Special Passover Drop: Frogs, Freedom, & More!
Passover content from an Iranian pop anthem to Booker T. Washington's autobiography
Hebrew Word of the Week:
I learned an important word from my Hebrew app last week: leda’ati (לדעתי), which means “in my opinion.” Going to use this one a lot!
This might be the first time in three years of The Shabbat Drop history that I’m sending an email on a day other than Friday. Surprise! The three-day Yom Tov was stressing me out, but not for the usual reasons it stresses Jews out.
To email on Friday, or not to email on Friday? Leda’ati, the sooner I get Pesach content out, the better. ;)
Thank you to all of you who contributed to last week’s Passover ask, which was: send in something that relates to any theme of Passover, from freedom to frogs. And you delivered!
With constant rocket fire over our family in Israel, a war with no clear end in sight, daily settler violence, and Mamdani attending a Passover Seder, there’s a lot of precariousness in the world right now. Some submissions reflected that. Some were uplifting, too!
I’ll start with my entry. Several Drops ago, I shared music by Iranian Jews. One of them was an artist named Liraz Charhi (stage name: Liraz), a contemporary Israeli Iranian singer/songwriter and actress. Her Iranian parents immigrated to Israel in the ‘70s, and she now lives in the LA Persian neighborhood known as Tehrangeles. She starred in the hit TV show Tehran and wrote songs for the recent movie adaption of Reading Lolita in Tehran.
Her international singing career took a hit just days after October 7th, when her UK tour was cancelled, and her London-based record label asked her to take a pro-Palestine political stance on social media. She declined (five of her in-laws were murdered on October 7th) and moved to another label. She actively speaks out against the Iranian regime.
One of her songs, titled "Zan Bezan" (Women, Sing), is a rallying cry for freedom sung in Farsi. The 2020 song is more relevant than ever, with lyrics like:
“Women, sing it
You’re allowed to dance
You’re allowed to sing
You’re allowed to rejoice
…
Together we’ll make a revolution.”
The song reminds me of Miriam leading the women in song and dance, the dance of liberation. Perhaps all Iranian women can one day sing in freedom together.
Here are the rest of the submissions! Enjoy.
Frogs in the House of Your Officials
“I chose this piece of art for a few reasons: my husband saw this online, and even though I do not read Hebrew - neither does he - the description said it was the story of Exodus written in Hebrew. The frog was created by a Jewish artist, who was inspired by people dressed as frogs across to cities resisting ICE.” -Andrea, NYC
What “Firstborn” Really Means
“One of the interesting ideas I learned from Mark Gerson's book, The Telling: How Judaism’s Essential Book Reveals the Meaning of Life, is that the plague of the firstborn is not really about the literal firstborn of Egypt. The biblical concept of ‘firstborn’ is more akin to the ‘culture-bearer’ -- the one who represents and transmits a society or civilization's values. The killing of Egypt's firstborn means destroying those who stand for an idolatrous, slave-holding society. This has been a particularly transformative reading for me, a firstborn of a triplet. It indicates multiple ways one might adopt the role of firstborn and ironically, not be born into it.” -Phil, NYC
Worried and Down (Even Though My Wife Tells me to Be More Upbeat)
“This Passover I am not very happy. I see the U.S. and Israel venturing into a wider and wider war in the Middle East, with Israel moving into Lebanon and Iran sending missiles and drones into American allied bases. I also worry about what I see happening in Israel under Bibi’s rule. What's the point of escaping slavery and oppressive rule only to live in a land of constant war? I worry about such things.
I am also upset about the IDF soldier who got killed recently fighting for Israel; he was from New Haven, my hometown. I worry about the increase in antisemitism that I see worldwide. It is exacerbated by the conflict in the Middle East and often gets blamed on Israel, thus Zionism, and there is a constant widening gap between groups of American Jews as it relates to what is going on in Israel.
I am upset, which you gather by now, so as we seek the land the milk and honey and seek peacefulness, and seek to end antisemitism, we must keep our spirits up (which is difficult for me, but my wife insists). We must stand firm in our beliefs, Judaism has existed long before all other major religions and has retained its strength from those who love it, believe in it, and practice it. We must keep our resolve and stand strong for what we believe in. But I do worry.” -Fred, Connecticut
We are Passover
We celebrate freedom
While mourning loss
We share the story
That binds us whole
We recite and sing
As notes rise like tiny doves
We dance to outpace
The rhythm of sorrow
We move forward
Fueled by our history
We never walk alone
- Maddy, Connecticut (note: both of my parents did this while they were sick and also put up with my critical feedback - I love them both SO much!!)
A Modern Exodus
“Everything I do is in light of my hero son, Shay Michaeli, who fell in action defending our country during the war. You can read more about him here.” -Yoram, Israel
From the Red Sea to Rio
“I was reading about Miriam’s role in Passover and her leading the women in song and dance, and for some reason I pictured the scene in the movie Black Orpheus, which is set in Brazil, where Eurydice is dancing with everyone during Carnaval.
Something about the themes of freedom from slavery and dance, and powerful women with a central role. And the layers too if you compare/contrast the two stories, pulling from African diaspora culture and spirituality, Greek mythology, Mardi Gras (Christian/Roman Catholic), and Judaism.” -Heidi, Iowa
Freedom is a Process
“Booker T. Washington made a life of teaching former slaves the skills and habits for success as free people. The transition did not happen overnight. There is arguably a similar reason Gd had the Jews wander in the desert for 40 years. There is also a reason American slaves looked to Exodus for inspiration. There is much to learn in our own story from his autobiography.” -Joel, Virginia
I love the variety of answers! Clearly we need to dance more. 💃
Whether you’re spending this Pesach in a bomb shelter, laughing with family, or worrying about the state of the world, there’s no right or wrong way to move through this theme-heavy holiday. As long as you’re reflecting (and maybe cutting down on chametz to embody those themes), you’re doing just fine.
I promised a prize to my favorite answer and will contact the winner after Passover!
Chag sameach,
💦If you like Passover, check out these Drops:
Call Me By Your Name: The Forgotten Exodus
My dad spoke about how the movie, Call Me By Your Name, a coming-of-age romance between two young Jewish men, is the story of the second Exodus. What?? How?? Well, pass the charoset and I’ll tell you.
Be confident in your Jewish knowledge
Someone compared Pharaoh and the Israelites to white supremacists and replacement theory. One person brought a book on the Black Death that had a whole chapter on the Jews and their own Exodus from European countries that blamed them for it. Someone brought his 85-year-old Maxwell House Haggadah from his childhood!