Jewish Press of Pinellas County

Celebrating family traditions, freedom on Passover


 

 

“Sunrise, sunset. Swiftly fly the years. One season following another. Laden with happiness and tears.” These are the words of Tevye, the impoverished milkman, leader in his Jewish community, husband of Goldie, and father of five daughters, in Fiddler on the Roof.

In 1894, Sholem Alechem began writing about Tevye the Dairyman in a collection of short stories. The Broadway musical, conceived by Joseph Stein based on those stories, opened in 1964. It was not until 1971 that the film version of the musical was released.

Through this poignant story we learn about the struggles Tevye the Dairyman is faced with to uphold the traditions of his people. The story, set in 1905 in the Ukrainian village of Anatevka, provides a commentary on the essence of humanity, what it means to be a part of a family and the position of tradition within a world that is changing quickly.

Isn’t it remarkable that some of the same struggles Tevye and his family faced are still relevant today? Upholding family traditions and wanting the very best for our children is paramount to everything we do. Just as Tevye consults with the matchmaker and G-d for suitable spouses for his daughters, I see myself trying to map out my daughter’s future and impending happiness.

My daughter will, G-d willing, be celebrating her 28th birthday on the last day of Passover this year. I remember being in the hospital giving birth (a couple weeks earlier than planned) and realizing that we would not be present at a Seder that year. These were in the days long before Zoom or video-chatting.

Passover commemorates the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. It is a celebration of freedom, as told to us in the Haggadah. It is a powerful tale that we are commanded to remember and relive each year as if we were there personally.

Perhaps being born on or around the Passover holiday gives a child an innate sense of “free-spiritedness;” enables that individual to go through life with freedom and unabashed self-determination. Thus is the case with my daughter, Aimee. From the time she was born, she has followed her own path, made her own rules, and overcome obstacles and impediments along the way. From her fashion sense to her education and career path, she has always done it her way. She graduated high school early and began her studies at Palm Beach State College. After receiving her Associates Degree, she made aliya and enlisted in the Israel Defense Force, serving for two years at a base in Hebron. Like many Israelis post-army, she embarked on an adventure. Aimee chose to explore New Zealand for four months, mostly without an agenda or plan, just traveling as the wind would take her.

She’s back in the States now and finished her bachelor’s degree in the spring of 2020 as the world shutdown due to COVID-19. Job searching has not been easy during this time, but she was able to secure a position as the Southeast director of Garin Tzabar, which is a program of the Israeli Scouts and aids young people throughout the diaspora who want to make aliya and serve in the IDF.

I tell you all this as she has just sprung her latest quest on me. Since her job is basically remote, she’s contemplating buying an RV and traveling around the states finding new adventure and opportunities along the way. Is this the path that I had envisioned? Not exactly. Do I constantly think about her finding her bashert and beginning her own family? Absolutely. Do I have the trust and confidence in her and her dreams to allow and embrace this sense of “freedom”? I don’t have a choice. This is her life and I am so very proud of the confident young woman she has become.

This year, once again, we will most likely not physically be with our loved ones and families in person for the Passover Seder. Fortunately, we have technology that will allow us to share our Seder experiences and be with each other in a safe way. We can rejoice in our freedom as we re-tell the story of our exodus from Egypt and slavery as we have been doing for centuries. All the while, I can’t help but hear Tevye’s words, “Sunrise, sunset. Swiftly fly the years. One season following another. Laden with happiness and tears.”

Please feel free to reach out to me at the Federation office, on social media, or email – mkaufman@jewishgulfcoast.org.

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