I know that Pesach is the holiday of Freedom; however the week of Pesach in particular does not on the surface seem freeing to me. As the main cook and bootle washer at my house the week of Pesach highlights to me how dependent my family (read ME) is on restaurants, pre-prepared and packaged food. We usually eat out as a family a few meals a week. Then there are the stops at our favorite kosher restaurants, which for us is like going into the Cheers Bar...everyone knows our names at these establishments.
I suppose you could say that Pesach frees me of this food dependence and I am forced to cook and create new dishes not just for Seder but the whole week. I do think about each meal, who will eat it, how will we transport the food if we are at work/school? We are fortunate enough to live in an area where my local grocery stores sell ready made Charoset, which I would never buy because the way I make it is the best!
Last year I was in Israel for Pesach and most of our meals served Kitniyot and it was a change for me.
(Kitniyot, (
Hebrew:
קִטְנִיּוֹת ,קיטניות,
qit'niyyot) (
legumes) is a category of foods that may not be eaten during
Passover by Jews following traditional
Ashkenazi laws and customs. Long-standing tradition in other communities and recent rulings have given support in certain cases for variation from this practice. Kitniyot are grains and legumes such as rice, corn, soy beans, string beans, peas, lentils, mustard, sesame seeds and poppy seeds)
 |
| There is already a Kitniyot Liberation Front |
The week of not eating Chamatz but eating kitniyot seemed to go by much faster. Granted I did not have to cook ANY meals last year so perhaps this is why the week went faster but just the options of food seemed tastier to me. I think I might start a family revolt for Kitniyot. I know I will be happier and I think my family will be too. It is healthier for vegetarians as soy and other proteins are allowed. Last year in Israel it also meant we could eat falafel and hummus. So I am seriously thinning about adding Kitniyot because that would be freedom.
I believe in Religion and I like practicing it at Lakeside. Our school is literally my business and I am passionate about Religious and Hebrew school. Many times prospective members call me and ask if I think that it is OK to start school in let's say 3rd grade. I always tell them you are talking to the wrong person. I am paid to be the Director of Education and I BELIEVE all students should begin in Kindergarten after they have attended a Jewish pre-school. Funny you can find a Jewish pre-school center at Lakeside as well. 
Last week, the National Association of Temple Educators, NATE, had their yearly annual gathering in Northbrook, Illinois. Some of you maybe asking: "What did you do? What did you study?" Others may be asking themselves, "What did I miss?" Our conference, "Inspiring Innovation in Israel Education" was a collaborative effort with the ICenter for Israel Education, We spent an intensive 48 hours together, studying with national scholars, skyping with scholars in Israel and singing with an Israeli musician Moshe Bonin. We all enjoyed singing Hebrew songs of the 1970's. I was the first to admit that I sang the songs of the '70's IN THE '70's. 
Emanuel told us about the 10 Commandments of the Hutus which after you see them you will see why I am sure they are crafted after the Nuremberg laws. I never knew how much the genocide in Rwanda reminded me of the Holocaust. The Hutu's also tried to show that the Tutsi's were physically different. We saw pictures of a Tutsi man's nose being measured to show he was Tutsi and not a Hutu. It looked like this picture came from 1940 Germany and not 1990 Rwanda. It is hard to believe in an era of technology and 24 hour news services that 1 million Tutsi's were killed within 100 days. It deeply saddens me that the world stood by. It reminds me that we must always act; even if acting is not an easy task.
