6 | APRIL 7 • 2022
essay
Memories of Pesachs Past
O
n a spring day in the
early 1960s, my family
arrives at my Bubbie’s
small Oak Park home in time
to allow my mom to help with
the seder prepa-
ration. My aunts,
uncles and first
cousins are also
there early. As
each family walks
in, my Bubbie’s
face lights up at
the sight of her grandchildren.
She stumbles over the list of
the names of the grandkinder,
“Jeffrey, Freddie, Sandy, Mark
… etc.
” and we all laugh at her
struggle to remember each of us,
though we know she knows who
we are and loves us all.
When it’s time for the seder to
begin, we all find our seats at the
long collection of tables in the
small living room. My Uncles
Lawrence (AKA Lazer) and
Gary are at the head of the table,
with my dad sitting just to their
right. Uncle Irving sits near the
middle of the table, next to his
daughter, Sandy. Uncle Irving’s
seat will be immortalized as the
“passing seat” during the seder
meal (as in, “Please pass the
potato kugel, Irv.
”).
My Uncle Nate is probably
making funny noises only he can
produce, cracking up my cousins
and me. My mom and aunts,
Dorothy, Janet, Barbara and
Barbara, also sit at the other end
of the seder table, although they
take turns popping up to head
to the kitchen for various chores
related to seder items and din-
ner. Cousin Linda is older and
therefore functions more like an
aunt than a cousin. The rest of
the cousins are sprinkled around
the table, usually sitting together
so we can laugh at inside jokes,
but not far from our parents’
watchful gazes.
Only my Bubbie is standing
as the seder begins. This spe-
cial lady, a mythic presence of
my childhood, twice widowed
and probably in pain at that
time from the remnants of a
stroke, is nonetheless beaming
as she looks out at her family
sitting around the seder table. I
remember that look on her face.
I would see it again a few years
later on my mom’s face when
the seder moved to our house
in Southfield. And again, on my
wife’s face, whenever our whole
family gathers for any special
family occasion in our dining
room.
Our seder in the early ’60s
reflected the times. Many of
our rituals and tunes were old
standbys, probably brought to
America along with Shabbat
candlesticks from Russia
through Ellis Island. And yet,
as we kids were learning some
new tunes and rituals in Hebrew
school, there was an attempt
made to modernize and stream-
line the seder. The four ques-
tions were of course attempted
by the youngest child who felt
almost ready (with some push
Jeff London
PURELY COMMENTARY
continued on page 9
1942 - 2022
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