Passover, Holy Week celebrants embrace virtual services
HAVERFORD » Welcome to the Virtual Holidays! With Gov. Tom Wolf’s restriction on social gathering during the Coronavirus pandemic, people across the region have been forced to hold family celebrations apart … but together on the Internet.
One popular method this Passover, which began Wednesday evening with the traditional Seder meal, was using the meeting app Zoom. The program allows multiple people to see each other and interact in real time on their computer screens.
“I thought it was really fun. We wouldn’t have all been able to get together had it not been virtually,” said Jen Singer of Havertown, who took part with her husband, Todd, and their 11-year-old son Elliott. Fifteen family members and friends connected from three states and Washington. D.C. “Elliott, as the youngest, got to ask the four questions.”
The four questions provide the impetus for the celebrfation, explaining why this night is different from all other nights.
“It was interesting being able to celebrate Passover with people from all over the country,” said Todd Singer. “Relatives that you have not seen in a long time, it was very nice to see them. The virtual Seder was very interesting, but I’d say that’s a sign of the times. Perhaps more people will do it in the future with farflung friends and family. It’s what you have to do in the coronavirus environment.”
Two family members taking part in the virtual Seder had suffered from COVID-19 themselves.
“They’ve recovered. They had temperature spikes and self-quarantined, but didn’t have serious cases,” Singer said. “We aren’t sure where they were infected.”
During a normal year, Marc Baron and his family would gather together at his parents’ (Allan and Sharon Baron’s) home in Nether Providence, but this year nine families came together, all on Zoom.
“It was very successful,” said Baron. “Fortunately, we live in an age which allows us to do this and allows us to do it remotely.” Each family made their own meal. Then they partook of the Passover services together, according to tradition. Baron, who is a nurse working in Delaware County, reminded everyone to continue sheltering in place, to wear masks in public and to social distance.
With her family unable to come together, Beth Cope considered not holding a Seder this year. Something her Rabbi, Peter Rigler of Temple Sholom in Broomall, said helped her change her mind. “Even though we are in the middle of this, this is not a reason not to have a Seder. The Jews have have suffered so much - floods, plagues. We’re in a plague, you’ve got to do this,” he said.
Cope said that it is the first time in more than 50 years that her extended family had not been together for Passover. Her mother Rochelle Schneider is living at an assisted living residence in New Jersey and a sister is living in New York City and is very stressed.
The Temple disseminated a video with the Rabbi and Cantor Jamie Marx walking attendees through the Seder. The 30-minute video allowed families to start and stop it as necessary.
“It was just a way for us to still observe the traditions,” said Cope, who took part with her husband, Kevin, and daughters Eliana,16, and Laney,14. “We put on the video and sang along and prayed along and that was that.”
“It was joyous. I might not have done it without the video,” she said. “My husband is Christian and doesn’t know all the traditions. This was a way for us to have a Seder and guidance without the other family members there. It was really nice. It felt special, the singing, it felt like you had a spiritual experience.”
For Christians, many area churches also are holding live-streamed Holy Week services.
For Catholics, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will stream services throughout Holy week including: Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:30 p.m.; Good Friday Celebration of the Passion at 3 p.m.; Holy Saturday Mass at 8 p.m.; and on Sunday, Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez will be the celebrant at Easter Sunday Mass at 11 a.m. It will be streamed live on the Archdiocese website http://archphila.org as well as on the Archdiocese Facebook