PASSOVER AND THE CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC MIKEY ADAM COHEN WRITER, INFLUENCER, CELEBRITY INTERVIEWER/ REPORTER, COPYWRITER Here are four messages conveyed by the Saturday Night Seder. Copyrighted by Mikey Adam Cohen
Anyone can be Jewish or play at it Jason Alexander, best known for his turn as George Costanza on “Seinfeld,” launches the proceedings with
Passover will be one of the many things celebrated this night from other
an upbeat ditty called “Dayenu” and welcomes co-choristers Darren
nights previously. When circumstances abruptly change … we need to
Criss, Josh Groban, and Rachel Brosnahan.
adapt and serve effectively & so many Jews conducted virtual Passover seders for members of congregations, friends, and family and broad-
Darren And Chris News
casted it on YouTube and internet dial-in connections. For centuries, on the first and second nights of the Jewish holiday of Passover, the young-
Darren Criss, Josh Groban, Jason
est child has asked his or her elders, “Why is this night different from all
Alexander, Rachel Brosnahan -
others? ”This year, the nights are truly different. And Rabbi Shlomo
Saturday Night Seder
Segal is among the spiritual leaders who are adapting to a Passover in
After Groban does a cantorial
the shadow of COVID-19. California's stay-at-home order and the need
turn, Alexander praises him as “the
for social distancing caused by the coronavirus outbreak is prompting
greatest Jewish voice since Zero Mostel,” and Groban has to explain that
changes to the eight-day celebration of Passover, which begins at sun-
no, he is not Jewish. Neither is Criss or Brosnahan. Is that a problem?
down Wednesday.
Brosnahan asks.
Individuals are planning to use such online platforms as Zoom to connect with families and friends who are unable to attend their Seders,
Not at all, Alexander responds. “Tonight it doesn’t matter if you are or aren’t a Jew,” he says. Of
Passover's ritual meal, which means order.
course, the concept of cultural appropriation complicates matters.
Various congregations and organizations have organized virtual Seders
Should the abled play people with disabilities? Should cisgender people
and not just on the first two nights as is traditional. the Zoom Seder you
be cast in transgender roles? Criss is a straight man whose best-known
wished you had.
role, Blaine Anderson on “Glee,” was gay. It’s been an issue for non-
The Saturday Night Passover Seder that aired on YouTube over the
Jewish actors who play Jews as well — as Brosnahan, an Irish American
weekend brought together dozens of celebrities and raised $2.6 million
whose signature role is “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” well Groban espe-
for the CDC Foundation, the nonprofit wing of the Centers for Disease
cially is a complicated story: His father is a Jew who converted to Christi-
Control and Prevention, the government agency guiding America
anity when he married Groban’s mother. (Groban and Criss played
through the coronavirus pandemic.
Tevye in high school productions of “Fiddler on the Roof.”)
The broadcast, which drew more than 1 million viewers, had a dis-
The producers of the Saturday Night Seder seem to conclude that
tinctive liberal coastal Jewish outlook, informed by entertainment biz
appropriation is something to celebrate, not condemn. It’s not exactly a
sensibilities, which was natural enough: No one on the webcast claimed
new phenomenon: Jews in the 1970s cheered Valerie Harper’s portrayal
to speak for all Jews, or all American Jews, or for Jews in any frame as
on TV of Rhoda Morgenstern, even though Harper was not Jewish be-
the Jewish community’s most visible Jews, the event offered insights
cause the role was so positive. And if you’re of a certain age, you’ll re-
about where American Jews are in the national thinking, or perhaps
member dusty albums in your parents’ collection of Harry Belafonte and
more precisely, where a lot of American Jews want to believe they are.
Pete Seeger singing Jewish songs.
20 INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE MAGAZINE
