Traditionally, the Passover festivities are a two day affair so I hit the Metro again to return to Pudong for another Passover Seder. This time it was at a American ex-pat friend's house, not the Kerry Hotel, and the Seder was the Rabbi Yonah Bookstein's 10 Minute Seder, not Chabad's 3 hour Seder. Finding the complex was easy enough, the buildings in the complex were laid out strange so it took a bit of effort to find the place but I made it on time (enough). While the Seder wasn't 10 minutes, it was pretty quick. Dinner was very good. I finally got home made matzo ball soup, the one major Passover dish Chabad forgot, with an IKEA smoked salmon. Both were very good, Passover simply doesn't feel right without smoked fish and matzo ball soup. We then did the traditional chicken, potatoes, and vegetables all of which were nice. Finally I had a excellent home made cheese cake, it wasn't too sweet which is how I like my cheese cakes. We all then chatted about the ex-pat life until about 11:00PM when I had to return to Puxi.
I would say my Passover experiences in Shanghai, while different from each other, were both nice. It is always cool to see how similar major Jewish holidays are, even when you are on the other side of the world. It is also nice that if you don't have family to spend Passover with, since you are in China and your family is in New Jersey, someone will invite you to their Seder. The Maggid (the reading of the Passover story) begins with a short paragraph proclaiming "this [matzo] is the bread of affliction that our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Whoever is hungry, let him come and eat; whoever is in need, let him come and conduct the Seder of Passover. This year [we are] here; next year in the land of Israel. This year [we are] slaves; next year [we will be] free people." It is nice that this sentiment is more than just empty words. Happy Passover all.
2 Comments
Dad
4/12/2017 08:55:58 pm
Well said. Glad u were well taken care of by our brethren. Missed u in NJ nonetheless
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gramma m.
4/13/2017 01:31:00 am
Passover isn't the same without you with us, but it doesn't' seem that different in China if you know Chabad. Your mother's dinner was the same--spectacular!
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AuthorI am a junior at Juniata College spending a year studying abroad at East China Normal University. Please feel free to join my on my journey to China and beyond. Archives
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