Number 11: Pesach is an extraordinary 8 day Festival celebration of Freedom. We celebrate the Israelites  escaping the clutches of Egypt and its harsh Pharoah .

We have been hosting our Pesach Seder for many years. When we first arrived back in South Africa in 1990, after my Mom had injured her shoulder and could not host it,  we held our first Seder in the double garage of our home at 24 Quo Vadis Road, Tygerhof, as our house was too small for the family and friends we wanted to invite. The Seder (meaning “Order”) so familiar and consistent each year – the order of the proceedings, the songs and their specific tunes. Yet each year is distinctive and different from the previous one. Sheryl spends substantial energy buying and preparing the food and arranging beautiful table settings. Raymond prepares Readings and Discussions that ensures engagement and participation of each person around the table with the specific issues of the day  – both locally and globally, as they relate to the profound themes of Pesach: Freedom; taking personal responsibility, Social Justice, deep reflection…  When my parents z”l were alive and my brother and his family were in Cape Town we had a larger family presence.  Nowadays the family still in Cape Town continue to participate and we are surrounded more by close friends and sometimes visitors to and students in Cape Town.

Pesach, always a highlight of our Jewish year, is a very special Chag. The central obligation of each person present is to focus on the requirement of every Jewish person in every generation to regard him or herself as having personally gone out of Egypt and to grapple with the implications thereof. It is a time for social interaction of people we are close to and of reflection. Celebrating Pesach in our home is a hugely enjoyable and meaningful experience. Many guests have remarked that the best Seders that they have experienced have been in our home.

Written by Sheryl