Growing up in a predominantly black and Latino neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Communication freshman Alexis Isaacs knew few Jewish students before coming to Northwestern. At her high school, where about 85 percent of the student body was black, Christianity was the dominant religion.
On Thursday, Isaacs attended her first seder, along with about 120 other students who came together for the fifth annual Black Jewish Freedom Seder in Hardin Hall. The event celebrated the common struggle for freedom shared by both the black and Jewish community.
“To bring two communities together for causes of freedom is so essential and a really wonderful opportunity to be with people of similar struggles,” said SESP sophomore Scott Topal, president of NU Hillel. “We are all so caught up and busy in our day-to-day lives that to take a step back and to appreciate our past is really important.”
Traditional “soul food” like fried chicken, vegetables and mashed potatoes shared the table with Jewish matzah, haroset (a mixture of wine, nuts, fruit and cinnamon) and karpas, a fresh vegetable dipped in saltwater. Students took seats around eight-person tables set up in the hall.
At each table setting, students received a packet with information on the history of black-Jewish relations, a schedule of the night’s events and traditional readings that were recited throughout the evening.
“I really enjoyed the readings,” said Weinberg freshman Candace Carter, who read the Jewish Haggadah readings for the first time. “We are all of different communities, but we are all minorities. It’s good to know that there are other people to rely on for support.”
During the celebration, emcees Adam Yalowitz, a Weinberg freshman, and Jonathan Rosenblatt, a Weinberg sophomore and former Daily staffer, read from the Haggadah, which in Hebrew means “the telling.”
The evening was designed to be an interactive event, engaging all attendees, Yalowitz said. As the emcees led the ceremony, each table was selected to recite aloud a part of the readings.
Rabbi Capers Funnye, a black rabbi from the Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in Chicagoqw, was the keynote speaker. The seder planning committee found Funnye through an article in The New York Times, said Weinberg junior Josie Menkin, who was in charge of planning the event.
“For those of you who are Jewish or African-American or neither, it’s a blessing to be here,” Funnye said. “We have to come together again for a struggle that still goes on for justice and equality in our society. We must act to keep and bring that dream to a reality so it is not just a dream, but a reality that everyone can realize and see in our lifetime.”
The number of people who turned out for the event exceeded expectations, Menkin said. The planning committee began preparing for the event at the beginning of Spring Quarter.
“It’s so exciting to be able not only to fill up all the tables, but to also have to pull up an extra table is great,” she said.
The celebration concluded with a choral performance by the Northwestern Community Ensemble, a gospel choir at NU, and the opportunity for students of all races, ages and religions to mingle and talk before leaving for the night.
“We are all minorities and it’s a great way to build community between two different groups,” Isaacs said. “But this is just a stepping stone. If this can be a way for blacks and Jews to come together, maybe next time we can have a meeting between blacks and Asians. As long as we all come together, it’s great for our community.”
