In this
together
┃
Judaism teaches us to care for the vulnerable among us, to acknowledge our interconnectedness, and to recognize that we are each responsible for one another. We stand in solidarity with you, our L.A. community, and our global society during these moments of physical distancing, civic change, and great uncertainty.
Passover* has always encouraged us to reframe ancient rituals in modern contexts, and it arrives this year as we suddenly must reframe our everyday rituals in brand-new contexts. For five years, NuRoots has reimagined the holiday as Collective Escape, a weeklong festival of in-person experiences; this year, we’re taking it online, bringing you creative resources, live gatherings, and new tools to reimagine, share, and participate in Passover—wherever you are.
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COLLECTIVE ESCAPE 2020
Passover resources
Dive into podcast stories of resilience. Learn how to make homemade matzah. Find—or host!—a virtual seder. Create your own haggadah. Discover timely ways to show up—for yourself, your family, your friends, and further.
Live gatherings
As always, we look to our community for inspiration and creativity. While we can't gather in-person this year, join us at our co-created virtual experiences to connect and explore the possibility of Passover—from online workshops and readings to live workout classes and NuMoon circles.
Four questions,*
reframed
1. RESHAPE
REIMAGINING PASSOVER
Why do we eat matzah? It’s a symbol of both our slavery and our liberation from Egypt—encouraging us to reshape and reclaim our own narrative.
2. RESIST
PEOPLE HAVE the POWER
Why do we eat bitter herbs? They remind us of the pain of slavery, and the responsibility, action, and community needed to protect and strengthen all oppressed people.
3. REPAIR
HEALING and RITUAL
Why do we dip twice? This marks the beginning and end of our time in Egypt—a symbol of the healing power of narrative and ritual.
4. REVIVE
BLOOM or BUST
Why do we lean to the left? It’s a symbol of freedom and the Shechinah (the female divine presence), and an invitation to revive lost traditions and connect with our deeper selves.
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*Passover?
Passover (pesach, in Hebrew) is considered one of the three most important festivals in the Jewish tradition. Also known as chag ha’aviv (“holiday of the spring”) and z'man cheruteinu (“time of our freedom”), the festival commemorates the exodus of Jews from slavery in ancient Egypt and connects their deliverance to the reviving symbolism of spring.
During the holiday, it’s customary to retell the story of the exodus: God cast ten plagues upon the Egyptians—water turned to blood, hailstorms and locusts descended, and Egyptian firstborn children died—in order to encourage them to free the enslaved Israelites. According to the story, God “passed over” Israelites’ homes during the tenth plague—hence the name of the holiday. Ultimately, Moses led the Israelites through a split Red Sea and wandered through the desert for forty years to freedom in the land of Israel.
It’s also customary to move beyond the literal story and into the wisdom of the holiday—redemption, resilience, community, regrowth.
Passover 2020 starts on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which falls on the evening of Wednesday, April 8 this year. Traditionally, seders take place on the first two evenings of the festival, which ends this year on the evening of Thursday, April 16.
*Four questions?
Collective Escape 2020 is a creative response to the Four Questions—also known as ma nishtanah—which are featured in the Passover Haggadah (the seder guide) and traditionally recited at the seder by the youngest person at the table. What are they? In summary: Why do we eat this dry matzah stuff? Do I really need to eat the funky bitter herbs? What’s up with the double-dipping? What’s going on with leaning to the left at the dinner table? And what does any of this have to do with us today? Check out our Collective Escape resources and live gatherings to see how we’ve reimagined these questions.
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An initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, NuRoots mobilizes Angelenos in their twenties and thirties to build meaningful communities across L.A. In collaboration with community members and inspired by Jewish culture, wisdom, and values, NuRoots brings people together to reimagine Jewish life.
Connecting with us
What do you need right now? How are you finding meaning, connection, and belonging at home? Who's your community in this moment of physical distancing? Wherever, however, and whoever you are, the NuRoots team would love to meet you, connect you, and inspire you. Let's start with a virtual cup of coffee. Reach out here.
Photographs by Shunsuke Shiinoki
Flowers by Azuma Makoto