Why is this year different from all other years? To start with, the Seder will be happening over Zoom.
of Jewish holidays, Passover would have to be seeded high. I know it’s tops for me. What’s not to like? The collective telling of a pretty wild story; free afikomen money when I was a kid; singing; intimidating quantities of food; four compulsory glasses of wine. Flourless chocolate cake that sits like a brick in the stomach. Yes, there’s matzoh, but layer on enough charoset or chicken liver with a little horseradish and you can’t even taste it, baruch Hashem.
Then, about a week ago, he sent a message to our immediate family’s text group, “Fam Jam” . “Hi all — what would you think about a virtual Seder? I could set us up with Zoom.” Fam Jam responded enthusiastically. “Yes!!” I said. My brother sent a thumbs-up emoji. The usual silence emanated from my teenage sister, which we took for assent.Thus was born Digital Pesach 2020, our small foray into tech disruption. It won’t be the same as what we’re used to, or even recognizable.
I’m no stranger to an improvised holiday. I’ve been unable to make it home for Passover a couple of times before, for reasons of work or expense. Once, when I lived in Seattle, a Jewish friend and I hosted a mini Seder for a group that contained zero Jews. They were good sports, but grew restive 15 minutes in, thumbing through their photocopied Haggadot.
That’s the sense I got from a lot of folks: other priorities. Now that obtaining even basic, life-sustaining goods and services has become a trial, the complexity of enacting this religious tradition, which requires, frankly, a great deal of accoutrement, feels prohibitive. Even in a vacuum of activity to fill, many choose the soothing, passive engagement of television. Three seasons into a series rewatch ofBut not everyone I spoke to was so nonchalant.
Those farther from their families face a keener solitude, especially if they live alone. My friend Ashley Thomas, a legal assistant who also lives in Nashville, grew up belonging to a tight-knit Orthodox synagogue in her home town of Memphis. Though she’s become much less observant and moved away, Ashley maintains a connection to that temple, which her parents and extended family still attend. She isn’t sure what she’ll do for Passover, but knows she won’t be making the drive to Memphis.
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