בס״ד
HASOFRIM
A DIGITAL PESACH By Dylan Kotkis Dylan Kotkis is studying a double degree of International Relations and Finance at Curtin University. Dylan is currently the AUJS WA President.
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inally, the Zoom call connects, I can see my cousins waving at me through my laptop screen and yet all I can think about is how quickly we can get to the Shulchan Orech. Before we start our Seder, my Mum stops to reflect on this unique setting. “Boys, this is going to be a Pesach that people will talk about for years to come”, and I’m sure she isn’t wrong. We are living in an interesting world at the moment, with natural disaster, international pandemic and global economic collapse a simple reality. 2020 has been a harsh year, testing everyone and pushing new boundaries that most people didn’t know existed, and for the first time, the Jewish community has first-hand experienced the effects of this modern world. Pesach was different this year, but yet, I think we all felt more connected than ever.
so significant for me because for one week a year, the Kotkis household becomes completely Pesadic. All of the cupboards are taped shut, mainly so that I don’t forget and make myself some toast, my Mum’s study becomes the Pesach cupboard, and for the first and last time every year, I am confident that any Rabbi would feel comfortable dining at my house. My friends never quite understood the concept of Pesadic food. The conversation would usually end up with me explaining that, “Just because there’s no wheat, it doesn’t make it Pesadic!”. I would always be tempted to go out with my friends for their “Pesadic Nandos”, but for me, it is the one week a year where I get to stand out with my Judaism and fully immerse myself in the Pesach traditions. It is almost liberating, in a sense, to have the ability to commemorate the freeing of Jews from slavery and take part in an age-old tradition. We get to explore new culinary avenues, with almost all Jews pushing their creativity to the limits, all working to answer the question, “What is the best food that can be made with Matzah?”. For me, my all-time favourite is Matzah fried
Some of my most vivid memories of Judaism in my childhood come from Pesach. Sitting at the kids table, singing Pesach songs, everyone taking a turn to read a part, it was a time of joy and togetherness, and although Matzah is a questionable substitute for bread, Pesach still holds a place in my heart. I think Pesach is
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