Introducing the "Next Year in Person" Campaign

passover has always been my favorite holiday. it’s just the most marvelous, exquisite blend of all of the things i love about judaism: family, tradition, ancient questions and stories, delicious food…

more than anything, i love that it ushers in this profound sense of interconnectedness—the feeling that the words we’re reading are reverberating well beyond the walls of our dining rooms. that there’s a real magic to our shared script. and that what we’re feeling is also being felt by thousands of other jewish families all over the world, all at the same time.

i know, i know. #DEEP.

but really, that’s how i feel.

when i was little, sitting at the seder table, i’d try to mentally illustrate that concept: i would imagine elijah toddling through my neighborhood, visiting doorstep after doorstep and sipping from cup after cup. the silent (and presumably rather tipsy) visitor connecting us all.

it’s that unmistakable, unshakable, drunk-elijah thing (just go with it) that always manages to persist. no matter the circumstances. no matter the bad or good news. no matter if we’re sitting across from each other at the same table or beaming at one another through a screen.

we all know that passover’s going to look different when it comes around again in a few weeks—and that it has to. to resist this very necessary change would be irresponsible. instead, most of us will begrudgingly change plans, cancel flights, and set about planning virtual seders. and the resources i’ll share in the coming days will be intended to help you out with that.

but my aim in sharing them isn’t to prove that a virtual seder can be “tolerable” or “do-able.” it’s to show you that this year’s plans could be just as lively, vibrant, and meaningful as the ones of years past. in fact, with the deliberate accommodations we’ll have to make for the distance between us, it’s very possible that your 2020/5780 seder could end up being even more enriching, even more interesting and special than any other in recent memory. instead of diminishing the beauty of the holiday, these challenges might accentuate it, reminding us that the most beautiful, special things are worth fighting for.

so today, to kick things off, i’m launching what i’m calling the “next year in person” campaign (GET IT?!!!). my hope is that each of the posts in the series inspires you to be brave, to act wisely, and to take these next inevitable steps with courage. i hope you’ll choose to do what’s right for our country and our collective health. and i hope you’ll understand that the initial disappointment of a passover apart—because, admittedly, there’s plenty of disappointment—doesn’t have to stretch all the way through to the eighth night.

this year, by the light of a laptop, or the hum of a landline.

this year, watching the glow of an ipad propped up on a pile of books, or listening for the buzz of a cell phone.

this year, maybe, in the quiet of an empty apartment, alone.

but next year…

…stay safe and healthy, friends, and check back tomorrow for the first post.