Happy Passover From Hadassah

The Charlotte Jewish News, April 2023

By Aileen Greenberg-Kriner

Happy Passover! It’s time to buy the matzah and wine, make (or also buy) the chicken soup and charoset, and find the seder plate and Haggadahs. Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful Passover and seders to treasure. As we read in the last line of the Haggadah, “Next year in Jerusalem!”

Speaking of wine…

Take a break from Passover prep and join us for our monthly Hadassah Wine & Schmooze on Tuesday April 4 at 7 p.m. at Vintner Wine Market in Arboretum Shopping Center. Stock up on wine for your seder. We meet on the first Tuesday of the month, so also mark your calendar for May 2. When you make a purchase at Vintner’s, please let them know you are a Hadassah member. Vintner’s donates a portion of their sales to our Charlotte Metro chapter.

And speaking of seders…

The Charlotte Metro Tu B’Shevat Seder, Experience

G-d, Israel, and our Hearts, which took place on February 5, was a fun and educational experience. Nineteen women attended, representing Hadassah, Temple Kol Ami, and the Treetops community’s Shalom Club. We began with a guided meditation in which we likened ourselves to trees, firmly rooted, but flexible. We took turns reading from a Haggadah depicting the seven species of foods (wheat, barley, grapes, pomegranate, olives, figs, and dates) native to Israel, and discussed the health benefits of each. As in the Passover Seder, we drank four cups of wine, starting with white, and adding small amounts of red as the wine changed from the colors of winter white to brilliant autumn red. We sampled foods containing each of the seven species, including freshly baked challah, barley salad, date nut bread, and fig bars. It was a wonderful experiential and social event.

Thank you to our wonderful Mah Jongg card purchasers! Your love of the game and commitment to Hadassah helped us sell more than 375 cards, exceeding our event fundraising goal. Enjoy playing the new hands on the 2023 card.

The Short Story Discussion Group continues to read stories from the book “Scenes from a Village Life” by Amos Oz. On April 14, we will read In a Faraway Place at Another Time on page 255. On May 12, we will review the eight stories we have read and talk about how they relate to Israeli society, politics, and reality. Short Story Discussion Group meets at 11:45 a.m. on the second Friday of each month via Zoom.

Beverly’s Book Nook is back! Our April book is Dani Shapiro’s “Signal Fires,” a bittersweet love letter to the suburbs. This novel is a meditation on families — the secrets we keep, the hurts we don’t mean to inflict, and how those secrets and hurts play out over time. The discussion will be on Thursday, April 20, at 1:30 p.m., on Zoom. On May 19, we will discuss Dahlia Lithwick’s “Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America.”

Zoom with Hadassah BookTalk on Tuesday, April 18 (note date change) at 7 p.m. when we discuss “In Five Years” by Rebecca Serle. After nailing her job interview and accepting her boyfriend’s marriage proposal, type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan goes to sleep knowing she’s right on track to achieve her five-year plan. But when she wakes up, she’s in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, beside a very different man. It’s the same night, December 15, but five years in the future. “In Five Years” is a novel that reminds us of the power of friendship, loyalty, and the unpredictable nature of destiny. If you want to get a jump on your reading, our May 23 BookTalk selection is “The Last Rose of Shanghai” by Weina Dai Randel.

Helpful Hadassah Items

The next Hadassah Charlotte Metro Board meeting is Monday, April 17 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Learn about our chapter and join Hadassah. Contact Lori Trapani at the phone or email below or come to one of our events. We would love to meet you!

Our website, www.hadassahcltevents.org , has details and registration links for our events. If you have questions, suggestions, or need a Zoom link, email HadassahCLT@gmail.com or call our general phone number, (980) 553-1880. Your message will be forwarded promptly to the event coordinator.

Follow us on social media: Facebook (Hadassah CLT Metro), Instagram (Hadassah Charlotte Metro) and Twitter (@HadassahCLT).