Last week I had the honor of attending JCRC-NY’s first-ever model Seder for Holocaust Survivors hosted by the New York City Council. It was a beautiful and emotional event with our survivors, people who have seen the worst of humanity with every reason to be bitter and cold, yet they wanted to sing and pray and rejoice in this beautiful shared experience. I was struck by the joy the survivors had for celebrating Pesach, a holiday that resonates with so many and tells us exactly who the Jewish people are - survivors. The same strength of character and resilience we read about in the Haggadah is part of our DNA.

JCRC-NY also held an interfaith trip to tour a Brooklyn Matzoh factory. One unexpected, but amazing twist during the visit was listening to Russian-speaking senior citizens share their love of baking matzah because this was a practice forbidden in the former Soviet Union where they used to live — and where my family once lived. It was forbidden because they were Jews and they were forbidden to gather together to practice their faith, which is one of the reasons why my family left the former Soviet Union. After my visit, my mother told me she worked in a similar Brooklyn matzoh factory when my parents first immigrated to the US, completing a circle I hadn’t known about before.

Real deal (Shmura) matzoh is made from only flour and water, but I believe there was a third magic ingredient, the love with which the seniors bake that comes from the pride they have in their faith, family, and community.