Born out of the desire expressed by residents and thanks to their collaboration with teammates, Presbyterian Village North (PVN) held its first interfaith Passover Seder in the Reflections dining room on the evening of Tuesday, April 11, 2023. Passover or Festival of Freedom, commemorates the Exodus of the Jews from the slavery of ancient Egypt. Its celebration includes a festive meal, called the Seder.
Because this was the first Seder (meaning order) for many attendees, Lisa Englander, Director of Resident Services, began the evening with a welcome and outlined the plan for the celebration. Residents Elizabeth Ritz and Cynthia Logan explained the “Haggadah” (meaning Passover guide) to help attendees follow along with the ceremony. As is customary at the beginning of the Seder, three pieces of Matzah were placed under a special cover. The middle Matzah was broken into two pieces and one piece, called the “afikomen,” (meaning dessert) was hidden. Elizabeth and Cynthia continued leading the group through the rituals in the Haggadah. Throughout the evening, residents Nicky Bell (vocalist) and Jane Aten (violist) treated the crowd to several traditional Passover songs. After everyone partook of the symbolic foods and shared in ceremonial readings, Libby Greer, granddaughter of resident Nancy Greer, followed the tradition of searching for the afikomen. Once she found it, she was awarded a special gift.
“It was such an honor to get to experience this event as the guest of one of our residents. It was one of the neatest experiences I’ve ever had,” said Shannon Radford, Director of Wellness.
Acknowledgements and appreciation are extended to each resident and teammates who led and supported this event. A special thanks is given to Chef Kevin Neff and Savannah Rogers, Director of Culinary Services, for their collaboration on the menu, which played a big part in the festivities.
The Passover Seder has more rituals associated with it than any other symbolic meal in Judaism and PVN is excited to share more of these traditions with its residents and teammates. Click here to read more about Passover and traditional Seders.
