New Fairfield, Conn., used
to celebrate Passover at his aunt and
uncle's house. There were lots of kids
and one of his favorite memories was
the race for the afikomen. "There were
so many kids it was funny," he says.
The Samuels met at graduate
school in Boston and most recently
lived on Long Island, New York,
before moving to West Bloomfield.
They couldn't take vacation time to

3/26
1999

120 Detroit Jewish News

be with their families this Passover so
they decided to host their own seder.
The dinner will be small and inti-
mate. Their guests will be each other.
The Conservative newlyweds plan
to start their own Passover tradition.
Their seder will mix symbols and rit-
uals, both old and new. "My mom
sent us a set of 12 Haggadahs last
year, which was nice. It means she
knows we'll have seders at our home
for years to come," says Jennifer.
The table will be set with china,
candlestick holders and silverware, all
given to the couple as wedding gifts.
They will also use some pieces rich in
history. "My mom gave me one of her
seder plates that we used when I was
growing up," she says. The Kiddush
cup is a wedding gift from Jennifer's
grandparents. It had been given to
them on their 18th wedding anniver-
sary —18 for chai (life)," she says. "We
don't have a dining room table so it's
kind of fun that we are improvising."
There will be plenty of calls home
to help eliminate the guesswork. "It's
hard to remember what a lot of the
things are. When it says to put greens
on the seder plate, it's not always so
clear what to use. And then there's
the burnt egg. I had to call my mom
and ask how you burn an egg," says
Jennifer.
The couple also plans to ring
home for recipes. Jonathan will make

Jonathan and

Jennifer Samuels chose

to make their own seder

this year to start their

own Passover tradition.

Jonathan Samuels
pours the wine
while Jennifer
cleans the
seder plate.

the charoset from his mother's recipe.
"We are a couple of the '90s," says
Jennifer. "We buy everything pre-
pared. We'll buy canned gefilte fish
and make matzah ball soup from a
box." And in true '90s fashion,

Jonathan will help clean the dishes.
Though the get-together will be
small, the Samuels won't skimp when
it comes to the seder. "We'll go strict-
ly by the Haggadah and we'll try to
do as much as we can in Hebrew,"
she says. There will also be singing.
"It doesn't really feel like the holidays
without your parents," says Jonathan.
"It's weird leading your seder. I always
had someone else leading it. Nov it's
my turn."
"But it will be nice to be just the
two of us. We are starting our tradi-
tion and we'll go through the
Haggadah at our own pace."
Jennifer agrees that holidays aren't
the sam'iti without family. "I wish that
we could be with my family because
that's what we have always done since
Jonathan and I have been together.
"But second to that I'd rather it be
just us." The couple was invited to a
seder but declined the offer. "When
people invite you over because you
have nowhere else to go, it doesn't
make it feel special," says Jennifer. "I
want to maintain the tradition I grew
up with. If you are constantly going
to other peoples' homes you are not
maintaining your traditions," she
says.
"We hope both of our parents will
come in next year for our seder.
Maybe by then we'll have a dining
room table." E

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