Temple Beth El Blog

The Irwin A. & Robert D. Goodman Foundation was founded in 1963 by brothers Irwin and Robert Goodman. Since then, the Foundation’s philanthropic generosity has benefited the Jewish community of Madison and the greater Madison area. Temple Beth El and other Jewish agencies in Madison have received yearly grants to help offset operating expenses. The Foundation’s future giving will focus on philanthropic projects instead of providing yearly operational support. The grant support that TBE receives from the Foundation will end in 2023. When we received notice of this several years ago, we began to prepare for additional revenue sources, including the creation of the Dorot Society for planned giving. We thank the Goodman Foundation for the many years of grant funding and for the supplemental financial support received this past winter that will help us complete our sanctuary remodel.

The Alex and Edythe Edelman Memorial Fund, established in 1988 by Fred Edelman and Ivy Dreizin Edelman (z''l) to honor the memory of Fred’s parents, is dedicated to promote Jewish education at all levels. Alex and Edythe instilled the importance of education and Jewish identity in their sons, Fred and Robert.  A strong dedication to education propelled Alex Edelman to become a lawyer and Edythe Edelman an educator who also taught religious school. As children of immigrants, Alex and Edythe made education central to their lives and how they raised their sons. Ivy held these same values. She enjoyed studying languages and had deep knowledge of both Hebrew and Italian. Fred said she “was a bit of a Hebrew scholar.” She established a special bond with Cantor Niemi over Zoom while preparing to read Torah. Ivy and Fred’s commitment to sustaining Temple Beth El as a vital part of the Jewish community in Madison is evident in their generous support of TBE. Just before her passing, Ivy made a generous donation to the Alex and Edythe Edelman Memorial Fund. Fred  notes that this donation was something Ivy “could acknowledge while she was alive,” and it reflects a desire to see our community flourish.

In addition to this gift, Ivy was a member of our Dorot Society and listed Temple Beth El as a beneficiary of her trust upon her passing. We are so grateful for both of these donations to support TBE’s education programs and our shared values.

Finally, some good news on refugee admissions to the United States and for refugee resettlement efforts in Madison. On May 3, President Biden officially raised the refugee admissions cap for this fiscal year from an all-time low of 15,000 to 62,500.

HIAS is a Jewish community organization that support refugees and asylum-seekers around the world. Mark Hetfield, HIAS president and CEO, commended the Biden administration for taking this long-overdue action and acknowledging the vocal public support for refugee resettlement.

“No act is more American or more Jewish than welcoming the stranger,” he said. “We’re excited to see President Biden start to rebuild refugee resettlement. We know there are long months of work ahead to fully restore the resettlement program. As the Jewish refugee organization that has long been the U.S. government’s partner in refugee resettlement, HIAS and our network of partners across the country are ready and eager to help however we can.”

Locally, the refugee resettlement program for Jewish Social Services of Madison moved a family of four from Iraq into an apartment in early May, and a family of five from the Congo is expected to arrive mid-month. Said Sherie Sondel, who coordinates TBE’s refugee volunteers: “We hopefully will be receiving many more arrivals now. We look forward to meeting them and helping them settle into their new homes.”

To make donations of furniture and other household goods to the Resettlement Program please contact OpenDoorsDonations@gmail.com. If you would like to participate in the new JSS refugee mentorship program, see here. For more information, please contact Sherie Sondel.

Following a year of “racial reckoning,” TBE has begun a number of initiatives to help people on their journey toward understanding our own biases and the societal structures and history that perpetuate racism. One of these initiatives has been the use of a program developed in Madison called “Seven Guided Conversations on Race,” to engage Temple members in small-group discussions on race.

This spring two groups met for seven weeks to discuss topics such as “what is race?,” “how is whiteness a privilege?,” “why is racial representation important?,” and “understanding assumptions and stereotypes.” Prior to the meetings, members were asked to read a short text or view a brief video as a basis for our discussions. These materials were engaging, illuminating, and frequently entertaining. The groups were a safe, nonjudgmental place where people could express their thoughts and feelings candidly and share their experiences.

The goal was to increase our awareness of our own assumptions and biases, to increase our ability to view the world through a racial lens in order to help us better understand and empathize with people of color, and to be able to engage in conversations about race more effectively.

Members of both groups expressed significant appreciation for the materials and facilitated discussions, and our exploration and connections with each other definitely deepened over the seven weeks together. As one member commented, “The trust that was formed in our group allowed me to express feelings of regret in a way that I believe will help me do better in the future.”

Some challenging issues emerged from our dialogues, including the question of whether implicit biases can be significantly altered without close personal or professional relationships with people of a different race. Maybe the best that can be accomplished, some wondered, is to enhance conscious self-awareness of these natural and understandable biases in order to prevent acting on them in automatic, reflexive, and potentially harmful ways. However, we learned that we all have implicit biases that need to be examined compassionately and without judgment.

As one group member so eloquently summarized one of the lessons from the class materials, “It is imperative that we become conscious of our own biases and recognize the automatic reactivity of the fast brain (limbic system) so we can shift to more deliberate, rational pre-frontal cortex thinking in order to modulate our responses and hopefully prevent further racist injustice.” (Interested congregants may wish to take the Harvard Implicit Bias test themselves.)

Several group members also recognized the need to be aware of how language impacts our perceptions and that we make snap judgments based on the value judgments we attribute to people’s speech patterns. Another group member remarked that after completing this process, she “looks at herself with different eyes and is more aware of how others perceive her.”

For a group of well-educated, relatively “woke” individuals, it was surprising for many of us to not only acknowledge our white privilege but to recognize and openly disclose implicit biases of which we were previously unaware.

Hopefully, if this program is offered in the future, it will interest an even broader range of Temple members to further enhance possible conversations. Please contact Aleeza Hoffert if you think you might be interested, or contact Erica Serlin or Lynn Silverman to learn more about this program.

This period of uncertainty and isolation has been challenging, but it has also highlighted my personal privilege. I’ve been safe from COVID-19 because I’ve been able to stay at home. I have food on the table every night, an amazing education, and an even better support system.

However, many of us don’t have those privileges. Many individuals have not had the privilege of staying at home and have been forced to go into work in order to make a living. This pandemic is beyond ourselves as it is affecting every single human worldwide. We must come together to consider those that have less than us. It is important to acknowledge our own privilege in order to be grateful for what we do have but also to realize that we must share our resources with others. Overall, I hope that tzedakah can be an acknowledgment of our own privileges but also a reminder that we are responsible to help those that have less than us.

Tzedakah is not just a financial transaction; it is based around the Jewish ideals of justice and righteousness. Tzedakah encourages developing relationships and trust and recognizes that the act of giving includes effort, time, and insight. Generosity and giving are central to the Jewish religion and are also requirements for every single Jew. Performing deeds of justice may be the most important part of Judaism. Even in this virtual world, it is extremely important that we continue to uphold the Jewish principle of tzedakah.

Earlier this year, the K–3 madrichim group and the 4–7 group met and discussed nonprofit organizations that were important to them. Some people shared organizations that they had worked with, and some shared ones that helped fight issues that we care about. After we narrowed the organizations down, we created a presentation about the organizations.

Our homes have now become our offices, our gyms, and our synagogue, so we decided to have families continually collect tzedakah at home before turning it in at Temple. We also encouraged teachers to remind families, as many of us are forgetful when it comes to donating. We were very excited that we could incorporate tzedakah into this nontraditional year and bring some normalcy and tradition to religious school.

The K–3 group chose five incredible organizations. The first one was the Humane Society. Not only do they take in stray animals, but they also educate our Madison community and help match their animals to local families. The second organization they chose was the Second Harvest Foodbank. Second Harvest is a hunger-relief charity in southern Wisconsin that helps fight food insecurity by providing vulnerable families with food. The third organization is the local organization Porchlight, which helps fight homelessness in Dane County. Porchlight provides shelter, affordable housing, and other resources to homeless men throughout Dane County. The fourth selected organization was the Arava Institute. It is an environmental studies and research institute based in Israel that focuses on bettering the environment. It is also geared to uniting different Middle Eastern countries in order to best address climate change and other climate-related issues in the Middle East. The fifth and final organization was the Clean Lakes Alliance. This nonprofit is dedicated to improving and protecting the lakes, streams, and wetlands in the Yahara River watershed.

The 4–7 group decided on four amazing organizations. The first organization we chose was the Equal Justice Initiative. We were all very passionate about ending mass incarceration and fighting against systemic racism in jails. We then chose Second Harvest Foodbank as it is more of a local organization. There are current volunteering opportunities at Second Harvest, and we wanted to choose an organization that works right in our Madison community. We also chose The Road Home because Temple Beth El has been involved with it for many years. Many of us have seen the amazing work The Road Home does and the amazing partnership Temple has created with the organization. Finally, we chose Nurturing Minds. It is an organization that I have been involved with for three years now. It supports an all-girls school in Tanzania that empowers and educates girls that have never been able to dream. They gain entrepreneurial skills and real-life experience so that they can go home and better their communities.

It was an absolute pleasure working on the tzedakah project this year. Not only are these amazing organizations, but the act of giving also helped me slow down and realize how extremely fortunate and grateful I am. Hopefully this article was a good reminder to acknowledge your own privilege and to uphold the Jewish principle of giving.

This year let us think of our Pride month observance as a tree.

This tree connects us to our Judaism, our ancestry—and ourselves. At the root is our text, our tradition, the Torah and Talmud.

Our shared history, which nourishes us all, is the trunk of our tree.

Advocacy, outreach, and connection are represented by the tree branches. Imagine how a branch grows—how it reaches. This echoes how we reach out to others, to each other—how we stretch, how we grow, how we expand in our roles in the world, and how we expand within ourselves.

And, finally, in the leaf, the flower, and the fruiting of our tree resides our creativity. The music of Pride, the food of the soul, and the art as well as the writing of Pride—the ways in which we express our individual narratives and community experiences.

During Pride month here at Temple Beth El, we aim to encompass all parts of our tradition, history, advocacy, and expression in our programming. Please join us!

Bo’u Nashir! (Come, Let Us Sing!) Pride Edition
Tuesdays, June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 3:00–3:30 pm • Facebook Live

The soul-fulfilling song sessions you have come to love return with special Pride connections all month long. Cantor Jacob Niemi will be singing pieces by LGBTQ composers or with Pride themes. How many songs about rainbows does he know? Tune in weekly via Facebook Live to find out!

Quarantine Kitchen Pride Edition: Rainbow Challah 
Thursday, June 3, 12:00–12:30 pm • Facebook Live

Watch this encore showing of Quarantine Kitchen where Jen Szlasa shows us how to make rainbow challah. Try your hand at making some ahead of our Pride Shabbat on June 11. Find the recipe here. You can also watch the demo anytime here.

Reading through a Bent Lens: How Queer Approaches to Text Can Illuminate and Elevate the Study of Jewish Texts 
Sunday, June 6, 11:30 am–1:00 pm • Zoom

Join Cantor Jacob Niemi for an exploration of Jewish sacred texts from LGBTQ+ perspectives, and learn how these readings can elevate the study of Torah for all.

Pride Shabbat 
Friday, June 11, 7:30–9:00 pm • Facebook Live

Explore some of Wisconsin’s LGBTQ+ history, show our pride, and welcome Shabbat through this special Pride Shabbat service honoring the Jewish LGBTQ+ community and allies. We are honored that scholar and activist Richard Wagner will be sharing remarks with us on the topic “Battlers of Hate and Destroyers of Stereotypes in the Struggle for Righteousness.” LGBTQ+ history in Wisconsin, as elsewhere, is a journey toward justice. Episodes in Wisconsin’s journey include the Jewish community's leadership on the state hate crimes law and its work countering ignorance and stereotypes. Join us in this community celebration of love, faith, equality, and respect.

Order Richard Wagner’s books from the local bookstore Mystery to Me (scroll down on the home page of their website for direct links to order in the Featured Books section). Please note on the order form if you would like your books signed by the author. Books to be signed will be delivered to TBE, and we will contact you when they are ready for pickup. Unsigned copies can be picked up at the bookstore at 1863 Monroe Street (across from Trader Joe’s).

Showing Up for Transgender and Nonbinary Youth
Thursday, June 17, 7:00–8:00 pm • Zoom

Brian Juchems, co-executive director of GSAFE (an organization supporting LGBTQ+ students, educators, and families throughout Wisconsin) will give us a look at the issues facing LGBTQ+ students in our schools, bills being debated by our legislature to prevent transgender and nonbinary students from participating in school sports, and longer-term efforts to marginalize transgender youth within our communities. Find out how to get involved to support greater inclusion.

Looking to take action now? Brian also recommends this site https://equityforall.wixsite.com/supporttranskidswi created by a trans youth activist and organizer for ways to take action right now in response to the bills that have been introduced. 

142 Jewish Writing Prompts for Pride
Wednesday, June 23, 7:00–8:30 pm • Zoom

Get your Jewish creative juices flowing! Join Rena Yehuda Newman and writers of all ages, identities, and Jewish backgrounds for a fast-paced workshop of writing prompt-based games for Pride month.

Resources
The Pride team last year put together a wonderful list of resources, which can be found on the Temple blog.

Save the Date
2021 TBE Swarsensky Scholar-in-Residence: Rabbi Mark Sameth

We’re excited to announce that our Swarsensky Scholar this fall, Rabbi Mark Sameth, will explore themes of gender and identity in our tradition and how to use it for justice today.

Provisional Program for November 12–14, 2021 (subject to change)

• Friday evening: “A History of the Dual-Gendered Hebrew Name for God,” in 25 minutes with accompanying graphics. Appropriate for all ages.
• Shabbat morning: Interactive Torah study. A “deep dive” into Parashat Vayeitzei. A look at the text of this week’s Torah portion through the lens of dual gender. One hour.
• Shabbat lunch: Panel discussion with a panel of the Temple’s choosing to engage in conversation with Rabbi Sameth about issues raised so far—and others they may wish to raise. A flexible program designed to bring in other voices and different perspectives.
• Sunday morning: A keynote presentation on the social justice implications of the dual-gendered name of God (e.g., supporting gender equality, feminism, LGBTQ, interfaith, multicultural, and intersectional identities) followed by Q&A. A chance to discuss together how we might best put this learning to use in the furtherance of tikkun olam.

Rabbi Mark Sameth (he/him/his) was named “one of America’s most inspiring rabbis” by The Forward (inaugural list, 2013). He is featured in Jennifer Berne and R. O. Blechman’s God: 48 Famous and Fascinating Minds Talk about God.His interfaith work was the topic of a story in The New York Times. His essays and interviews appear on Religion Dispatches ("Our Father, Who Art Our Mother") and Being Both, in books published by Jossey Bass, Jewish Lights, CCAR Press, and New Paradigm Matrix, and in Reform Judaism Magazine, Journal of Jewish Education, CCAR Journal, and the New York Times (“Is God Transgender?” Op-Ed, August 12, 2016). He tweets from @fourbreaths.

Comments about Rabbi Sameth’s book “The Name: A History of the Dual-Gendered Hebrew Name for God” (Wipf & Stock, 2020):

• “May just be the most interesting thing written about God since the Jews figured out there was only One.” —Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, author of Kabbalah: A Love Story
• “A startlingly persuasive argument that Maimonides sought to reveal the secret of God’s dual gender… Ready-made for adult education.” —Rabbi Elaine Glickman, editor-in-chief, CCAR Journal
• “Has the potential to change our entire understanding of the past.” —Rabbi Dr. Kerry Olitzky, co-author of Book of Job
• “The Name is traditional and revolutionary, historical and mythical, rational and mystical. I couldn't put it down.” —Rabbi Naomi Levy, author of Einstein and the Rabbi

Ingredients:

• 1 package of chocolate Jello pudding mix
• 2 cups of milk
• Oreo cookies
• Gummy worms

Directions:

• Mix together pudding mix with 1 cup of milk
• Wisk it together
• Add second cup of milk and continue to stir
• Let it sit for 5 minutes
• Crush Oreos and set aside
• In an 8 oz cup, alternate layers of pudding and Oreo crumble and top with gummy worms.
• Enjoy!

Graham Crackers
Recipe from cookiesandcups.com

Graham Cracker Ingredients:

• ½ cup of butter - room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp kosher salt 
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour 
• ½ cup milk 
• ¼ cup granulated sugar

Graham Cracker Instructions:

1. Make the dough - Mix the butter and brown sugar together for 2 minutes in a stand mixture.  Add in vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix for 30 seconds until evenly incorporated.  Turn the mixer to low and add in the flours and milk in alternating portions beginning and ending with the flour.  Mix well until combined.  Dough will be thick.  
2. Chill - Form the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk.  Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. 
3. Shape the crackers - When ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ⅛ inch thickness.  Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut into 3.5 by 2.5 inch rectangles.  
4. Bake - Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly onto the pieces pressing lightly into the dough.  Prick the dough with a fork to create the store-bought look.  Place onto the prepared baking sheet ½ inch apart.  Bake for 9-11 minutes until the edges are lightly golden.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 
5. Can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.  

S’mores Dip
Recipe from lwvogue.com

S’mores Dip Ingredients:

• Semisweet chocolate chips - 1 bag 
• Mini marshmallows - 1 bag
• Ramekins small (4 of them)  

S’mores Dip Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  
2. Pour out a layer of chocolate chips into the bottom of 4 small ramekins
3. Top with a single layer of mini marshmallows 
4. Once oven is preheated, bake for 2-3 minutes until marshmallows are golden.

Thanks to two generous Temple Beth El member families, TBE is now the home of two Torah scrolls seized by the Nazis from synagogues throughout Czechoslovakia. The legacies of these scrolls are a reminder of our connection to the Holocaust.

When Aron Ross, father of TBE member Josh Ross, learned about the London-based Memorial Scrolls Trust, which matches these Torah scrolls to synagogues and other organizations, he knew he wanted to honor the memory of his family’s Holocaust victims and pay tribute to the Holocaust experience endured by so many. He began the process of helping TBE acquire a scroll in honor of his grandsons’ b’nai mitzvah (Sammy’s bar mitzvah was in fall 2019, and Jayden’s was in March 2021). Aron spoke movingly to Jayden during his bar mitzvah, telling his grandson that the rescued scroll was “a reminder of your strong, resilient, and powerful roots.”

Ruth and Russ Frank, whose donation helped bring an additional scroll to TBE, found deep meaning in the mission of the Memorial Scrolls Trust. “My parents are Holocaust survivors and knew Rabbi Swarsensky in Berlin. Russ and I hope that these rescued scrolls will be another way for all of us at TBE to not forget the 6 million, which included my grandparents, aunts, and uncles,” Ruth explained.

Generous donations, such as those made by the Frank and Ross families, support the ongoing work of the Trust. These funds allow the Trust to house, preserve, and distribute the scrolls. Donor support also goes toward the Trust’s creation and maintenance of an educational archive to promote and preserve the memory of Czech Jewish life.

Led by Rabbi Biatch, the TBE Memorial Scrolls Task Force (on which Josh Ross and Ruth Frank both serve) had the opportunity to view photos of numerous scrolls and choose those suitable for a new life at TBE. In early March, Rabbi Biatch traveled to New Jersey, where the scrolls were temporarily stored, and brought them back to Madison in time for Jayden Ross’s bar mitzvah.

We hope to plan a ceremony to officially welcome the scrolls to Temple Beth El, where our community will embrace them for safekeeping. We are very grateful to the Ross and Frank families for giving TBE the opportunity to honor these links to what has been lost and symbols of all that has endured.

Every Saturday morning some 25 or more members of the TBE congregation gather—rain, shine, snow, or pandemic—to engage with the pivotal document of the Jewish people: the Torah. A team of guides, one each week, leads us through this ancient text containing our history, ritual, legend, and lore.

Our leaders help us to see how these time-honored scriptures can be relevant to today’s world. Each week, a leader selects verses from the weekly Torah portion—the parashah—and enriches it with excerpts from the interpretative writings of past scholars, linguistic distinctions to try to unlock the meaning of obscure biblical words or references, archeological evidence, or references to modern literature, film, music, or art. Connections to the Jewish calendar emerge as we cycle through the five books of the Torah, but they vary from year to year, and from teacher to teacher. There is always something new to think about. 

Torah study is an enduring pursuit that we invite you to taste, to continue for a while, to revisit whenever you wish, and perhaps to join the regulars, who will welcome you. The link to register to receive the Zoom link is here.

We thank our Torah study facilitators over the past year:

Rabbi Jonathan Biatch 

Cantor Jacob Niemi 

Rabbi Bonnie Margulis 

Nicole Jahr 

Kendra Sager 

Steve Olson 

Perry Asher 

Steve Crade 

Rabbi David Kopstein 

Ingredients:

• 2 2/3 cups coconut
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons matzah meal
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs whites
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Use a greased, non-stick or parchment-covered baking sheet.
2. In a bowl, mix together the coconut, sugar, matzah meal and salt.
3. Add the egg whites, almond extract and mini chocolate chips.
4. Using a teaspoon to form the macaroons, drop them onto the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 20 minutes until edges are golden brown.
6. Serve.

On February 2, more than 40 members of Temple Beth El joined in what we hope is the first of many “Racial Justice Big Reads.” The group gathered to reflect on Isabel Wilkerson’s extraordinary book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent. The book grew out of the author’s research into three major caste systems in India, Nazi Germany, and America.

We began by watching a 7-minute video of Trevor Noah interviewing the author, which you can watch on YouTube. After the video, we split into Zoom chat rooms of seven or eight people with five group facilitators: Charles Cohen, Mary Fulton, David Seligman, Beth Kaplan, and Jim Youngerman. Group members shared their own reactions to the book and then responded to questions prepared by the book’s publisher. We discussed the different metaphors Wilkerson uses to explain the caste system imposed on African Americans, and explored the distinctions the author draws between “caste” and “race.”

Wilkerson offers an interesting take on the “construction of whiteness,” describing the way immigrants have gone from being Irish or Polish to “white”—a political designation that only had meaning after those groups came to America and were contrasted with those who were “not white,” revealing a lot about the validity of racial designations and the structure of caste.

One of the topics provoking the most discussion was Wilkerson’s research into how the Nazis systematically created a caste system. She learned that the Nazis actually sent teams to study America’s segregation practices and Jim Crow laws and used those as a basis for creating the Nuremberg laws. These shameful facts underscore the breadth and depth of the American caste system. 

Each group ended by discussing what steps we can take, as individuals and as a Temple community, toward dismantling the caste system. As Wilkerson quoted: “Evil asks little of the dominant caste other than to sit back and do nothing.”

Every year we retell the story of Passover at our seder tables, saying we were once slaves in Egypt, but now we are free. This year, when we relive the story of our own liberation, we can also think of the millions of people around the world who are still enslaved by poverty, violence, discrimination, and many other afflictions. They are women, girls, and LGBTQIA+ people fighting for rights and equality, indigenous people protecting their land and struggling to survive the ravages of climate change, activists speaking out against injustice, and so many more. At this year’s seder, we can challenge ourselves to take a more active and meaningful role in hastening their freedom.

The exodus story and the holiday of Passover are perfect occasions for bringing our social justice values to our celebrations. The Union for Reform Judaism provides many Passover resources.

We also invite you to use the following resources to enrich your celebration of Passover. Most are free a few are available for purchase.

Jump to the section that interests you:

Against Bullying

• BBYO Passover Seder Supplement
  Created by BBYO, a pluralistic teen movement, this one page reinterprets parts of the seder plate as symbols for standing up against bullying and injustice, showing respect, and committing to community.

Back to section list

Against Sexual Assault

• Hillel International’s “How Do We Free One Another” 
  This seder supplement, focusing on ending sexual assault, was produced in partnership with the It’s On Us campaign.
• Passover, #MeToo, and a Mirror on Your Seder Plate
  Thirty years ago, feminists added Miriam and the midwives to our seders. But now, to address the #metoo movement and our societal need for deep reckoning around gender, sexuality, and power, it is time to take a step further by adding mirrors to our seder plates.

Back to section list

Antisemitism

• Four Questions About Anti-Semitism To be inserted in the Haggadah and recited in unison after reciting the Ten Plagues.
• Jewish Foundation for the Righteous Haggadah Supplement
  Each year since 1999, this organization has released a seder supplement that tells the story of a non-Jew who saved Jews during the Holocaust. The 2021 supplement and all the past ones can be downloaded here.

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Coronavirus

• The Four Children and COVID-19
  As we grapple with a global pandemic, the struggle to find freedom from illness weighs heavily on our hearts and minds. How do we engage with our children when they ask about this crisis? Jewish facilitator Jordan Namerow shares thoughtful questions to spur timely conversations.
• Hope Amidst the Tears: A reflection on karpas during the time of COVID-19
• Passover Prayer in the Age of Coronavirus
• Haggadah Insert: Four Questions for Making a Difference from a Distance
  In this time of global pandemic, our lives have been disrupted in significant ways, and we find ourselves asking questions we may not otherwise have ever thought to ask.
• A Prayer of Hope During This Pandemic by Rabbi Naomi Levy
• A Special Prayer for Healing at Our Passover Tables
• Honoring this Moment COVID-19 Haggadah Supplement
• Approaching Our Second COVID Seder

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Environment and Climate Change

• Earth Justice Seder
  A Passover Haggadah for environmental justice.
• The Promise of the Land Passover Haggadah
  An ecologically oriented Haggadah.
• Passover: Dipping Parsley into Water of Tears: The Earth Cries Out to Us
  An environmental reading written by Rabbi Warren Stone for the karpas, dipping a green veggie in salt water.
• Plastover: An Exodus from Plastic Waste
  Every Passover, Jews around the world give up leavened bread—chametz. It’s a sacrifice we make willingly, to recall our ancestors’ journey from slavery to freedom. But what if we could make another kind of sacrifice—one that would have an immediate impact on the world? What if we chose to mindfully free ourselves from the plague of plastic waste?
• Green Your Passover A three-part series from Repair the World. Part 1: Preparing for the Holiday; Part 2: The Seders; Part 3: Cleaning Up
• The Four Children of Climate Change
  Guide for discussions about our Jewish obligation to “till and tend” the earth and varying beliefs on climate change.

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Food Justice

• Food Justice Seder Additions
  Four Questions and Four Children through the lens of food justice.
• Ha Lachma Anya: Food and Justice Haggadah Supplement
  The Uri L’Tzedek Food and Justice Haggadah Supplement features essays, insights, and action to unite food, social justice, and ethical consumption.
• Sustainable Passover Resources from Hazon
  Supplements, recipes, ideas, and more.
• A Haggadah for a Socially Responsible Chocolate Seder
  On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao.
• Vegan Passover Tips and Recipes from Shamayim: Jewish Animal Advocacy
  To recognize the forms of oppression that still exist toward animals, workers in the food system, and the environment today, it fits to eat vegan during this holiday. Read on for tips and recipes that will guide you toward a fulfilling, plant-powered Passover. Also check out their Passover Guide.

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General or Multiple-Topic Justice Related

• Passover Social Action Guide from the Religious Action Center (RAC)
• 8 Modern Additions to the Seder Plate
  Each represents another way to bring social justice issues to your seder experience.
• American Jewish World Service Passover Resources
  Includes seder resources, family activities, text studies, commentaries by well-known people, and more.
• A Fifth Cup for Justice
• Ve’ahavta’s Creating Tables of Justice Seder Supplement
  Incorporates emerging ideas on freedom and a guide to social activism including the four social activists (instead of the four sons), an alternative seder plate, a fifth question, and readings such as "Maror: The Bitter Reality of Human Trafficking."
• The 10 Plagues: Suffering and Affliction
  As we read the 10 plagues, we spill drops of wine from our cups, mourning the suffering the Egyptians endured so that we could be free. This year, as these drops spread across our plates, let us turn our hearts toward the millions of people around the world suffering today’s plagues of hatred, prejudice, baseless violence, and war.
• Ten Plagues of Inequality
  On Passover, we remember the ten plagues that were put upon the Egyptian people. Thousands of years later, modern-day plagues of inequality should ignite contemporary responses to combat these injustices.
• This Passover, Think of the Modern Plagues
• The Seder Plate (RAC)
  Learn about items to add to your seder plate that will help spark discussion on social justice issues.
• A Modern Dayenu
  This song, found in the seder, thanks God for the myriad miracles that took place at the time of the Exodus. "Dayenu" can also allow us to express our gratitude for all that has taken place in recent times. When we celebrate the successes of the past, we remember the ongoing need to help those who are oppressed in other communities.
• Four Cups of Wine: Social Justice Readings for Your Seder
• A Haggadah for Justice
  This Haggadah includes pieces from various sources on a variety of social justice issues.
• René Cassin, the Jewish voice for human rights: Women's Seder
  This seder celebrates the women of the exodus, their untold stories, and the individuals who inspire us today.
• Social Justice Haggadah Companion
• Resisting Tyrants Since Pharaoh: A Seder Supplement
  A short text and discussion prompts for your seder, as you retell the story of our slavery in Egypt.
• A justice guide for each night of Passover
• Bring Moving Traditions to Your Passover Seder Table
  Multiple activities and seder supplements around a few issues from the #metoo movement and women's rights to our own well-being.
• Gateways Haggadah
  Designed for children with special needs; with an updated companion guide.
• Passover resources for a more accessible seder
• Areyvut Questions for Seder and Beyond
  300 hundred questions organized by topic to spur discussion at your seder and throughout the year.

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Global Jews

• JDC Entwine‘s ReOrdered
  Dive into the global and interconnected Jewish world through the timeless themes of freedom and storytelling.
• Bukharian Passover Traditions and Recipes
• A Variety of Passover Resources Celebrating Jewish Diversity from Be’chol Lashon
• Trivia Place Cards
  Welcome your guests to their seats with these trivia place cards, created in partnership with Be’chol Lashon, and celebrate Passover rituals from diverse Jewish communities around the world (can be done as a game virtually).
• Abayudaya Jews of Uganda Passover Resources 

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Human Rights

• The Other Side of the River, the Other Side of the Sea: A Human Rights Haggadah
• A Tomato on the Seder Plate
  Standing with farmworkers to prevent modern-day slavery and expand human rights in the fields.

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Hunger

• Mazon's Fifth Question
  This Haggadah insert bring a new reflection about hunger to your seder table. "How will we retell the story of this past year, and all it has wrought?"
• Mazon's Hunger Seder Haggadah
  Centers the seder experience around hunger.
• All of Mazon's Passover resources

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LGBTQ

• Keshet’s Passover Resources
• Ma Mishtana – A Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Questioning Ally Haggadah
  Follows the traditional structure of the Passover seder but contains readings and discussion questions pertaining to LGBT identity and life.
• The Four Children of LGBTQ Inclusion
  Rabbi Dara Lithwick offers model for teaching about LGBTQ inclusion in an effort to make our seder tables—and our communities—ever more welcoming and free.
• Keshet’s LGBTQ: Four Questions Four Allies Haggadah Insert
• JQ International GLBT Haggadah
• PRIDE Freedom Seder Haggadah
• Different from All Other Nights: A Queer Passover Haggadah
  This Haggadah comprises songs, blessings, and readings culled from several sources—from the Rabbinic Passover seder to contemporary queer Haggadot produced by LGBTQ organizations and synagogues. It is a seder for all of us.

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Mental Health

• Passover and Mental Health Resources from The Blue Dove Foundation
  Readings, Haggadot, and activities to add meaning or a different perspective to your Passover.
• The Anonymous Haggadah
  A synthesis of the Passover ritual and liturgy with the twelve steps of recovery.
• At The Well’s Holistic Passover Detox

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Racial Justice

• Haggadah Insert: The Four People
  This insert reimagines the text of the four sons as the four people on different parts of their racial justice journey and is a conversation starter to contextualize what it means to pursue equity in today's world.
• The Four Children of Racial Justice
  Spark conversation about the importance of racial justice and the Reform Jewish commitment to equality.
• Religious Action Center’s “The Story of Modern Day Slavery: A Social Justice Haggadah”and Seder Supplement
  These resources infuse the entire seder with a global focus on freedom and justice.
• Tzedek Seder: Black Lives Matter
• The African American Seder Plate for Passover by Michael Twitty
• Living Our Commitment: Jewish Voices for Liberation by Jews for Racial Economic Justice
  Seder supplement with a Black Lives Matter focus. It's from a few years ago, so we recommend updating some of the references when using this.
• Mixed Multitudes: Nobody’s Free ’til Everybody’s Free (A Racial Justice Haggadah)
  Created for the 2016 Racial Justice Seder at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in Manhattan, this Haggadah offers a vision for collective liberation blended with Jewish tradition and grounding.
• Jewish Resistance at the Seder Table
• Crying Out Against Mass Incarceration Haggadah Supplement
  This five-page supplement, created by the Jewish Working Group to End Mass Incarceration, offers readings, rituals, and songs for your seder. Our ancient story of liberation is bound up in the liberation of all people today from the chains of mass incarceration.
• Passover Pyramid Cutout
  Four Jewish racial justice leaders answer "What makes this night different from all other nights?"

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Refugees, Immigrants, Freedom, and Liberation

• HIAS Passover Resources
  The HIAS Haggadah connects our story as displaced people, the Passover story, to today's refugees and the global refugee crisis in an interactive way. They also have other seder supplements to highlight the refugee crisis and action to take.
• Immigration Seder Companion
  Created by the social justice group Rabbis Organizing Rabbis, this brief insert on immigration reform helps relate the themes of Passover to this crucial and pertinent social justice issue.
• Enter the Water
  A special resource for recognizing and supporting our immigrant communities in your seder. “Enter the Water” adapts the ritual of hand-washing to encourage ourselves to each do our part to advocate for the dignity and safety of immigrants here in our neighborhoods, across the US, and around the world.
• “The Zookeeper’s Wife”–Inspired Haggadah by the International Rescue Committee
  A refugee-inspired seder supplement with a twist: The International Rescue Committee’s seder supplement (created with the help of HIAS) is inspired by the movie “The Zookeeper’s Wife.” The film (and the Haggadah) is based on a real-life Holocaust heroine, Antonina Zabinska (played by Jessica Chastain), who together with her husband saved 300 Jews by hiding them at the Warsaw Zoo, which the couple ran.
• Jewish World Watch‘s A Second Seder Plate
  An interactive Passover companion that brings focus to the issues that affect victims and survivors of genocide. With over 65 million people having fled their homes due to human atrocities, this aims to keep the plight of today's refugees at the forefront of our minds as we retell the biblical Exodus story.
• We Were Strangers Too: A Seder Supplement on Immigration
• Seder Supplement on Avadim Hayinu “We Were Slaves” by Repair the World in Partnership with Be’Chol Lashon
  Focusing on questions of modern-day liberation.
• Four Cups of Wine
  These four cups are derived from four expressions of redemption found in Exodus 6:6–7: "I will bring you out;" "I will deliver you;" "I will redeem you;" and "I will take you." Due to the positive, redemptive focus on each phrase, each cup could come to represent current groups that need to be "brought out, delivered, redeemed, or taken out." A short teaching can take place before each cup is blessed.
• American Jewish World Service Haggadah
  Extends the journey of Passover further into the 21st century and around the globe; leaving us inspired to act in the year ahead. Use the AJWS Global Justice Haggadah to spark meaningful conversations at your seder and connect our shared story of liberation with people fighting for freedom around the world today.
• Original Freedom Seder
  This Haggadah from 1969 inspired many other social justice Haggadot.
• Refugee Seder Supplement
  Readings and ritual to bring the voices of African asylum seekers to your seder table.
• Jewish World Watch Seder Plate additions
  For refugees and victims of mass genocide.

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Reproductive Justice

• From Oppression to Liberation: For the Pursuit of Reproductive Justice in this Generation Haggadah Insert
  The readings in this resource packet, designed to inspire your commitment to reproductive justice, are designed to be read before you drink each of the four cups of wine.

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TBE saw an especially generous response to the High Holy Day Food Drive at the start of 5781, spurred along by a generous matching grant from an anonymous donor. The Social Action Committee decided on an initial donation of $12,500 to the Second Harvest Foodbank, $500 to the Mount Zion Baptist Church Food Pantry, and $1,000 to the Catholic Multicultural Center Food Pantry.

We have now allocated the remainder of the funds by donating $656 each to Porchlight Men’s Emergency Shelter, for groceries not provided by the county; Centro Hispano, to buy grocery cards for clients in need; and Food for Thought / Thea's Table, providing weekend food for the families of Madison schoolchildren experiencing homelessness or crisis.

A huge thank you to our very generous congregants. Let's hope, pray, and work for a more just time ahead.

The Torah teaches that humankind was created on Earth, in part, to care for and protect God’s creation (Genesis 2:15). The Talmudic concept of bal tashchit (“do not destroy”) was developed by the rabbis as an assertion of God’s holy ownership of the land.

If you are interested in taking an active role in shaping Temple’s actions to combat the causes and effects of environmental degradation and climate change, we invite you to join our team. We will work together to develop a plan in partnership with the community and the congregation. All ages are welcome.

Contact Marta Karlov or Aleeza Hoffert with questions and/or interest. Get in on the ground floor of this important work!

Finally, here is something we can all do right now: Tell Congress to prioritize climate action and environmental justice by following this link.