Radical Seder: 5 Minute Recap
Content warning: Retelling stories of slavery, plagues, and liberation.
The Radical Seder is Elsewhere’s annual celebration of Passover, the Jewish ritual retelling the ancient tale of slavery, plagues, and liberation from the Book of Exodus (Shemot). As a contemporary adaptation, the event mixes old traditions with Elsewhere’s Jewish legacy, social justice texts, and museum art-ifacts to build a narrative relevant for today.
In the wake of COVID-19, the 9th annual event titled Pesach for a Digital Diaspora was hosted via Facebook Live by Zach Whitworth, currently Elsewhere’s sole occupant! Zach and guests walked through a reinterpretation of the classic story on a guided digital tour across the museum’s three floors.
Zach’s Haggadah (Seder storybook) is now available to follow along at home.
OPTIONAL: If you would like to have a seder plate at home to follow along the components are as follows. (These are primarily symbolic, and we are using what we have on hand.)
- Red wine or juice (We are using wine)
- A bitter herb (We are using pickled kale)
- A spring vegetable & salt water (We are using pickled celery)
- A fruit paste or fruit/nut/wine blend (We are using applesauce)
- An egg (We are using a plastic egg)
- A bone (We are using a toy lamb)
It is also customary to place a cushion or small pillow on your chair for added comfort during the seder.
Elsewhere hosted the 8th annual evening of traditional foods with an untraditional telling of the Passover story across the museum’s three floors. Elsewhere’s Seder connects Jewish liberation with historic and contemporary liberation texts.
Unlike other Seders, we explore the story of Jewish liberation alongside others’ liberation. Excerpts include Marsha P. Johnson, bell hooks, David Wojnarowicz, Baal Shem Tov, Malcolm X, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Susannah Heschel among others. Like all other Seders, ours is a retelling of history, a performance of senses, and a meal made and shared with friends.
