Apri 11, 2014: Passover Edition by Jewish Press

A2 | The Jewish Press | April 11, 2014

Introduction

American Jewish Press Association Award Winner

Nebraska Press National Newspaper Association Association Award winner 2008

This is who we are

elcome to our Passover issue! After an unpleasantly cold winter, I think we are more than ready for the spring feeling that this season brings. It’s a different kind of freedom, when we open the windows, blow off the dust and peel off our winter layers, but no less welcome. We chose, for the first time, to not hang our hat on a separate topic, but instead focused on Passover itself. There is plenty to talk about, and I want to thank my Board of Directors for having the unique idea to make this a true Pesach issue. That means Matzah and Seders, Afikomen and Haroset. It also means thinking about slavery, Egyptians and drowning chariots, plagues and Haggadot and separate dishes and what it means to be free -- then and now. There are many ways in which Pesach can be viewed as an ancient festival that involves people who lived long ago and have very little in common with us. They lived without electricity, television and internet, cars and airplanes and Hollywood movies. They didn’t have gym memberships or fast food, skateboards or sliced cheese, comic books or breakfast cereal, blue jeans or tank tops. All the random trappings of modern life would utterly confuse them. Most of us, in turn, can only imagine what life was like back then. And yet, each year we clean our kitchens of chametz, and retell the story of Passover as if it happened yesterday. “We were slaves in the Land of Egypt,” we tell ourselves, and for one brief moment we experience the truth in that statement. Is it, for some of us, merely tradition? Perhaps. But when you go through the motions, year after year, it becomes part of who you are. Although Jews the world over celebrate the same festival and read the same story, we also all have our own customs and habits and create our own very personal memories. Last year, my family and I celebrated Pesach in the Netherlands. Assuming any Matzah I would bring with me would be reduced to crumbs on the flight there, I waited until I arrived to hunt it down. But when I called the local Israeli Import Center and asked if they had any Passover

Matzah left in their inventory, I was met with stunned silence. The lady on the other end of the phone had no idea what I was talking about. Turns out, the Israeli Import Center only caters to curious Christians. Who knew? Several years ago, there was a Matzah shortage in Omaha (I’m sure many of you remember) and since we waited until a week before the beginning of Pesach to do our shopping,

the shelves were utterly empty. Something about a grain shortage, I’m not sure I remember. We were contemplating what to do, when we suddenly heard a voice behind us: “You need Matzah?” It was Ben Shapiro, he had plenty, and he was willing to share. Our Seder was saved, and we think about Ben every year when we shop for Passover. It’s stories like these, good and bad, small details that add to the Passover experience of our family. We tell each other the original story, and then we add our own small details. And that is how it becomes more than a tale about ancient people who have little to do with us: we continue the tradition, and we add to it. No Passover newspaper is made without a lot of hard work by the Jewish Press staff and volunteers. Months before the holiday gets here, we start thinking about content, design, and deadlines. While the smell of latkes hanging around our building, we are thinking of Seder plates and shank bones. I want to thank our Creative Director, Richard Busse, who always brings the magic, even when there are distractions like jury duty. I’m grateful to Lori Kooper-Schwarz, who can always be trusted to keep me in line, and keep me sane at the same time. A big thank you to Jessie Wees, our Advertising Executive, who never, ever, gives up. And finally, Barbara Kirkpatrick, our bookkeeper: thank you! We want to thank all the writers who contributed to this issue: Teddy Weinberger, Ozzie Nogg, Gabby Blair, Lois Friedman, Oliver Pollak, Sibyl Kaplan, David Golbitz, Gloria Jones and Jill Belmont. We also owe a debt of gratitude to our tireless proofreaders: Margaret Kirkeby, Jody Malashock, Deborah Platt, Silvia Roffman, Dottie Rosenblum and Suzanne Singer. Any typos that slipped through are entirely the editor’s responsibility. We hope you enjoy this edition, and wish you a wonderful Pesach! Chag Sameach, ANNETTE VAN DE KAMP-WRIGHT, Editor

WE HOPE YOU HAVE A MEMORABLE

Passover EXPERIENCE

(Founded in 1920) Andrew Ruback President Annette van de Kamp-Wright Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Jessie Wees Advertising Executive Lori Kooper-Schwarz Assistant Editor Barbara Kirkpatrick Bookkeeper

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