Seder Celebrates Jewish History While Forging Contemporary Community Spirit

More than 130 people, including existing members and new friends, gathered recently to celebrate the Jewish people's freedom from slavery, at the annual Shir Hadash Second Night Community Seder, held at Our Lady of the Brook Parish in Northbrook.

Led by guitar playing Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow and his son, Ayal, the celebration was designed to provide participants with an accessible explanation of the Passover holiday, which celebrates the Jewish people's exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt.

Prayers and song lyrics were projected onto a screen as participants followed along with the help of a bouncing Shir Hadash logo, and volunteers asked the traditional four questions in different languages, including Klingon.

A contemporary version of the ancient story of how Moses led the Jews out of Egypt was put on in the form of a skit by “actors” drawn from the membership.

The seder included Passover foods from Ashkenazi (Jews of Eastern Europe) and Sepharadi (Jews of Spain, North Africa and the Middle East) traditions.

And Father Tom Moran and Deacon Peery Duderstadt presented Weiner-Kaplow with a gift for the synagogue's new home: a framed lithograph by Israeli artist Raphael Abecassis.

The celebration held a special significance for Shir Hadash, which recently acquired its first building, an existing structure at 200 W. Dundee Road, Wheeling, after 18 years in rented facilities.

Michael Herman, of Wheeling, was among the many non-affiliated people who attended the seder. He said that since he has no immediate family, he attended with a close friend. “I'm enjoying it,” he said. “It’s nice to have a service and enjoy the people.”

Shir Hadash attracts members from Northbrook, Glenview, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wheeling, Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights and Palatine as well as Chicago, Skokie, Park Ridge, Barrington and Gurnee. For more information, visit www.shir-hadash.org.