Tag Archives: jewish

Holiday/Festival – Jewish

Nationality: Jewsih
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: March 2, 2008
Primary Language: English

Matzoh bread is a crisp, flat, and unleavened bread that Jews eat during an eight-day period.  Made not to rise, Matzoh commemorates the bread eaten by the Jews when they fled Egypt to escape the suffering of slavery.  To remember this important event no leavened bread is to be eaten or kept in the household.  Along with eating Matzoh during the holiday there are many other customs that go along with Passover, such as Afikomen.  Afikomen is a ritual, which consists of parents hiding a piece of Matzoh bread somewhere in the house for all of the kids to try and find.  The first one to find it is rewarded with some type of gift.  Jason says that his family participated in these traditions for his entire life and they take them very seriously.  Passover, although not considered one of the high holidays, is very important to the Jewish faith.

Jason said that his first memory of Passover as a child was of Matzoh bread and Afikomen.  While it was not until he was older that he fully understood the meaning of Passover as a child he was able to comprehend what Matzoh symbolized.  At about the age of five Jason’s grandmother explained to him that the reason for eating the flat bread was to remember the Jews that had escaped slavery from Egypt long ago.  She went on to explain that the flat Matzoh bread was the only food available to the Jews escaping Egypt, because they did not have enough time to allow the bread to rise before they had to leave there homes and flee the country.

While I have never experienced the holiday of Passover the meaning of Matzoh is easily understandable.  Not being able to eat leavened bread is an example of how the Jews sacrifice a food that we take for-granted to show their appreciation to those who suffered for their wellbeing.  It is symbol of making a small sacrifice in your daily life to remember and appreciate those who risked their lives escaping their lives as slaves in Egypt.

Although Afikomen is not preformed by all practicing Jews it is very popular among families with younger children.  The reason ritual is that most kids are still too young to understand the magnitude of such a meaningful celebration as Passover, but this game is a way to get them involved with the festivities.  While the meaning of Passover can be found in the Torah, the traditions and rituals of this holiday are instead past down from one generation to the next through example.  Jason went on to explain that he did not learn how to participate in Passover through the Torah, but by learning from his Rabbi and parents.

Herman, Debbie, Ann Koffsky, and Nancy Lane. More Than Matzah: a Passover Feast of Fun, Facts, and Activities. Barron’s Educational Series, 006.

Holiday Tradition – Jewish

Nationality: South African
Age: 22
Occupation: Student
Residence: San Diego, CA
Performance Date: April 19, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Hebrew

“For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind” (Emerson).

The Jewish holiday of Passover tells the story of how the Jewish slaves escaped from Egypt. They were in such a hurry to leave and escape their enslavement that their bread was unable to rise. As a result they had unleavened bread. It has become a tradition that when Passover comes around each year the Jewish people not only recite the Passover story but also do not eat leavened bread for eight days in commemoration of the exodus from Egypt. The product that it is eaten in lieu of bread is termed matzah. This unleavened product is also eaten at the Jewish Seder. Seder is a Hebrew word which translated in English means order as the night follows a specific order and is repeated in this order in all households. Towards the finalization of the night the matzah is hidden and the young children will vehemently rummage through the house to try and find it. A small gift is then given to the person who finds the hidden matzah. Depending on the family the gift can range from a monetary reward to simply a verbal congratulatory remark.

There are no people under the age of thirteen (bar mitzvah) at the Seders that I attend and as a result everyone is considered an adult. Since there is no one of the correct age left to search for the matzah a new tradition has been started in my family. Each person is given a type of “matzah sandwich”. Instead of a filling being placed in between the two matzah pieces, a significant quote is placed inside. Although these quotes have nothing to do particularly with the Jewish religion, they are selected with the sole purpose of making us reflect on our lives and find the connections with the Passover Seder.

My sister, Megan Lichter began this tradition a few years ago and since then it has become a standard part of the Passover evening. She wanted to find a way to have all people involved. Not everyone that attends our Seders is a practicing Jew and there are even a few people that attend that have no affiliation to Judaism at all. As a result these secular quotes can be understood by all attendees of the Seder. Although the quotes are carefully selected to relate is some way to the Passover story, people will interpret the connection in varying ways regardless of their religious connection.

The quote featured above by Emerson was a quote that was included in the matzah sandwiches this year. Upon discussion the group came to the conclusion that instead of living life with anger and regret, one should embrace each moment. It is similar to the idea of “living each moment as if it was your last”. We only have a minimal amount of time to live and therefore one should not waste the precious moments with anger. My sister, Megan found it to have a relation to Passover in that we were an enslaved population for many years. This holiday is about remembering but it also embraces our freedom. We should utilize and live each moment as we are so blessed to be given freedoms. I agree with her analysis as it logical and has a legitimate connection to the Passover Seder.

Annotation: For more information one can read the Haggadah by Moshe Lazar. Matzah is mentioned throughout the entirety of the Haggadah.

Lazar, Moshe. Ladino, Passover, Haggadah. Los Angeles, 2006.

Recipe – USA

Nationality: American
Age: 52
Occupation: Real Estate Developer
Residence: New York, NY
Performance Date: February 20, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Hebrew, Chinese, Russian

Recipe—USA

“Matzah Brie”
Philip informed me that he first learned the recipe for Matzah Brie during Passover, a Jewish holiday that takes place on the 15th day of Nisan (from the Hebrew Calendar), and celebrates the Jews’ exodus from slavery in Egypt.  As the story goes, the Jews were in such a hurry to leave that they had no time to wait for their bread to rise and were forced to eat unleavened bread.  As a result, Jews are not allowed to consume leavened bread, yeast, flour, or grain for one week.  Matzah, the cracker like unleavened bread that Jews eat during this week is dry and has virtually no taste.  As a result, Jews have been coming up with different recipes and ways to mix and experiment with it for several years.  One such creation consisting of matzah is known as “Matzah Brie,” or the “kosher for Passover” French toast to some (something that is “Kosher for Passover” is ok to eat during the holiday).  The creation has no definite recipe, but generally is made with matzah soaked in eggs, just like French toast.  Philip however, has added his own ingredients to the already folk recipe to create his own “Matzah Brie.”  He begins by mashing the matzah up into small pieces.  He then soaks the matzah in beaten eggs (the number of eggs depends on the amount of matzah used, which depends on the number of people he is cooking for).  Then he adds 3 different types of cheese; American, Swiss, and Cheddar, as well as chopped tomato, onion, garlic, and mushrooms.  After he lets this stand for 5 minutes, he puts it all into a frying pan and slowly adds butter as everything cooks.  He cooks the food for about 10 minutes, until everything is hot, and then serves.  Fortunately for those who don’t like vegetables and cheese, he has devised different ways of altering the recipe  One such way is to follow the more traditional, “French toast” type, in which he doesn’t add cheese or vegetables, but instead substitutes sugar, a bit of honey, and then after cooked, some powdered sugar.  This obviously has a much sweeter taste and can be served with either jam or syrup.  Then there’s another way that he makes it, “with an Asian twist to it” as he states.  This way, he doesn’t add cheese, but does add the vegetables of his choosing.  Instead of adding butter, he adds soy sauce, and scallions as he lets the dish cook in the pan.

Philip first learned this recipe on Passover when he was in his early twenties.  His mother was a terrific cook, and had all sorts of recipes for special dishes on Jewish holidays.  She showed him “Matzah Brie” when he was hungry and looking for something to eat one Passover.  She also described, in detail, the different ways that the dish could be cooked and prepared, and as a result, he was able to devise the three different ways of making it.  This dish is a great example of folklore because while there are published recipes for “Matzah Brie,” on the website “My Jewish Learning” for example, no one knows where the original recipe came from.  Furthermore, it has certainly evolved as it has been passed down from generation to generation, Philip recalls that his mother learned it from her mother, and this pattern likely continued as mothers and fathers passed down the recipe to their children on Passover.  As years have gone by, the recipe has certainly evolved and improved in different ways to the liking of those who cook and eat it.

Mason, Lee.  “Matzah Brie” My Jewish Learning.com. 2005
http://myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Passover/TO_Pesach_Home/Passover_Foods
/Matzah_Brei.htm.