Bound by the thread of tradition, strangers became comfortable friends as community members and students from different backgrounds and sects of Judaism gathered around tables on Saturday night to experience Passover Seder.
Hillel at UCLA hosted a traditional and orthodox Seder dinner at the Yitzhak Rabin Center for Jewish Life at UCLA.
Seder dinners are held twice during Passover, a holiday important to Judaism, during which time Jews relive the Exodus from Egypt and freedom from slavery.
Seder is traditionally celebrated with one’s immediate family, but in the case of the Seder at Hillel, individuals became each other’s family members, said Anat Yitzhaki, Israel program coordinator for Hillel.
Yitzhaki mentioned a feeling of family that she said was also felt by several other attendees.
Caroline Simberg, who arrived at UCLA a few days ago from Sweden to transfer to the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine, wanted to find a Seder to attend because it is a holiday tradition she usually follows at home.
“I don’t know anyone here, and it’s nice to celebrate when I am alone,” Simberg said.
Yitzhaki, who recently moved to the United States, has only been working at Hillel for six months. She said she finds community within the organization.
“I miss my family, and I miss Israel, but I miss it less when I am here. I really feel part of this Hillel,” Yitzhaki said.
Hillel at UCLA hosted a Seder specifically designated as Orthodox, while USC Hillel hosted a Reform dinner.
Nonetheless, people from diverse backgrounds and multiple branches of Judaism ““ including some who did not identify as Jewish ““ attended the dinner hosted by UCLA and found meaning in the event.
Orthodox Jews adhere more strictly to the Torah while Reform Jews adapt the Torah to modern conditions, Yitzhaki said.
Clara Bosak-Schroeder, a fifth-year classical languages student at UC Berkeley, came to UCLA to visit her boyfriend, fourth-year chemical engineering student Eric Livak-Dahl, and to experience Seder at Hillel.
Bosak-Schroeder, a Christian, said she can experience Passover as a holiday from both Jewish and Christian perspectives.
“For me as a Christian, (Passover) means the preservation of the Torah for my religion and the eventual coming of Christ,” Bosak-Schroeder said.
Livak-Dahl, who has considering converting to Judaism, observes the laws and practices of the religion.
He said he likes Passover because he enjoys reliving the story told in the Haggadah, a book read during Seder that describes the Exodus of Jews from Egypt and their liberation from slavery.
David Bardo, an alumnus, said his favorite part of Passover is the connection it offers to his religion.
“Personally, (Passover) is an opportunity to delve into the conceptual foundations of my faith,” he said.
Indeed, as part of the Seder dinner, there were pauses in the reading of the Haggadah to allow for discussions in which people were able to ask questions and discuss their own interpretations of the text.
Other rituals of Seder include drinking four cups of wine, eating vegetables dipped in salt water, which represents the tears of slaves, and, toward the end of the meal, hiding afikoman, a piece of unleavened bread, to be found by young members of the family, Bardo said.
In fact, many in attendance said they enjoy Seder because these ubiquitous intricacies add a feeling of familiarity and hominess no matter where one is celebrating the holiday.
Simberg and Yitzhaki, as they sat across a table from each other after having just met, were able to laugh over certain Seder traditions common to their families, such as having the youngest child in a family sing a particular song.
“She’s from Sweden, I am from Israel, but it’s the same thing,” Yitzhaki said.
Livak-Dahl said he always feels a greater sense of community and family during Passover because everyone undergoes the same dietary restrictions and customs.
“I have this feeling of “˜we are all in this together,'” Livak-Dahl said.
Some students appreciated the differences in how Seder was carried out at Hillel compared to the Seders held in their own homes.
Saul Wyner, a fifth-year cognitive science student usually experiences the Seder traditions of Middle Eastern Jews because his mother is Iraqi.
Wyner said he enjoys Seder at Hillel because it allows him to experience European Passover traditions and practices.