Each year as families and friends gather around the Passover Seder table we recount the story of Exodus, of a journey to freedom, of standing up for what we believe in not just in words but also in actions, and the story of partnerships.
The partnership of Yocheved (Moses’ mother) and Batya (Pharaoh’s daughter) – two women working together to protect, care for, and raise Moses.
The partnership of Moses and Aaron – a pair with complementing strengths must work together to develop their message, spread the word, and lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
The partnership of God and the Jewish people – reinforcing the importance of combining belief in something greater with personal action, whether in leadership or taking part in a developing movement, the Jewish people put one foot in front of the other standing up for justice and moving towards a better tomorrow.
Though the Passover story takes place thousands of years ago, we have seen the sequels throughout time. Our past urges us to identify a problem and to take action to change it. The important thing is to remember that we are never alone in our efforts. The development of partnerships is important; it is essential.
We will join together in just a few nights to enjoy the Seder meal, some may clean their houses of any leavened products, and we may even hear ourselves complain about running out of ways to use Matzah over the week. Many of our holidays include tradition about food. We say “Let all who are hungry come eat” and yet, we realize that there are many people who struggle to find the food that they need to sustain themselves. We know it is not enough to identify and recognize the problem so with words, with actions, and – most importantly – with partnerships the Camp Kalsman community has started to use our resources to make change. Last summer we partnered with a local food bank to provide fresh produce from our garden. Food bank volunteers harvested over 700 lbs of food carefully planted and tended to by our camp community.
This year, we will move to push the partnership even further with a goal of donating 2,000 lbs of fresh produce from our garden. This is a wonderful start – but we would like to invite you into the partnership. Together, we believe that the Camp Kalsman community can find a way to fill local foods banks with nearly 2 tons (yes 4,000 lbs) of fresh, canned, and dried foods. Two Tons Together.
We hope that you will enjoy the recipes found in our Camp Kalsman Passover Resource (all featuring foods we grow at camp) but note, too, that we have included the “Four Questions of Hunger” with ways that you can join us in meeting our goal.
Wishing your family a wonderful season of renewal, freedom, and partnership!
Next Year in Jerusalem – Next Summer at Camp Kalsman!