I'm my own little Jew

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Happy Passover!

I managed to find a Passover Seder held by the Chabbad of Greece in Athens. It turned out that a decent number of CYA students were heading to the Seder, so I walked over with three other girls. We weren't entirely sure of where we were going. When we stopped at the metro station to look at the map, a family from the States asked us if we were going to the Seder. We replied in the affirmative and they joined us in the search for the right hotel. It took a little bit of time, but we didn't get too turned around before we found it.

It was really nice. There were over 100 people at the Seder. For the most part it was very similar to the Seders I have been to in the States. It was particularly fun because there were so many international people at the Seder. The Seder was held in a combination of Greek, English, and Hebrew, along with a few smaller dialects. For all the big things, we heard instructions in Greek and English and said prayers in Hebrew. Then, as we went around the room telling the story of Passover, everyone spoke in the language of their preference. It made it a little harder to follow along, but it was very interesting. I sat at a table with three other girls from my program and six people from Israel. It seemed silly to me to not be in the Promised Land for Passover when that is where you are from anyway...

The Seder, as I said, was fairly similar to the Seders I am used to. It was strange because it was hard to know what we were doing when because of the multitude of languages. There might not have been any charoset, but more likely it was just mashed so well we thought at first it was bitter herbs (but it was kind of sweet, so I think it was really charoset). It was not, however, served with the meal. I learned that there is a tradition in this region of boiling the eggs with beans which give them a reddish look. They tasted the same as any other egg, just a different color, which was cool. And we were served lamb as the main dish, though I suppose this is actually fairly traditional, just not something I have ever had before. Also, there was no matzah ball soup! 😞 We did have some of the best kosher for Passover wine I have ever tasted, though.

At the end of the service we sang Chad Gadya. They the song sheets in English and in Greek transliteration. It was a lot of fun for Arianne and I to try and follow the Greek transliteration of Hebrew...

Finally we began the journey home. The metros were closed (the Seder wasn't over until 12:30am) and the buses were also no longer running. We eventually managed to find a taxi, which was really cheap, and made it back in one piece, though we weren't home until after 1:30!

I do believe I managed to get a bit confused at some point though. Isn't Passover the celebration of the Exodus from Egypt? Then why do I leave tonight to GO to Egypt?

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Comments

[Sarah]

Happy Pesach, Denz! I'm so glad that you had a chance to go to a seder. It's the little things that make a difference when you are away from home. And have a FABULOUS time in Egypt!!! I'm so jealous! Love, Sarah