Passing over the pain of potatoes

Today in Zac's the women's group, Rubies, shared a Passover meal. We used an abbreviated version of the traditional seder (meal) with a Christian slant. Until I investigated it for today I never realised that so much of the symbolism and the traditions are relevant for us as Christians. 

The table laid for the seder or meal. Seder means order as a specific order is used for the story-telling and symbolic actions.

The seder plate: a lamb bone to represent the sacrificed lamb; an egg, the symbol of mourning and because it has no beginning and no end it's also a symbol of hope; parsley and  romaine lettuce representing life; horseradish for the bitterness and pain of slavery in any form; charoset, a mixture of nuts and dates, giving hope of a sweeter future.

More than Rubies.

For the meal itself we had brisket of beef in red wine and potato kugel, again both made using traditional Jewish recipes. 

A large dish of kugel involves peeling and grating 5lbs potatoes so it wasn't a good time for my food processor, on its first use as a grater, to break. Grating 4 and 3/4 lbs potatoes by hand is no fun, let me tell you!

But a good time was had by all I think. I certainly enjoyed the learning and the way of the meal. And, even though I say it myself, the table when set looked a picture - and most un-Zac's like!

Next year in New Jerusalem!

Whoops, whoops, whoops!

I forgot to post yesterday. And I don't have any interesting photos to share either. I could tell you what I was doing though.

I was planning a Passover meal. A Christianised and abbreviated version for Rubies, the women's group at Zac's on Thursday.

It's quite fascinating, the history and the explanation of all the symbolic acts, and the fact that it was the last supper that Jesus ate before he was arrested and crucified. 

So I'm out today to buy the various components. As Passover began yesterday evening with the first Passover seder (meal) and runs until 18th April I shouldn't have any problems finding ingredients in the shops. Although I'm not sure how large the Jewish population is in Swansea. Wait and I'll try and find out.

Okay, so in the 2011 census less than 2,000 people in the whole of Wales said they were Jewish although some are reluctant to 'tick the box' for a variety of reasons. That's a significant decline from earlier in the twentieth century when Cardiff, Newport and Swansea all had thriving Jewish communities. Today Swansea's is decreasing and ageing.

I shall leave you waiting with bated breath!