For the previous 12 annual Passover holidays, Marnie Fienberg of Tysons, Va., would host the ritual Seder dinner at her home with the help of her Pittsburgh mother-in-law, Joyce Fienberg.
There, the women became a “seamless team” in continuing a tradition that Joyce Fienberg had started years earlier in Pittsburgh, when she would host university students and others with no place to go for the Seder.
“She had a tradition of inviting a lot of people to any holiday meal,” Marnie Fienberg said. “It was what she took a lot of pride in.”
On Oct. 27, 2018, an anti-Semitic gunman killed Joyce Fienberg and 10 other worshippers from three congregations meeting at the Tree of Life / Or L’Simcha Synagogue in Squirrel Hill.
As Marnie Fienberg grieved her loss, she concluded that one way of paying tribute to her mother-in-law’s memory — and a way to combat the hatred that took her life — would be to encourage others to expand their Seder tables as well.
Marnie Fienberg has launched the program, 2 for Seder, with the slogan, “Pushing Back On Anti-Semitism with Love and Matzah,” referring to the unleavened bread matzo, which is used in the ritual meal.
The program encourages Jews to invite at least two non-Jews as guests for their meal.
The goal is simple: to break down barriers between people of different religions by helping them know each other and their traditions better.
Marnie Fienberg said it’s the kind of idea her mother-in-law would have embraced.
“Joyce absolutely put others before herself,” she said. “She was a very gracious and wonderful person. And all the people who were killed were those who thought of others.”
Marnie Fienberg wrote on the 2 for Seder website:
“For me, Seder is the heart of who we are as Jews. It’s replete with a miracle-filled structured journey, the chaos of people questioning and debating, and topped off with so much delicious food that you wish you were wearing sweatpants. Opening your Seder to newcomers directly addresses biased attitudes and general ignorance — the seed of all anti-Semitism. Start a dialogue and create a ripple-effect to enrich our shared American and Canadian experience.”
Passover is a central holiday on the Jewish calendar. In it, Jews commemorate events told in the biblical book of Exodus in which ancient Jews under the leadership of Moses were delivered from slavery in Egypt.
At 2forseder.org, participants can obtain materials that include an introduction and suggested questions for guests to ask. (Seders traditionally include a question-and-answer format.)
The website includes background on anti-Semitism in North America, along with steps in the United States and Canada taken to guarantee liberty and safety for people of all faiths.
Participants also can obtain recipes, including Joyce Fienberg’s recipe for “light and fluffy popovers” made from matzo.
2 for Seder was created by Pittsburgh Idea Evolutions (PIE), founded by Marnie Fienberg and Lauren Kline to equip citizens in fighting back against anti-Semitism.
As of Friday, more than 620 people have committed to hosting Seders under the program across North America, including 82 in Pennsylvania and 52 in Ontario, Canada, where Joyce and her late husband, Stephen Fienberg, grew up.
Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, the spiritual leader of Tree of Life/Or L’Simcha Congregation, where Joyce was a member, wrote an introduction to the materials, encouraging participants to open their homes to “build the America that Dr. [Martin Luther] King envisioned, where we are all brothers and sisters and love triumphs over hate. We can do it one Seder at a time.”
The primary partner for 2 for Seder is the Center for Loving Kindness and Civic Engagement at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.
Other strategic partners include the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Peninsula Jewish Community Center, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Jewish Women International, Alpha Epsilon Phi and National Young Leadership Cabinet of the Jewish Federations of North America.
Peter Smith: petersmith@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1416; Twitter @PG_PeterSmith.
First Published: April 15, 2019, 11:00 a.m.