Kudos to Members of Ve'Ahavta & Habonim

Lively and lavish Passover Seder helps 130 of city's marginalized
All leave with donated food and clothing and `reminder that freedom is possible'
April 04, 2007
Michele Henry
Staff Reporter

Ron Gallant was following orders.

He broke a sheet of matzo into two pieces, put half on his plate and the other he folded into a napkin.

"I'm hiding this ... thing," he said, trying hard to remember what the ceremony leader called that second half of flat, yeastless bread.

While he didn't know exactly what was going on at this point in the Seder – adults were hiding the "afikoman" for children to hunt in order to win a prize – Gallant, 55, was having a great time at the Jewish ceremonial meal.

Retired, living on disability, and grateful for the lavish supper, he was thrilled to be able to take part.

Gallant joined more than 130 of this city's marginalized residents yesterday as they gathered at Congregation Habonim, a small synagogue in mid-Toronto, to take part in an annual Jewish tradition – a Passover Seder.

"It's great," he said, from one of 15 large round tables, crammed with all the Passover requirements. "It's an interracial, intercultural affair. We all have the same God, right?"

Organized by Ve'Ahavta, a Jewish aid organization, and Habonim, this Seder was a lively affair.

The traditional meal kicks off the week-long holiday of Passover, which commemorates the Jews' exodus from slavery in Egypt.

Wearing buttons that read "from slavery to freedom from strangers to friends," more than 40 volunteers packed the auditorium, some carrying trays of kosher food, others playing ambient music.

All were intent on making sure the guests, who came to this eighth annual event from a variety of aid organizations, were well taken care of.

That's the spirit of Passover, explained Naomi Levitz, a social worker and co-ordinator of the Seder.

"The Haggadah says all who are hungry shall come and eat," she says, explaining that the Haggadah is a ceremonial guidebook read during the meal.

Each table is covered by such books – volunteers wrote a special abridged version for this ceremony, which includes explanations of traditions, prayers and Passover symbols.

Achol Dor, a native of Sudan, said it helped her figure out why there were items such as an egg at the table.

It symbolizes rebirth, she said. "I love to know this cultural stuff."

Generosity and inclusion are built into the Passover ceremony, Levitz says, explaining why this event is vital to the city.

Passover is about bringing together family, she said. "We're just using a broader definition of family."

It was clear volunteers had put their hearts into this Seder, which drew thousands of dollars of donations, in money and food, including brisket and 500 meatballs.

Lily Gans brought her grandchildren to the Seder because they couldn't be with their entire family this year.

"I enjoy the atmosphere," she said. "They really know the meaning of charity."

Coordinators overlooked no detail, including gifts of food and clothes for all the guests to take home.

The walls were covered with silky blue swaths of fabric to look like waves, then covered with cardboard silhouettes of people to make participants feel like they were eating inside the parted Red Sea.

The Bible says God parted the sea to allow the escaping Jews to run through to freedom.

"For so many of our guests, life has been chaotic for so long," Levitz says. "We hope this night is a reminder that freedom is possible."