Dear friends,
Happy Pesach/Passover to all who are celebrating! I’m honored to have a new piece, “On Pesach, She” published today by TC Jewfolk. It’s a lyric essay about my grandmother, my mother and me. I hope you’ll take a look and enjoy the read, and/or share the piece with anyone with whom you think it might resonate.
I’ve been busy preparing our house for Passover and cooking for our seder (of 14). With a few hours to go, I’m in “good shape,” with only the haroset and the salt water left to make. And although it’s a busy week, I’ve also managed to get in a bit of writing, reading and exercise, hooray!
Here are a few more things of interest for your reading/learning pleasure:
The new issue of JewishFiction.net is out, including three Passover stories. I especially enjoyed “The Passing of Passover” (an excerpt of a novel by Varda Hurvitz) and Julie Wiener’s “Leaving Egypt” which isn’t really about Passover but anyone who spent a year or semester abroad in Israel might enjoy.
“The Hole in the Hagaddah” - Haim Watzman’s annual dvar Torah for Pesach in memory of his son Niot z”l.
Of course, if you haven’t read “A Strong Hand and an Outstretched Arm” - the opening story of The Book of Jeremiah - there’s a memorable Passover scene in there, and I’d be delighted for you to read the story (or the whole book)!
Which haggadot do you use at your seder? If you don’t already have it, I’ll recommend The Schechter Haggadah, which presents a fascinating discussion and analysis of the historical development of each aspect of the Seder. (Full disclosure, the commentary is written by my husband Joshua Kulp :-). Along with the traditional Hebrew text and English commentary, The Schechter Haggadah is adorned with over 100 illuminations from Haggadot from the medieval and modern periods edited by Professor David Golinkin. We’ll also be using a variety of other haggadot, plus a new one, Pictures Tell, (photos by Zion Ozeri, edited by my old camp buddy Josh Feinberg) which arrived yesterday.
In case you missed it: Immediately after Passover, Sunday April 24 (at 20:00 IL time, 1 pm ET) is Literary Modiin’s next author event, featuring Omer Friedlander (The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land), Rutu Modan (Tunnels), and Patrick Hicks (In the Shadow of Dora). Register here!
Recipes: This won’t help you for your seder, unless you’re a last-minute kind of person, but I’ve just updated my Pesach cookbook with additional recipes I’ve shared in this newsletter.
Thank yous: I wrote On Pesach, She about a year ago in a workshop with Kathy Fish, flash writer/teacher extraordinaire, and saw the call for submissions thanks to Erika Dreifus. (PS If you’re a writer, you’ll want to subscribe to both of their newsletters)!
I’ll leave you with some pretty purple pre-Pesach pics, snapped in the last week.
Wishing you and yours a very happy Passover. חג שמח!
Julie
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