Congregations’ Tables Blend Familiar, New

Across Orange County beginning tonight, in meeting halls, restaurants and country clubs, Jews will gather to celebrate in large groups what traditionally has been a family occasion held in the home--the Passover Seder.

So-called community Seders are made necessary by modern life, rabbis say. Families live farther apart, and people often can’t gather in the home of a relative.

“Maybe they don’t have close relatives, maybe they’re new to the area, or maybe they’re not part of any religious organization,” said Rabbi Allen Krause of Temple Beth El in Aliso Viejo, who expects to draw 180 people to his community Seder on Thursday, the second night of Passover.

“But more of them come because they know people from the synagogue and it’s like an extended family for them,” he said. “And I wouldn’t underestimate the importance of this: Community Seder means you don’t have to spend all day cooking.”

At Heritage Pointe, a Jewish nursing home in Mission Viejo, fellow residents become like family, often because of separation from loved ones.

“I feel loneliness enters into anyone who is alone, especially in the elderly,” said Renee Leger, the home’s administrator. “But this is a happy holiday, and this is a time for family to gather and share the meal and the service which we provide for them.”

Most celebrations around Orange County are traditional, drawing together congregation members for a meal and rituals intended to remind Jews of their liberation from the Egyptians thousands of years ago.

For a few, however, the Seder also marks a more personal liberation of the spirit and a broadening of the idea of family. Rabbi Moshe Halfon of Am Or Olam, a fledgling 30-member congregation in Garden Grove, is teaming up with Rev. Margie Clark of the Church of Religious Science in Seal Beach to hold Seder in a Christian church for both congregations.

It is a traditional Seder ceremony--except for the Kosher-prepared, Moroccan vegetarian dinner. And the dancing. And the drums.

“This is Judaism you can rock to,” said Halfon, who believes in celebrating religion with music and dancing, and whose new Jewish Renewal movement embraces the traditions of Hasidic Judaism from a liberal perspective that welcomes believers of all backgrounds and lifestyles.

Practical reasons first drew the group together: the rabbi needed a place to hold Seder, the reverend had one. But religious similarities helped cement their bond.

“We want to come together in love and celebration.” said Clark. “That’s really not tolerance. It’s beyond tolerance. It’s about opening our hearts to one another.”