Congregation B’Nai Israel will host a Seder via Zoom
WOONSOCKET — Members of Congregation B’Nai Israel will share a Passover Seder Sunday evening via Facebook as the local Jewish congregation continues its COVID-19 safe observances.
Cantor Jeff Cornblatt will host the Facebook-posted Seder from his home as he has done for other holidays during the pandemic, according to Peter Tedeschi, a Congregation B’Nai Israel board member. The event will be observed on the second night of Passover, which begins on Saturday and runs through next weekend.
Sunday’s online Seder will begin at 6 p.m. and should last about 30 minutes, Tedeschi said on Friday.
“Normally you just do it around the table at home with your family and people you invite over,” Tedeschi said of the annual Passover observance.
With the pandemic still underway, Tedeschi said Congregation B’Nai Israel decided to put on a virtual Seder in the same manner Hanukkah was broadcast on the Congregation’s Facebook page, facebook. com/shalom.cbi., last December. The evening’s service can be seen interactively on Zoom by invitation or through Facebook.
A traditional Seder features a meal and a telling of the story of the Exodus from slavery in Egypt. It includes a
number of blessings and traditional songs and could last for several hours when a complete observance is followed. The observance calls upon the Jewish people to remember their suffering throughout history and the suffering of others, and for all to be thankful for what they have, Tedeschi said.
“Traditional prayers include blessings over matzo, wine or grape juice, greens which are dipped in salt water to remind of us of our tears, and haroset (grated apples, nuts, and honey, though recipes vary) to remind us of the mortar the Israelites used to make bricks,” Tedeschi explained.
“Passover is a time to remember to heal the world, and to find joy and laughter while doing it. That’s especially needed this year.”
For Sunday’s online offering, Tedeschi said a simplified Seder ceremony was put together that will focus on the key traditions of Passover in light of the online format.
The Seder will be in English for the most part, with some prayers in Hebrew, and it will require participants to set their own Seder table at home to enjoy the traditional meal with their family members and guests, according to Tedeschi.
The traditional book used throughout the meal that tells the Passover story and includes the prayers and songs is called a Haggadah, Tedeschi said. For Sunday’s Seder, the local synagogue has created a short, 10-page PDF Haggadah that can be emailed those who request it. The Haggadah is free, and those who want to join can get a copy along with the Zoom connection numbers by emailing the synagogue at synagogue@cbi.necoxmail. com.
Congregation B’Nai Israel, Woonsocket’s only synagogue, serves all of northern Rhode Island and Southeastern/South Central Massachusetts.
The online Passover Seder is a free event, Tedeschi said, but donations to Congregation B’Nai Israel can be given through the synagogue’s Facebook page at facebook. com/shalom.cbi.
Congregation B’Nai Israel continues to offer COVID-19 safe weekly services as it has throughout the pandemic, Tedeschi noted. Cantor Cornblatt conducts services in the synagogue, which are videotaped and posted on Zoom and the Congregation’s Facebook page.
For now, there are no publicly attended services at Congregation B’Nai Israel, given the continuing COVID-19 limitations on large gatherings required by the state.
“I don’t think anyone has made a decision on not doing services virtually,” Tedeschi said. That is not likely to change until more people have the opportunity to be vaccinated against COVID-19, he added.