Back in 2015, I published a post on the Christian Passover meal my family had had with friends the year before, when our girls were 3 and 6. I thought it was a beautiful expression and observance of our shared heritage with the Jewish faith – the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt.
In 2021, I came under fire from a small group of very vocal Jews who felt my Christian Passover was deeply upsetting. They stalked me on Twitter and left hateful comments here on this post (which I promptly deleted).
Not one to be bullied into actions I do not believe in, I stewed on the controversy for a few days. During that time, I spoke personally (via text, phone, and email) with a dozen Jewish friends. Before each conversation, I told them that I would not publish anything they said and I asked them to give me complete honesty and forthrightness.
My friends’ opinions on my Christian Passover ran the gamut from “This is an offensive example of cultural appropriation.” to “As long as you’re not trying to convert me, do whatever you want.”
I liked my Christian Passover meal. My kids liked it. The food was amazing, and Jesus was present in the details. It was really hard to accept that – at least for some Jews – what I thought was a beautiful acknowledgement of a shared custom was more like stealing a sacred ritual and mainstreaming it for my own purposes.
I reflected on these conversations over a period of a few days, and I made the decision to remove most of the original post including the part where I linked Jesus with the Passover.
I want to be clear: my decision had nothing to do with the bullies. It had everything to do with thoughtful conversations with my friends and one stranger whose comment I published below. One thing came up in those conversations over and over: “If you want to celebrate Passover, do it. But it’s pretty offensive if you take OUR holiday and make it about YOUR Jesus.”
If you want to hold a Passover seder, please find yourself a Jewish version. (Here’s one I found from a Jewish website.) I am not Jewish and don’t feel qualified to offer you one myself. If you do decide to do a seder, stick to the holy and time honored traditions and don’t try to make it about Jesus.
If you want to add something to your Easter week that your kids will enjoy and learn from, have a Maundy Thursday observance during Holy Week. I have included some suggestions for that below.
So all that to say that I have taken down my Passover script where I drew a correlation between the Jews’ liberation from Egypt with the Christian belief that Jesus liberated us from sin.
6 Ideas for Replacing a Christian Passover with Maundy Thursday
- Have a foot washing ceremony – I think this would be really fun especially if your kids are little. I know that fun and solemn Easter don’t necessarily go hand in hand, but I think you could have the solemn part first (where you read John 13:1-5 and talk about what Jesus did, how dirty the disciples feet must have been from walking around in the dessert in sandals, and why it was important that He humbled Himself before the people who were His followers). Then once the serious conversation is over, you could set out to wash your kids’ feet. You could either take turns washing each other’s feet or Mom or Dad could do everyone’s as a sign of, “I am the servant leader of this household, and I will humble myself before all of you my followers.” It’s up to you. I think I am going to try this in 2021 even though my kids are 10 and 13 and will probably roll their eyes.
- Clean up – This is most certainly not going to be popular with your kids, but a thousand years ago, Christians spent Maundy Thursday sweeping and cleaning their homes. It was symbolic of the soul cleansing that Jesus did for all of us in His sacrifice on the cross, and it also helped to prepare for the solemnity of the Holy weekend which started the following day on Good Friday. You and your family could observe the holiday by doing a bit of spring cleaning and take the weekend off.
- Use Resurrection Eggs to tell the Easter story – If your kids are too young to sit through a several chapter Bible reading, help them to make a set of resurrection eggs using these instructions. They use a set of 12 plastic Easter eggs which you can buy for under $2 and then little objects you probably have around the house or can easily acquire. (Note – It may be controversial to say that little kids can’t sit through a Bible reading, and maybe some kids could do it, but mine could not until they were well past six or seven. Allie started asking me to read the Bible to her around age 8 I think. Younger children could handle reading the Easter story in small parts, as you make the eggs, but I don’t think you should try to read it all at one go. For little kids, I highly recommend the ICB translation [Allie’s favorite ICB, one that I think is absolutely beautiful, and a more gender neutral version] as it cuts out a lot of the details that are not important to the story while preserving the theme and major events we know and love.)
- Study the Easter story in the Bible – You can find the entire Easter story from the Last Supper and plot against Jesus to the crucifixion in the following chapters of the Bible. The overall arc of the story is the same in each of the books, but there are small dissimilarities. I wouldn’t recommend reading all 4 versions to your kids at the same time though, even if they are teens. They will quickly get bored at the repetition. Choose one version ahead of time and read and study it with your whole family.
- Matthew 26-28
- Mark 14-16
- Luke 22-24
- John 18-21
- Eat a holy meal – In my former Christian Passover seder, I had a menu for amazing food including roast lamb. You can still find that menu and the former script in my shop:
- Eat ice cream sundaes – You read that right, ice cream. I think this would be super fun for kids of all ages, and it would be a nice way to end any day but especially those during Holy Week. It’s structured sort of like a seder, but I hesitate to call it that because I don’t want to offend. It is similar in that the foods and script are given, but it is 100% different in content and structure.
- Here’s what you need (feel free to substitute as you see fit):
- Mini marshmallows
- Unsweetened nuts or semi sweet chocolate chips
- Brightly colored sprinkles
- A sweet syrup topping such as chocolate, fudge, butterscotch, or caramel
- Fruit: banana pieces, strawberries, blueberries, or another fruit
- Shredded coconut
- M&Ms
- Whipped cream
- A carton of ice cream (enough for the whole family to enjoy a sundae)
- Put each food item on the table in a small bowl, but keep the ice cream in the freezer for now. Your family should sit around the table and you could say something like the following (feel free to modify as you see fit):
- We are so busy with our own things that it’s easy to forget what God has done for each of us and for our family. Let’s see how these foods can remind us of God’s love and how he’s touched our family.
- Pass around the bowl and ask each person to take one. Let’s each eat a marshmallow. They look like babies, don’t they? When I remember you as a baby, I always thank God for you, and let me tell you why. Then tell a short story about each child and how he or she has blessed your family. Let your spouse and kids share stories about each other if they want.
- Pass around the nuts or chocolate chips and ask each person to take one. These aren’t very sweet, are they? {If using nuts – Nuts aren’t usually sweet. They often taste bitter, and most nuts grow with a hard shell. If using chocolate – Chocolate isn’t always soft and sweet; sometimes it’s actually hard and bitter.} Let’s think about some hard or bitter things that have happened in our family. Then share a short story about a difficult event and how God helped you through it. Ask your family to share their own short stories.
- Pass around the bowl of sprinkles. Pick your favorite color of sprinkles out of the bowl. Sprinkles are fun and remind me of a party. What’s something that has happened in our family that was fun? How did God help it to happen? Let each family member share a story about a fun family time and how they saw God’s presence during that time.
- Pass around a bowl with the syrup topping in it. Dip your finger in the syrup and taste it. These toppings cover ice cream just like God’s love covers our family. Share a brief story of a time when you felt God’s love bringing peace or comfort to your family, and invite each member of your family to share the same.
- Pass around the fruit and invite each family member to enjoy a piece. Fruit is a healthy snack to eat. God has helped to bring good health to our family, too. Then remember and share different times that God brought healing to your family.
- Pass around the bowl of shredded coconut and invite everyone to enjoy a pinch. Coconut reminds me of snow and winter, when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. I’m thankful to God for sending his Son, but sometimes I forget to thank God for that gift. What’s something you want to thank God for? Wait while each family member responds.
- Pass around the bowl of M&Ms and ask each person to take a few of his or her favorite color and look at it (don’t eat yet). Turn your candy upside down and imagine instead of M&M it says W&W. That can remind us of Wants and Wishes. God has given our family so many things that we’ve wanted and wished for, things that go way beyond what we actually need. Then eat your candy and tell a brief story of something you wanted for the family and how God provided, and invite your family members to share their own stories.
- Squirt a dollop of whipped cream onto each family’s index finger and invite them to eat it. God’s love for us is as sweet as this whipped cream. Then share a story about how God’s love has sweetened your life and let your family members share their stories as well.
- Now, it would be a shame to have all of these yummy toppings and no ice cream, right? Surprise your family with ice cream, whatever flavor you prefer.
- Before you eat, offer a prayer of thanks for your family, for your blessings, and for God’s love. Before you pray, invite your family members to offer their own prayers out loud, and then you can follow up and close with your own prayer.
- Here’s what you need (feel free to substitute as you see fit):
- Make a Last Supper craft – This cute idea from Catholic Icing recreates DaVinci’s Last Supper painting.
While you’re here, check out 16 Simple Lent Activities for All Christian Kids and What is Lent and Should We Observe It? Even if it’s just a few days before Easter Sunday, it’s not too late to get in a little sacrifice and quiet reflection to honor Lent as well.
© 2015 – 2021, Tara Ziegmont. All rights reserved.
Cynthia Perry says
I just wanted to let you know that this sounds great. I hope we can do it as well as yours sounded! Thank you!
Jpipe says
Hi- I understand your decision to remove the post but I’m sorry you felt compelled to do it. I want to offer that while our celebration of Easter is different than the Jewish celebration of Passover, the death of Jesus ( The Lamb) is a DIRECT parallel of the Jewish Passover. Scott Hahn has an amazing book on it called The Fourth Cup.
Cheryl says
This is wonderful!!! Thank you so much!
Nicci bird says
Can’t wait to do this tonight with my family! Thank you for the effort you’ve gone to. Grateful that you shared x
Jenn says
Thank you!
Beverly Everritt says
Thank you for a simple version. I plan to have a Seder meal with my grandchildren!!
Tara Ziegmont says
I hope you all love it!
Rebecca says
“Seder meal” is redundant. You probably also say “challah bread,” which is also wrong. Please don’t appropriate our religion and culture. — Signed The Jews
Jessica says
🙂
Vicki says
Getting hung up on the breaking of matzoh and your statement that Jesus was broken for us. Jesus actually was not broken (as was the norm at crucifixions to speed death) in order to fulfill prophesy. Properly translated, his body was given for us. Still, think I will find useful things in this for my class.
Jenn says
Please don’t do this. It’s hard enough for Jewish people to find the supplies for our week long festival, we don’t need Christian people buying up all the matzos too. Also, and I know you will delete me for saying this, as you have the other Jews, but this is cultural appropriation. Jesus has nothing to do with Passover, he never even had a seder. Seders didn’t start until after the 2nd temple was destroyed.
It’s really offensive to see our holy rituals taken and used in this way. I know you think you’re showing an interest and sharing, but this is stealing. You are stealing from a culture and religion that has already had so much stolen from it.
Judaism is whole and complete the way it is. It doesn’t need Jesus, please don’t insert him into our holy days. Judaism is also a closed practice, meaning an outsider needs to be invited to share our customs. And before you say, “I’d be delighted if a non-Christian decided to try on of our holidays,” remember, you are the dominant religion in the US, what we hear is you want us to be “normal” like you. Christianity celebrates proselytizing, whereas Jews are forbidden to do that, so your perspective is going to be very off the mark when it comes to all things Jewish.
I hope you read this comment, realize it’s here to educate you on a religion you don’t understand, and help you going forward. I hope you leave this comment up so your readers can see the Jewish perspective. Barring that, I hope you take down the entire post and issue an apology, while also letting your readers know what you have learned. Right now, this is an accidental antisemitism, please don’t make it a purposely antisemitic act.
Tara Ziegmont says
Actually Jenn, I do not delete comments unless they are hateful or vulgar. I have deleted a number of name calling, swearing, disrespectful comments on this post (as I have on many other posts), and I do not feel any remorse about it. However, I am publishing your comment because I found it to be insightful and honest. I do read each and every comment before I decide to publish or delete, and my slant is to publish them whenever possible (aside from those which I have already called out). I welcome dissent, and I am not afraid to learn and admit when I am wrong. I am not upset with you for challenges my views.
After speaking with some close friends who are Jewish, I have decided to delete the bulk of my post but to leave the URL and comments here so that I could educate other Christians as to why celebrating a “Christian Passover” is not as respectful as we intended. I am also going to share a Maundy Thursday service in its place so that those interested in adding to their Easter observances can replace a Passover seder with something more appropriate. I don’t know that I’ll be able to research and share that in the next few days, but I will try.
Please understand that my Christian Passover was never about converting anyone or spreading Christianity. It was written as a celebration of our shared heritage. I do believe that Jesus became the Passover lamb, so I thought this was a natural way to educate my children on the history of our faith. I am not the brand of Christian who believes that everyone should believe in Jesus. I respect that every person has his or her own relationship with God (or non-relationship as the case may be), and that relationship guides the person’s morals and choices. I don’t think it’s my place to tell others that they are wrong, even if I myself believe differently.
I hope this all makes sense, and I would welcome a continued dialogue if you are willing.
Jenn says
Hi Tara,
You invited me to reply again, and keep this conversation going. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and engage with me. I hope, though some of the things I have to say might sound harsh, we can continue the respectful dialogue. I’ve spent some time thinking about what I wanted to say, and I hope it all comes across clearly. I will be using quotes from your new intro and reply to me to help illustrate my thoughts.
First though, I want to stress that Passover is not a shared heritage. Jesus did celebrate it, however he celebrated the way Jews did before the destruction of the 2nd temple. He never had a seder because seders did not exist yet. He didn’t even eat matzos the way we do today. Matzos, as you probably know it, is an Eastern European (Ashkenazi) tradition. It’s not something all Jewish people eat. Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews (Southern Europe, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern Jews), for example, might eat something closer to pita. I am not a historian, but, as I understand it, Jesus would have eaten a soft, flat, bread as well. It’s meaning has nothing to do with Jesus, because Jewish people do not believe Jesus was the messiah, he isn’t mentioned in the Tanakh, or any Jewish story or writing. Jews for Jesus and Mesianics believe Jesus was the messiah, but, they are not Jewish, they just use our name (This is the one thing all Jewish people agree on, no matter the movement.)
In your new intro you say ” In 2021, I came under fire from a small group of Jews who felt my Christian Passover was deeply upsetting. They stalked me on Twitter and left hateful comments (which I promptly deleted) here on this post,” and later say “I have deleted a number of name calling, swearing, disrespectful comments on this post (as I have on many other posts), and I do not feel any remorse about it.” This is your platform and you should absolutely run it the way you want, but please keep in mind: It’s not a small group of Jewish people who find Christian Seders upsetting, just search the phrase in Twitter and you can see most of us begging Christians not to do it again this year. I also want to emphasize I used the word “again.” We deal with this every year. I didn’t see the comments you felt were hateful, they may well have been, but it is also possible you were seeing decades of frustration in play. I really cannot stress enough how frustrating and upsetting it is to see such an important Jewish holiday colonized by non-Jews every year.
I also take umbrage with saying you were “stalked.” That, combined with your other words paint a picture of a cabal of Jews who are making it their mission to get you. Many people don’t realize the words they use to describe Jewish people come from centuries of antisemitic tropes, and actually cause us physical harm. In reality someone saw another example of a Christian seder and was upset, like most of us are, and expressed that feeling to you. Again, they may not have done it very nicely, but after the umpteenth time of having to say it, patience wears thin.
You wrote, “After speaking with some close friends who are Jewish, I have decided to delete the bulk of my post but to leave the URL and comments here so that I could educate other Christians as to why celebrating a ‘Christian Passover’ is not as respectful as we intended.” I am glad you listened and learned, that’s one way to show respect for cultures different than our own. I was disappointed to see that the bulk of the post was not yet deleted, nor was there a reason that a Christian Seders are considered extremely disrespectful. I also want to touch on your statement, “Please understand that my Christian Passover was never about converting anyone or spreading Christianity.” I understand you did not intend for that, but Christian Supersessionism and Hegemony are very real, especially in the US. People do these things without realizing what they are doing is wrong or hurtful. Understanding where the hurt and angry feelings come from will help you understand the minority religion. A great way to gain more perspective is to follow rabbis on Twitter. Follow Jewish conversations as well. You will see a great many viewpoints, because Judaism encourages discussion and interpretation, and even within the different movements, there are different ways of doing things. There is also this amazing piece in the Washington Post, from 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/04/22/adding-jesus-to-a-seder-dinner-not-kosher/. It’s important to listen and absorb, before asking questions, to get a feel of the rhythm and pace of our in group conversations. A lot of people assume Judaism is Christianity without Jesus, but we are a wholly different construct. Your Old Testament, and our Torah are actually much more different than many churches teach, but that’s a conversation for another day (Also, we actually have waaaaaaay more than 10 commandments, like 603 more).
I am going to quote your final paragraph here, “I respect that every person has his or her own relationship with God (or non-relationship as the case may be), and that relationship guides the person’s morals and choices. I don’t think it’s my place to tell others that they are wrong, even if I myself believe differently.” You and I agree here, to a point. Judaism, being structured so differently from Christianity, allows for religious atheism. I, in fact, am both very religious (within the Reform movement of Judaism) and don’t believe in a diety. There are even atheist rabbis (that’s just a fun little fact a lot of non-Jews don’t realize). Unfortunately the US is a Christian Country, though, not officially. Christianity is “the norm” here. Every Christian holiday, like Christmas and Easter, have giant displays in stores, decorations, etc. Every holiday the supermarkets know about, we get the same display of matzah, honey, apples, yahrzeit candles, and juice. Every holiday. People call Chanukah “Jewish Christmas,” which is not accurate at all, and I have always had to use PTO to take the actual important holidays, in the fall and spring, off. I point all this out to say that though you didn’t mean to do it, by taking a sacred Jewish holiday and inserting Jesus, you have “normalized” it as a Christian holiday, and it isn’t. It never was, and it never will be. We, as a people, have spent 5781 years being killed, stolen from, deemed illegal, forced to move, and survived several genocides. Much of this was perpetrated by Christians. I am sure, given our history, you can understand why we would be protective of our rites and ceremonies, and why we are a closed religion.
This has been incredibly long and written over a few days, so please forgive the rambling. The main point is: Jewish people are a minority, and we don’t take from minorities, it’s considered cultural appropriation. If a Jewish friend invites you to their seder, go, have fun, learn, eat. If a synagogue or JCC hosts a seder that is open to the public, call and see if you can attend that. You will most likely be welcomed (Though, don’t take offense if you are not. There’s been a rise in antisemetic attacks and people are wary. Also, sometimes we need a space where we don’t have to educate anyone and we can just be.)
Please let me know if you have any questions. This is a hard topic, and I am sure it can be a bitter pill to swallow, but it is so, so, so important to understand Jewish points of view. Thank you.
Jenn says
I just saw your most updated version. I find it much better than before, so thank you for that. I would advise that Christians do not hold their own seder, even sticking to the purely Jewish way of doing things. Try to get invited to a Jewish one, but holding your own would be devoid of the meaning, imo. I would also ask that you re-frame the “bullies.” Put yourself in our shoes and imagine having this topic come up every year, at a time when we are already in more danger than usual (google “blood libel,” the first time I learned about it I was 9 and there was no google. My mom had to explain it to me. Imagine being 9 and finding out that people actually believe in “blood libel.”).
Arielle says
I saved this last year or so ago on pinterest, and was just referencing it for our celebrations this year. At first I was really disappointed about the decision that you had made, but after I read your whole post and the dialogue in the comments, it really made me stop and think. I did a little extra research of my own, and I have now decided not to practice a “Christian Seder.” I am going to honor a last supper, but I will not imitate the Seder. I did not know that Seder originated after the destruction of the temple, and was therefore not the meal that Jesus ate with his disciples. I will respectfully recognize Seder as a Jewish tradition, and pray them a safe and blessed holiday. Thank you for listening and learning and sharing with your readers.
Tara Ziegmont says
Thank you so much for commenting. Readers like you who are willing to change their minds based on new information are exactly why I kept the post up but changed it. I am glad you are willing to learn and grow along with me.
Jenn says
Thank you!
Laura says
Hey Tara, I found your blog looking for some meaningful things to include in our family’s Easter traditions. I respect your decision to change your post and the dialogue that you’ve encouraged here in the comments. In the spirit of that dialogue, I wanted to share a thought.
As a Christian, Passover is deeply important and meaningful. For the part it plays in the overarching story of the Bible as well as the more focused events leading up to Easter, this feast carries profound symbolism that we should not forget. Which is the whole point of the feast, yes? To remember!
I understand that for a Jewish person a Seder dinner is entirely different. It carries different symbolism and meaning, and connecting Christ to it would be offensive, and understandably so. However, I don’t think you should shy away from observing the elements of Passover very relevant to our faith.
As we work towards peace without abandoning our mutually exclusive truth claims, we will possibly find each other’s beliefs offensive because we do not believe the same things. Christians believe Jesus was the messiah. Jewish people say he was not the messiah. Muslims believe Jesus was simply a prophet. Some see Passover as a religious feast, some a cultural tradition, some a mark to begin fasting (Ashora). So on, etc. Our claims will inevitably offend each other. The solution is not to abandon our claims but to talk them out in love and where we can not agree, move forward in peaceful disagreement. Which I think you have worked hard to do here.
Therefore, it might be beneficial to reframe the meal you observe on Holy Week as a Passover meal instead of a Seder meal. Not that you need any more work to do, ha! Keep what is true to the Christian faith without violating those traditions that do not belong to us. Elements that are significant to us from Exodus would be 1.Lamb, 2.Unleavened bread, 3.Wine 4.Bitter herbs.
Anyway, I’m not really sure you needed another voice in the comments, but I hope it is another perspective welcome in the conversation.
God bless you!
Jenn says
Hi Laura,
As I rest up before first night Seder, I want to take a moment to respond. I’ve already laid out most of my thoughts pretty thoroughly in previous comments, including how I feel about the dominant religion, and one with such a history with my own, taking religious rituals from minority religions. Maybe the easiest way to think of it is as colonizing. You have the best of intentions, you have your thought out reasons, but, at the end of the day, it’s still taking without thinking of the people it harms.
There is no connection between the exodus from Egypt and Jesus, as he isn’t in our bible at all. Jesus never had a Seder. Seders came with Rabbinic Judaism, which didn’t start until the destruction of the 2nd temple. To be honest, other than some of the prayers, it is unlikely Jesus would even recognize Judaism for what it is today.
We may disagree, but we should still respect each other. Holding a Seder because it is important to Easter brings Jesus into the mix, which, as you rightfully noted is disrespectful. There are so many other beautiful traditions that are your own, ways you can honor Jesus’s sacrifice for you. This holiday, this religious rite belongs to the Jewish people. It’s always been ours. You are more than welcome at my Seder table if we ever get out of this Pandabear, but holding your own is disrespectful.
Oh, and to show we aren’t a monolith I was talking about this with my best friend, who is orthodox (I’m reform), and her take is, “Hey, if they’re not killing us, and they’re not making it about Jesus, they can call their dinner whatever they want.”
Btw, saying “Seder meal” is redundant. The word Seder, when used in this context, is a specific kind of ritualistic meal. And fun fact, we don’t just have Passover Seders.
!חג פסח שמח
Chag Peasach Sameach!
Laura says
Hi Jenn, I kept an eye on my email hoping you might respond, and I appreciate you taking the time on the cusp of such an important season. I too am making preparations for the week and before I focus my attention on the task at hand, I wanted to pop into this room of the internet one more time and talk with you (and Tara! Hi Tara!)
I agree that Christians shouldn’t hold Seder. Thank you for the correction on how to use the term. I think you have helped those of us present in this comment thread to come to a deeper understanding of current Jewish tradition and practice. I understand now that Seder and Passover are not synonymous. I also understand the Passover meal Jesus ate with His disciples is not the same as what Jews practice today.
That being said, I hope you will hear me when I say, Christians aren’t stealing your traditions. We don’t exist without them! We were birthed out of them. While it is not my racial heritage, it is my spiritual heritage – a child of God’s promise to Abraham.
You are a part of the literal chosen people of God through whom all nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). A big part of fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham was establishing the great nation of Israel. However, Christians understand this promise as eventually expanding to the whole earth in the radical inclusivity established through Jesus. Jesus was a Jew, His disciples were Jews, the first followers were Jews. It was years later that those same disciples realized that what Jesus had done was for the gentile as well as the Jew. Christians didn’t come into Judaism and take your traditions. Like a child, we were born from them. And similarly to children and parents, as Christianity matured many of our practices, rituals, traditions departed from those of our Jewish forefathers, but that doesn’t mean those same practices, rituals and traditions don’t carry deep meaning for us.
I hear you say that Jesus isn’t in Exodus, but when I read about the Israelites painting the doorposts with the blood of the spotless lamb to escape God’s wrath poured out on Egypt, I see the blood of the sinless Christ painted on the doorpost of my heart that God’s wrath and judgment for sin would pass over me. The bitter herbs the Israelites were commanded to eat in memorial of their slavery in Egypt, I eat in memory of my enslavement to sin. The wine symbolic of the Jews redemption from slavery to the Egyptians, I drink as a symbol of my eternal redemption from slavery to sin. So, yes, for me, Passover is totally about Jesus. That’s why it is so significant that His death fell on the evening of Passover.
I know we disagree. I understand you don’t approve of my interpretation. However, I hope you will understand that for me to deny this as part of my faith would be for me to deny God and, while you don’t approve, I am obligated to follow Him whatever disdain it may garner.
What I hope we can agree upon is that our various identities – man, woman, Jew, Christian, American, Indian, Ethiopian – do not diminish our shared humanity, our shared struggle and brokenness, our need for understanding and love and truth. I hope you will see me less like a member of the bully majority brandishing their religion as a weapon, and more like a real person, sitting at her kitchen table, trying to find community and peace with another person passionate about their traditions and identity.
It is sad that we are most likely at an impasse ideologically but I hope that we can go our separate ways in peace with something upon which to meditate and grow. I know I feel this way!
Thanks for reading. I look forward to any additional thoughts you’d like to share, but also understand that we may be at the end of this conversation. And thanks for hosting this discussion Tara. Who knew a blog post could host such fruitful discussion.
God bleass you both!
Tara Ziegmont says
Jenn and Laura, I hope you both see this comment and know that I am extremely grateful to both of you for sharing your views on this post so eloquently, thoughtfully, and fairly. I know you disagree, and it can be hard to debate something as deeply personal as faith, but I commend you both for making it work. I also commend both of you for attempting to educate each other and the strangers who will see these comments. It will make a difference to the world.
I have a few things to point out.
First, to Laura, I think the point that Jenn is trying to make is that the Jewish Passover, as it is written in the Torah (the Jewish version of our Bible, but it is very different from our Bible even though it has some parts in common). I think Jenn and other Jews object to Christians using the modern day Seder to point to Jesus. I agree with them on this point. Jesus did not observe the Seder as it didn’t exist when He was alive, so I don’t think we have a right to observe it either. At the same time, I agree with you that Christianity eventually was birthed out of Judiasm (I don’t think anyone could dispute that fact.), and the Passover in the Exodus sense is part of our shared heritage. That’s actually the reason that this post exists to begin with, to celebrate the shared history of the Passover.
Second, to Jenn, I think Laura also has some salient points, foremost of which is that for Christians, the liberation of the Israelites during Passover does point to the coming of Jesus as the Messiah. Not to say that gives us a right to the Jewish Seder because, as I have said several times above, it doesn’t, especially given the new information that you provided about the Seder arising from the destruction of the 2nd temple long after Jesus was dead. But I do think it gives us a right to observe our own version of the Last Supper where we eat lamb and wash feet, etc. without using the actual Seder liturgy. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think there’s a problem with Christians preparing and eating a meal with dishes similar to those in a Seder, as long as we aren’t appropriating the script and structure of the religious service. I think that’s also what Laura is trying to say. I know we are in the middle of your Holy Week and understand if you can’t or don’t want to respond now (or ever really as would be your right). I thank you again for your willingness to be open and honest and help to educate the uneducated, myself included.
Jenn says
Hi Laura,
I’m not sure if you will see this, as today is Good Friday. I only know about Good Friday as it related to Jewish people, but however you celebrate it, I hope it’s beautiful and peaceful!
I waned to address your comment that we are the “chosen people.” I honestly think this translation has done us no favors, as the word “chosen,” has a very different connotation in English than what it means in Hebrew. We aren’t chosen to be special or better than anyone. The easiest way I can describe it is we are chosen to fulfill more mitzvot, or commandments. 613 to be exact. Basically, we are chosen to do more chores. A big part of Judaism is “doing the work.” It’s less important to believe in Gd than it is to do the work to ensure a peaceful, perfect world. We believe, once we have done the work to heal the world, end wars, clean up the environment, etc, THAT’S when Eliahu HaNavi (Elijah) will herald the Mashiach (messiah).Afaik, there’s no rule saying other religions can’t help us, just that this is what we got on the chore wheel of Gd. I know a lot of my Christian friends are shocked to find this out, so I thought it might be a good idea to explain.
I also want to say that yes, Jesus was Jewish, though there is nothing in our Tanakh (an acronym derived from the names of the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible: Torah (Instruction, or Law, also called the Pentateuch), Neviʾim (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings); I lifted this from the internet, btw) that points to Jesus. That only came about in the Christian Bible, so, to us, we don’t really share a heritage. Further, so many of our rituals and practices changed when the 2nd temple was destroyed that it is doubtful Jesus would even recognize us as Jewish. There are so many kinds of Jewish people too, all over the world, all with different practices and beliefs, depending on where they ended up in the Diaspora. You are probably most familiar with Ashkinazi Jews, like me, as we are who are most depicted in media… (That’s a whole other kettle of fish though. The media DOES NOT do a great job of portraying us accurately.) Even within my ethnic group of Ashki, we have many sub groups… I forget where I was going with this, I just always get excited when I start explaining how diverse our tiny group of people are. Oh, I remember! I understand, for you, the Passover story is connected to Jesus, however, it isn’t to us, at all. Which is fine. I know I get a little weirded out when Christians talk about celebrating Passover because it is fairly new to me. For probably the first 35 years of my life this was Easter territory, and most Christians tried to get me to celebrate Easter, rather than what is happening now.
Anyway, I do like having this opportunity to have a civil conversation about the differences in our beliefs. I think so often people think we all need to believe the same thing, rather than rejoicing in, and learning from, our differences.
Happy Easter, please enjoy a hot crossed bun for me. I love those things so much, but it’s still passover, so I can’t have them. I am counting down the minutes until sunset tomorrow, believe you me (If anything doesn’t make sense, just blame it on my lack of leavening and wheat, barely, rye, spelt, and oats.)
Kelly says
God bless you Laura. Your words ring true in the name of peace and love. Thank God Almighty for the gift of graciousness and acceptance, of wisdom and insight. Have a wonderful Passover!
Jesse Phillips says
Thanks for sharing. I wish I could find the original post. I must differ with those who say this is not a Christian tradition, Jesus himself said “as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, do this in remembrance of me.”
Jesus is repeatedly called the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, *** which he did at passover *** this is not a coincidence. this is not a coincidence (saying that twice instead of using all caps). The Passover points to Jesus. This is why God instituted the Passover, to point to the Messiah. No wonder we are getting angry push back on it, Jesus said this would happen.
No, we are doing a disservice and telling a lie by going along with the lie that this is cultural appropriation. The Passover is all about Jesus. This must be said.
Funny, this is exactly how the Pharisees reacted to Jesus: he didn’t follow their traditions the way they wanted, they raged and killed him for it, in the process entirely missing the Messiah they claimed to be waiting for. To me, this feels very much like an extension of that.
This tension is at the heart of what Jesus came to do. We are wrong if we just bow to the pressure instead of telling the truth.
Arielle says
Hello Jesse! I just wanted to respond and say that I sympathise with your feelings. I just wanted to clarify that, at least for me, I have acknowledged that the Jewish traditions of Seder are different than the passover meal that Jesus shared with his disciples. I will still celebrate passover and a last supper and rejoice in Jesus as our passover lamb – but the Seder is a specific ritual with a liturgy and meal elements that were not what Jesus ate with his discliples, and therefore not necessary for me to practice, especially if it causes offense to our brothers and sisters of the Jewish faith. I will however still be eating lamb, breaking unleavened bread and drinking wine – and my husband will be washing the feet of our family. May God love you in your zeal, and may He lead you in the way of peace and worship.
Tara Ziegmont says
Thanks for your comment Arielle. I think you make a very important distinction. The problem that the Jewish people I’ve talked to have with the idea of a Christian Passover is that we are taking their liturgy that has been passed down by the generations and originated long after Jesus died. I also heard that it can be difficult to find things like matzoh especially during the quarantine, so there were objections to our buying it and making it even harder for them to find. If you bake your own unleavened bread (I’m add a link to a very nicely done e-cookbook for Christians at Easter time which includes a recipe for unleavened bread), I think that would assuage that particular worry.
I think the Seder is a beautiful ceremony but, like you, I am choosing not to use it as I have in the past out of respect for my Jewish friends. However, I don’t think anyone would object to us enjoying a delicious meal of lamb, unleavened bread, wine, and even haroset. Haroset is a Jewish Passover staple made with diced apples, honey, and nuts, and it is a very tasty topping for the bread. I think (hope) that it wouldn’t be offensive to make and eat it outside of the Seder.
Adding in the feet washing to your Maundy Thursday meal is a perfect way to observe our Last Supper in my opinion. I think we’re going to do the same, although I would like each person to wash the feet of the next rather than having my husband do everyone’s (although I respect that you are keeping it to one person which is much more like the actual Last Supper).
Arielle says
Oh yes, I am planning on making my own unleavened bread. It’s really easy and really yummy, and adds a special touch. As for feet washing, we have a 9, 7 and 4 year old (all boys), so having an adult set the example, since it is our first time, I feel will be the best approach for us, haha!
Tara Ziegmont says
That’s going to be an adventure! I hope it is a beautiful experience for all of you. Just a thought, maybe write out what you will say before and after ahead of time. That’s something that I would like to do and will of course share, but I don’t think it’s in the cards for this year.
In my house, my husband already feels like he’s a servant to the rest of us (and says so during arguments), so I think it would be more symbolic of servant leadership if either I did everyone’s or if we all did one other person. I should have clarified that above. But my girls are 10 and 13 so a lot older and able to understand the servant leader concept.
Arielle says
Tara, that makes a lot of sense (also chuckling over “says so during arguments” – haha ;). I hope you all have a meaningful ceremony. And, full disclosure, I may totally be participating in the foot washing – we haven’t actually discussed the particulars yet – I just designated my husband earlier for clarity of communication ;).
Tara Ziegmont says
Hi Jesse. Thanks for commenting. I think we need to make a clear distinction, and one that I personally believe is important though I know it is not popular among Christians and especially Evangelicals. Not meaning any offense to you, I do not believe it is my right or duty to try to go on the offensive and convert other people who do not believe in Jesus. Judiasm is a faith and a heritage that believes in God, just a different version of him from Christianity. I personally think it would be disrespectful of me to try to make them believe in my version of God. I respect their right to practice their faith as befits their culture and traditions. Like I said, I know this is not popular among Christians and will likely draw criticism as being a false teaching and as counter Biblical.
What I am trying to say is that the Passover in the Christian Bible can be drawn to Jesus, absolutely. He freed us from our sins just like God freed the Israelites. But I don’t think it’s fair to say that the Jewish Passover as it is presented in their Torah is about Jesus. Their faith is as sacred to them as ours is to us, and they simply don’t believe in Jesus and resent Christians’ attempt to make the Jewish Passover about Him.
As I stated clearly in my post above, I don’t believe I am bowing to pressure. I believe I am acting out of love and respect for those people who have been honest and fair in their explanations to me (including Jenn who has commented here several times and many of my own personal friends who were willing to discuss the issue with me). I think I have done the right thing by removing the Seder script from my post, but I published your comment as a dissenting voice which also has a place here. You are welcome to come back and comment further to clarify and share you view, but I would caution you to remain civil and fair. I will not publish any comment that is hateful or attacking, and I feel like your comment above is flirting with that line.
Jenn says
Hi Jesse,
Tara touched on this, and did a great job. I just want to reinforce our bible, the Tanakh, is very different from your OT. This isn’t often taught in churches, from what I understand, but when the Tanakh was translated into Greek by early Christians, and then other languages, it was done so with Jesus in mind. So, when the OT points to Jesus, please know that the this isn’t the case in the original Hebrew. Believe me, I’ve been learning Hebrew since I was 2 years old so I could read from the Torah. In our Tanakh, the Talmud, Mishnah, etc, the is no Jesus. Judaism is a full and complete religion without Jesus, which many don’t realize. Both religions are valid, but it is always worth remembering, nothing in any of our works mentions Jesus as all. He is a wholly Christian entity to us.*
*Not the Jewish Lorax, someone is bound to disagree with me.
Jennifer Lambert says
Isn’t it wonderful that we can revise our faith and traditions and when we know better, we can do better?
We learned about world religions and festivals and holidays with our history curriculum and researched.
We too used to celebrate Jewish holidays as a family and even at church one year, flavoring them with Messianic teachings, but we realize how that’s offensive and incorrect and we’re doing things differently. The Jewish holidays came about centuries after Jesus walked the earth.
I’ve had many strangers tell us what we’re doing is wrong no matter what we do, but other Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu friends think it’s lovely that we teach our kids anything about other faith traditions.
Tara Ziegmont says
Thank you for your comment Jennifer. I completely agree that it is wonderful that we can revise, learn, and grow in our own faith as well as our respect for and of other faiths. I think it is crucial to our humanity that we allow for differences of opinion and unquestioning respect of those differences. I am really proud of the conversation that is developing in the comments here as we respectfully disagree with one another and learn from one another.
Jenn says
Hi Jennifer,
I think it’s great to teach kids about other cultures and religions! It does foster understanding and tolerance. I am also glad to hear that you understand now why taking the rites and customs from those different cultures is offensive. I love growth!
I’ve Just realized tomorrow is Good Friday, and Sunday is Easter. I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful and fulfilling time. Please eat some carbs for me tomorrow, as I am still forbidden for another couple of days.
Ellie says
Although I’m glad you deleted much of your original post, I’m a bit upset by your new explanation.“In 2021, I came under fire from a small group of Jews who felt my Christian Passover was deeply upsetting. They stalked me on Twitter and left hateful comments (which I promptly deleted) here on this post” . This feels like you’re victimizing yourself and trying to deflect some of the blame away from you and towards the ‘angry Jews’. This seems unnecessary to post as they are not the ones appropriating our sacred traditions. They had every right to be angry and should not have been tone policed and shamed on your page. Also, I think you should note that Christians SHOULD NOT celebrate Passover the way Jewish people do (i.e Seder) unless it is led by a Jewish person. Otherwise, it’s still appropriation rather than appreciation in the presence of a Jew.
Tara Ziegmont says
I’m sorry to hear that you are troubled by my new explanation. I was, in fact, victimized by a very small (fewer than 10) group of Jewish people who called me names and used hate speech regarding my blog, my weight, my Christianity, and my person. I’m sorry if the fact that I called that out offends you, but I will not change the fact that I did call it out. See, I think ANYONE who bullies someone else, regardless of whether the attacker is morally right or morally wrong, is wrong. Hatefulness is never okay; two wrongs don’t make a right. Did those people have a right to be angry? Sure. Did they have a right to personally attack me? No, they did not.
Thank you for sharing your opinion regarding Christians holding their own Seder, but yours is one person’s opinion. As I wrote in the post, I spoke to a dozen different people, all Jewish, some practicing and some non-practicing, and the majority thought Christians holding a traditional Seder was fine as long as it sticks to the Jewish practice and doesn’t bring in any Christian ideas or themes. The overwhelming opinion from my own conversations was that it was “weird” (direct quote from one friend), but not objectionable. I’m sure there are a lot of Jewish people on both sides of the issue, so I won’t debate with you who is right here and who is wrong. I am simply sharing what was told to me by Jewish friends who claimed they were being forthright and honest.
Jenn says
Hi Everyone! I am going to *try* and keep this brief as, I think I have already made most of my points. I have seen a lot of people here say that Passover is part of your heritage and tradition, which was (is) confusing to me because Christians worked so hard to separate themselves from us, as well as followed a man they believed to be the Messiah, which isn’t what Judaism is about. I think, what it comes down to is a deep misunderstanding of Judaism and our beliefs. I am not a rabbi, nor a Jewish educator, so I am not the best person to explain this but: In our Bible, the Tanakh, there is no Jesus. There is nothing to point to Jesus, there is nothing that can be interpreted to mean Jesus. All interpretations involving Jesus came after Christians broke off and started their own religion. This is also why many of us don’t see us as having a shared heritage. Our bibles are too different, and in the intervening years this has become a very dangerous time of year for Jews, because, for centuries, we were attacked at this time of year for perceived crimes against Jesus.
That leads me to my next point: The Pharisees. Using Pharisees as an insult is antisemetic. They are actually the precursors to rabbinic Judaism. Here is more information about the different ancient Jewish sects: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/lets-talk-about-sects/
There’s much more to say about antisemitism in general. It’s not just hate speech and violence. It’s also microaggressions, speaking over Jewish people, or explaining to them why they are wrong to feel upset about things. Playing into stereotypes, even if you think they are complimentary, etc. Many times no malice is intended, but they are behaviors that need to be unlearned. I believe that everyone involved in these conversations are doing so in good faith, so I am not saying this in anger, just as education.
Spring is a time of celebration for many religions and cultures. There are similarities in celebrations too. I know eggs are important for both Jews and Christians this time of year. I know (think) you are celebrating the rebirth of Jesus, much like the earth renews itself every spring. I know that Pesach (Hebrew word for passover) is the root of several language’s word for Easter. I think it’s important to acknowledge our similarities and rejoice in the rituals we have separately created for this time of year. I get the impression the people I am speaking with are not Catholic, but they too have some beautiful rituals for this time of year, Jesus already included.
I was going to talk about Christian Hegemony and Supersessionism, which is prevalent in this country, and why borrowing traditions from us might not seem like a big deal when they absolutely are, but instead, I will leave these links: https://christianhegemony.org/what-is-christian-hegemony and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersessionism along with this data about how few of us there are: https://www.jewishdatabank.org/content/upload/bjdb/2019_US_Jewish_Population_(AJYB,_Sheskin,_Dashefsky)_DataBank_Final.pdf
If you want to learn the basics of a Pesach (passover) Seder (without copying it please) check here: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/passover-pesach-101/
I truly hope all of you are invited to a seder hosted by Jewish people at some point. I think sharing customs can lead to a greater understanding, and frankly, you haven’t lived until you’ve heard 30 or so (My family is big) people singing about a goat, off key, on purpose. I’d stay away from the fully Jewish ritual foods like charoset (Sorry Tara, if I ever meet you I will make you some.)
I will close by saying, I’m not the Jewish Lorax, I can only speak for me. Here is a blog post written by a Rabbi, which will probably be more clear and contradict me at points, which is normal in Judaism: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/what-do-we-do-about-christian-seders/
I hope I haven’t confused things too much. I still encourage everyone to follow Jewish voices online. As with any minority, the point is to listen first, then ask questions. Don’t, however, try to convert anyone, because that goes poorly.
Jenn says
I am so sorry that people made comments about your body. That is never appropriate and should not have happened. I do agree with Ellie about your wording. Not everyone who reads your posts are good (Just basic statistics), and often it only takes a hint of “permission” for someone with hate in their heart to attack us. The Tree of Life shooter springs to mind as a fairly recent example. I don’t know what was said about your Christianity, and I am sure it hurt you deeply, but please consider the damage than can be done to an entire synagogue because one unhinged person decided they were given the go-ahead to make us pay. I know you don’t see us as a majority/ minority, but we are, and those dynamics can get dangerous.
At the end of the day though, this is your blog, your platform, and your post, you can do whatever you wish on it, and your feelings are true to you, and that’s important. Words have power, and we all need to remember that.
Robin says
I stumbled upon this post searching for Resurrection Sunday meal inspiration. As a Christian very much interested in Jewish history, I can understand the desire to participate in a Seder, as I’ve had that longing for many years myself & have not had the privilege of being a humble guest of a Jewish family. I do understand the difference between the last meal Christ shared with his disciples & the Seder which came to be years later. I feel a kinship for those of Jewish descent, as who knows if my family may be descended from any of the ten “lost” tribes of Israel that were scattered throughout the world after their release from captivity, as well as the fact that my Savior walked in Jewish flesh. However, for Christians He BECAME our Passover as written in I Corinthians 5:7 & therefore Christ is very much about Passover for me. I would never attempt to host a Seder, but do feel it entirely appropriate for Christians to have a Passover meal to celebrate the forthcoming acknowledgement of Christ’s resurrection & defeat of death for all who choose to accept His gift of life. What we Christian’s should do is acknowledge that Easter is derived from a pagan fertility ceremony in worship of Ashtoreth – Ishtar & has absolutely nothing to do with Resurrection Sunday.
Jenn says
Quick correction: There were 12 tribes of Israel.