Shortly before sundown Monday, Sister Mary Roy Weiss, director of campus ministry at Baltimore?s College of Notre Dame, greeted more than 50 students, staff, faculty, friends and family ? Christian and Jewish ? in the school?s Doyle Formal Lounge and briefly spoke of the connection between seder and Catholic Mass.
“The seder dinner is in honor of the Jewish people who were freed from slavery in Egypt,” Weiss said in an interview Monday. “Because Jesus was Jewish, he was celebrating this Passover meal as a good Jew the night before he died. This was where he and his apostles met at the Last Supper.”
The word “Passover” comes from the night of the last of the 10 plagues, when it is believed the Angel of Death saw the lamb?s blood on the Israelites? doors, and “passed over” them ? not killing their firstborn.
Though the College of Notre Dame?s campus ministry held seder dinners previously, there was a brief hiatus before the the ecumenical tradition was reborn a year ago with approximately 30 members of the college community attending. The seder is open to the entire campus.
“Last year, I approached Sister Mary Roy,” said Paula Simon, an education department staffer, “and asked if she was interested in resurrecting the seder dinner. And she approached Rachel Smilow, a student, and together we co-led the organizing committee.”
Other seder committee members include Sherry Berlow, an administrative assistant, and Suzanne Curtian, the food services director.
Curtian, of course, will provide the traditional seder unleavened bread, matzo ball soup, gefilte fish and vegetables, as well the saltwater and bitter herbs that represent the tears and difficulty of slavery.
“The setting is beautiful, the meal is great, and the spirit is something to experience,” Weiss said.
Smilow, who is from Long Island, N.Y., said two of her sisters came down from New York for the occasion.
“Basically I run it like a traditional Jewish seder,” Smilow said. “It?s a family kind of thing, and we keep an eye on everybody, making sure everybody is participating, and we tell the story of Passover.”
The seder follows the Haggadah, which includes the prayer part of the seder, the Passover story of the Hebrews? exodus from Egypt, sacred songs, Hebrew and English prayers, and a full seder meal.
“It is a time to remember all the great things God has done in our lives,” Weiss said.
“I describe it sometimes as the Jewish Thanksgiving,” Smilow said.
