Sharing 38 years of Passover Seders
Blachman/Goodman Seder, 1953, Portsmouth, VA. Standing: cousin Zelma Rivin and husband, Bernard; seated left to right: Belle Goodman, Moss’s dad Julian Blachman, Moss’s mother Ella Blachman, Moss Blachman (age 13)
By Moss Blachman
Passover seder at the Blachman family home in Portsmouth, Virginia was a happy, noisy, joyous occasion. My parents, Julian and Ella Blachman were married in 1935. My mother was one of eight children from the Caplan family of Clarksburg, West Virginia and my father was one of five from a large family grouping in Portsmouth and the surrounding area. My parents were introduced to each other as the Caplan and Blachman patriarchs knew each other well. The rest, as they say, is history. The family was close not only in proximity, but also in sharing family celebrations and holidays together.
I grew up in a Conservadox environment (Orthodox synagogue that eventually affiliated with the Conservative movement) where going to Shabbat services was the norm and we kept a kosher home. My father was an insurance agent and viewed involvement in the community, both secular and Jewish, as a fundamental responsibility of a Jew. My mother was responsible for our home and was also involved in the community. She was a talented pianist, playing for virtually every Jewish occasion in our hometown of Portsmouth.
All the Jewish holidays were celebrated with gusto, but the one that stands out most for me is Passover. Our entire family along with another branch of our family (the Belle Goodmans) always celebrated together. For my entire youth, one night the seder was at our place and on the other it was at Aunt Belle’s home. My sister and cousins (all eleven of us: just on the Blachman side) filled the children’s tables and the adults had their tables. At least thirty of us would gather annually for the recitation of the Passover Haggadah. My father led the service and beginning in the early 1940s used what was at the time a new Haggadah from the Reconstructionist wing of the Conservative movement. It was originally published in 1942. The Haggadah is the text that is read during the seder, as we tell and retell the story of the Exodus every year. The version we used was deemed quite progressive for those times.
Among my best memories of the Seder, as most children will probably say, were finding the Afikomen (or hidden piece of matzo that when found, the finder receives a gift) and reciting the four questions. The four questions are asked by the youngest child present, and some years it was quite entertaining as we had to figure out who was the youngest at the table from among all the cousins.
The house and the food for the meal were lovingly and carefully prepared for the holiday, under the close supervision of my mother. Everything was strictly kosher, bought from Bernie’s Deli, who carried all of the Passover supplies. We made our own gefilte fish from scratch. I remember the delight my parents expressed in the years Saul Fass, who owned a local fish company, was able to get sturgeon for us to use. I still remember the excitement I felt as a child, when I watched as the fish was loaded into the grinder, and especially when I was given the opportunity to turn the crank.
I left Portsmouth for college (Brandeis University) and then off to the Air Force from March 1962-September 1966. For several years, I had been stationed at Shaw Air force Base in Sumter, South Carolina. But I was always able to bring some folks together or join with others for a Seder, even in Vietnam. It was a strange feeling not to be at my parents’ Seder table, especially after I had two children, Aliza and Karen.
After the Air Force, I began my academic career as a professor at the University of South Carolina. It was in Columbia around 1978 that I met my long-time close friend and partner in community engagement, Samuel Tenenbaum. We bonded over politics and Jewish Federation issues and became great friends.
Samuel and I share common upbringings and basic Jewish values, such as Tikkun Olam or repair the world. We believed then and still believe today in the fundamental message that, as our Haggadah says, “The victory over the first Pharaoh reminds us that the time will come when all the Pharaohs of the world will be vanquished, when right will conquer might…and all men [and women] will be brothers [and sisters].” We are moved by this sentiment and the words of Emma Lazarus who stated, “until we are all free, we are none of us free.” Likewise, as Martin Luther King said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Moss Blachman leading the seder service.
We took on numerous projects in both the Jewish and secular communities. When Richard Riley was Governor, Samuel orchestrated a trip to Israel with a large group, roughly 2/3 Christian and 1/3 Jewish and I was fortunate to go on that historic venture. This incredible experience only further prodded us to continue reaching out across the broader Columbia community. Over the years, we organized book clubs and read books that dealt with Christian/Jewish relationships and invited people from across the community to join us. We were active in civic organizations and projects.
In 1982, I took a Sabbatical from teaching at the University and spent the next two and a half years in Washington, D.C., where I met Penny Siegel, who was from Walterboro, South Carolina. We were married in May 1984. (Coincidentally, Samuel married Inez Moore exactly one week later.) Penny and I moved back to Columbia and I returned to the University in late December 1984.
In early 1985. Samuel and I began discussions about hosting a seder, like the ones we had each experienced as children. We realized from our book club and other activities what an impact inviting diverse guests could have. We would share our favorite holiday with all of the special traditions, food, and especially, meaning, with as many folks as we could. Governor Riley and First Lady Tunky Riley were among the guests at that first seder.
We have hosted the seder together nearly every year since. This will be year 38. During that time, we have been anchored by a core of family and close friends In addition, Penny and I had two children: Max and Julia. The first night’s seder is the one with many guests (around 27 each year) and the second night’s seder is still reserved for immediate family. It gives me great joy that most of our children, wherever they are, have been able to make the pilgrimage to Columbia to be at our seder table. Every year everyone pitches in to make the seder work, from rearranging furniture, setting up the room, setting the tables, even peeling the eggs, making the salt water, serving the food and clearing the table. Samuel has made or brought his famous and much sought after, incredible brisket, I make the charoset (and the younger children always helped in peeling and dicing the apples), the karpas and lead the seder service. Meanwhile, Penny is the overall organizer and supervisor to make sure it always looks beautiful, and all goes as planned.
Over these many years, we have been privileged to have hosted elected officials from federal, state, and local offices, university presidents, deans, department chairs and faculty, artists, business and community leaders, as well as college students who needed a home for the holiday.
Penny Siegel Blachman holds the family Haggadah.
And, the Haggadah? Of course, it is still the one from my parents’ table. The same progressive Haggadah, although we now add many other readings to ensure it is understood how relevant it is to the world of today!
Moss’s Salami and Matzo Brei
Ingredients
1 – Hebrew National salami, sliced thinly: 1/4 – 1/2 inch. [Our family loves this so we make about 1 ½ pounds (a lot of fried salami)
4 – 6 matzos
10 – 12 extra large eggs beaten
Pepper to taste
Oil
Directions
In one frying pan, cook the salami until browned (it will curl up slightly) but not overdone. Turn each piece over and continue until that side begins to show it is crispy. Remove all of the pieces and pat dry (removing the grease) with paper towels.
Note: Most of the time we make the salami separate from the Matza Brei. Sometimes, I cook it in with the Maza Brei. In either case, I pat the salami slices dry. If I am including some of the fried salami in the Matza Brei, I cut each piece of salami into quarters.
In the mixing bowl with the beaten eggs, crumble the matzos into bite size pieces and mix it gently so that the matza pieces are covered by the eggs.
If you use the same large frying pan, you can use the drippings left from the salami and do not need to add oil. If you do not use that same frying pan, add oil (vegetable or canola). Begin with medium high heat. Once glistening, add the matzo mixture and give a good stir. Continue to stir until the edges of the matzos are browned. Add pepper to taste.
Serve the matzo brie on a plate with the salami on the side. Of course, if you cook the salami in the Matza Brei, it will all be together.
Moss’s Charoset
Ingredients
8-12 apples (various varieties – I choose a couple of Red Delicious and Granny Smith as well as Gala or Honey Crisp)
Honey
Cinnamon
Manischewitz concord grape wine
Finely chopped pecans – very small pieces.
Directions
Peel the apples, then cut ¼ inch slices off the apple. Dice them into ¼ X ¼ inch pieces. Add honey, cinnamon, the chopped pecan pieces, and a liberal amount of wine. Constantly stir it all together. The apples will soak and retain the wine flavor. This mixture needs to sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours and best for 48 hours. Check on it every few hours and stir up well. The liquid will continue to infuse it. It is best served after a day or two.