Passover is all about storytelling. With the seder offering a script, props, and prompts, even the most uninformed or introverted among us can fulfill the mitzvah of teaching our children that we were once slaves in Egypt. And it’s in the telling of the Exodus — the unifying, timeless story of the Jewish people — that we reconnect generationally to our history and identity.
Recognizing the enormous power of storytelling to unify and connect us, we’ve incorporated it into the celebration of UJA-Federation’s centennial. Settling and caring for millions of immigrants on these shores; helping found, grow, and defend the modern State of Israel; building the hospitals, social service agencies, and Jewish community centers that anchor our neighborhoods; rescuing and resettling almost a million Jews from the former Soviet Union; providing for the spiritual and physical needs of people in times of crisis and every day — the story of UJA-Federation these last 100 years is the story of all of us.
We call the project “Your Story Is Our Story,” and it’s filled with memories and experiences that are at once completely unique and very familiar:
The woman whose 94-year-old mother only recently handed over the responsibility of making gefilte fish from scratch, to be cooked by three generations of family this Passover.
The émigré from Ukraine who cherishes the freedom to walk down the street as a proud Jew.
The married couple who first met on a UJA mission to Israel.
The 12-year-old boy who was placed with his brother in a UJA-Federation-supported facility for children in 1944, and is now an 85-year-old donor.
The “only in New York stories” we all have.
There are stories that are funny and quirky, and stories that break your heart.
I encourage you to read through them and then add your own, as many as you’d like. You can share what makes your seder different, what makes your family a little crazy, a memorable childhood moment, or the sights, smells, and sounds you most associate with the Jewish holidays.
On Passover, a holiday that mandates we share our people’s story, these glimpses into other lives are a forceful reminder that the diversity of expression and experience are not a barrier to being a community. Quite the opposite. These stories — as different as they are — are woven together by the common thread of our tradition and values, and indelibly connect us to each other, to the past, and to future generations.
So what better moment than Passover to tell your story?
Chag sameach,
Eric
P.S. We’re fast at work writing the first chapter of our second century story — and sure to be included is last Thursday evening’s Centennial Bash, attended by almost 1,300 people. Perhaps most notable, this “party with a purpose” brought together multiple generations of UJA-Federation supporters, almost evenly split between those under 35 and those above.
An auspicious start to our next century!