By Dc. Gary DiLallo
Contributing writer & photographer
A ritual Seder Supper on Tuesday of Holy Week was hosted by Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Endicott, Broome County, with over 150 people in attendance.
The parish has been hosting this event since 1980 to recognize and celebrate the Jewish roots of the Christian faith in a ritualistic manner. However, in 2020, COVID restrictions prevented the gathering. This year’s event revived the celebration.
The Seder is a Jewish ritual service and ceremonial dinner held the first night of Passover to celebrate the sparing of the Jews from the 10th plague and their release from slavery in Egypt.
The Seder service began with the recitation of kiddush, proclaiming the holiness of the holiday. While there are 15 steps in the Jewish Ritual, the parish celebrated six. Traditionally, rituals take place before the food is served while readings and songs take place after the meal.
Seder can last from 30 minutes to all night and is followed by a leisurely supper. For the ritual part of the evening, guests were served symbolic items of four sips of wine; parsley dipped in saltwater; flat, dry, cracker-like matzah; hard-boiled egg; parsley; radish; and lamb. Each signifies an event in the life of the Jewish people.
A traditional meal of barbecued chicken was then served.
Terri Blosser, chairperson for the event, said she was overjoyed to be able to put this together. She added that “this year is not what it has been in the past due to parish linkage changes and the COVID aftermath”; however, she said she is “looking forward to welcoming all the parishes of Western Broome to participate in the Seder next year.”
“Praying the same prayers as Jesus during his Last Supper as a practicing Jew brings others closer to him and gives a better understanding of the Jewish Passover Feast,” Blosser added.
