For Am Kolel, freedom is something everyone should enjoy, not only the Jewish community. That’s the message of its April 19 interfaith Seder in Bethesda.
Members of Am Kolel — which means “an inclusive people” — gathered around the Seder table with members of the Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Congregation, a church that neighbors the Rockville Jewish Renewal community.
The Seder was divided into four parts, reflecting the Passover Seder’s traditional four cups of wine. Each cup represented a theme related to freedom: environmental and climate justice, world struggles for freedom, democracy and the future, interspersed with social justice songs performed by DC Labor Chorus.
“[Freedom] is essential to our experience as people,” Rabbi David Shneyer of Am Kolel said. “It’s at the heart of who we are as people throughout history and since ancient times. … Every time we say Kiddush, there’s always a reference to our freedom.”
Guest speakers presented during each portion of the Seder, which was co-organized by Shneyer and Rev. Abhi Janamanchi of Cedar Lane.
Joelle Novey, the director of Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light, shared her insight on climate issues and Sarah Redden of the Interfaith Partnership for the Chesapeake discussed environmental concerns in Maryland. A representative from the nonprofit Green America helped educate attendees on how to invest in environmentally friendly banks.
Taria Blazhevych, a Ukrainian mother sponsored by a member of the Am Kolel community, shared her story of sheltering with her two young sons in a Kyiv metro station after the Russian invasion for the segment on world struggles.
Shneyer spoke to the importance of hearing the Ukrainian perspective, referencing the ongoing war: “This is a country many of us Jews have ancestors or grandparents [from] and we have such a connection to Ukraine as a people. There’s a people there that is struggling for their right to be free, fighting oppression.”
This event is not the first time the Am Kolel community has stood in solidarity with Ukraine. When Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, Shneyer and members of the community organized a communal fast and protest — Ta’anit Tzibbur — of a couple hundred people outside the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Attendees of the interfaith Seder also saw a recording of Rabbi Arik Ascherman, the former director and senior rabbi of Rabbis for Human Rights, who founded the Israeli nonprofit Torat Tzedek (Torah of Justice). Through the human rights organization, Ascherman is dedicated to assisting Palestinians in defending themselves and their West Bank land.
Shneyer wanted to hear from someone working on the ground in Israel with Palestinian residents for security and peace, citing the importance of welcoming one’s neighbor, the mitzvah he said is mentioned most frequently in the Torah.
“We can’t truly be free as Jews or as Israelis unless others, our neighbors, are free,” Shneyer said. “[Our neighbors] are also facing freedom struggles and we have to understand them. If you don’t know the struggles of your neighbor, then that’s contrary to our teachings.”
He continued that the Book of Genesis 12 is “very clear” about the land of Israel and Palestine being “promised to all the descendants of Abraham.”
“The land is cherished by two peoples,” Shneyer said. “Martin Buber, the Jewish philosopher, wrote a book about this a while ago called ‘A Land of Two Peoples,’ and so we can’t really be free as Israelis or as Jews unless the other people on the land also have their freedom and also the right to self-determination.”
Diana Eisenstat, a representative from Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s office, and Deborah Vagins, the national campaign director of Equal Rights Advocates, spoke about democracy in the United States, followed by an opportunity for attendees to take home postcards to write to their congressional representatives about a topic of their choosing. Suggested topics included issues related to health care, climate justice or aid through the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Cherie Brown, the founding director of the National Coalition Building Institute, led a session for attendees to engage with one another about their hopes and dreams for the future.
In a nod to the Ten Plagues, attendees heard a list of 10 ways to “resist [President Donald] Trump’s neofascism,” written by Robert Reich, the former secretary of labor. The list includes protecting undocumented families, supporting LGBTQ+ communities, boycotting corporations aligned with authoritarianism, acting locally and sharing reputable news to counteract propaganda.
Attendees dug into a potluck Seder after some group singing. Shneyer hopes that attendees walked away with a sense of connectedness, understanding that “there are allies in this struggle.”
Why is this Seder different from all other Seders? It’s interfaith, with representation from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities. Despite differences between the three faith groups, their underlying principles are the same.
“The messianic vision is peace and freedom for all people, so it’s kind of natural [to make freedom our theme],” Shneyer said.
