My son Brian and I gathered together 8 friends on Saturday at sundown to begin the ancient ritual and celebration of Passover. Our eclectic seder was begun many years ago by our friend Mickie Singer Werner, who gathered many friends, Jewish and non, to celebrate the beautiful and moving ceremonial meal each year. When she moved to York, Pennsylvania, she asked Brian and I to continue it. And so we have, with friends from many belief systems, from many levels of our city, and every demographic available.
There was one real difference this year – with Brian’s City Council campaign going at top speed – we just did not have time to shop for and prepare all those wonderful ritual dishes – matzoh ball soup, all those baked eggs, all that cooking, and finding everything for the seder plate – the horseradish, parsley, the horases, the lamb bone – which is usually, for us, a beautiful long seashell. So this year, I googled vegetarian seder caterer. And found one! Out of Thyme in Montgomery, with Chef Jaime. It was a wonderful meal, with excellent dishes, and even a tiny cup of salt water to dip the greens in.
And once again, as we have over so many years, we each took turns reading the hand-written Haggadah Mickie wrote all those years ago, and we all fled with those Jewish refugees out of Egypt into their future. Next year in Jerusalem!