Seder

March 29, 2002-Gratitude

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate. It’s Good Friday here & we awoke to a major electrical storm. It felt good to go out without having to slather my arms & legs in sunscreen. Rain also added to the already huge return of the King Tide. ‘Tis the season.

The second Seder at temple last night went very well, I thought. The tables were beautifully set with attention to detail. The man who moved here recently from Adelaide was the only person who would take on the responsibility of preparing the meal this year. He cooked all the food with the help of the women’s guild. I imagine it was pretty amusing to see him bossing those women around a kitchen that had been their domain. He made his own matzo balls, soup, & gefilte fish (ground fish made into balls & cooked) as well as the main course & dessert. The food was presented well & the service was well organized. None of the guests had to lift a finger. Our new member had seen to it that there were people available to serve & to clear.

Naturally, the natives were dissatisfied. When David went around to speak to people at other tables & generally to circulate, he was met with a great deal of hostility. There were complaints that the soup was cold (it was), the fish was tasteless (it was), & the portions of the main course were small (they were, or the plates were too big). On the other hand, there was plenty to eat. With all the food that comes before the main meal (chicken soup with matzo balls, gefilte fish, chopped liver, & matzo), no one went home hungry. Tepid soup isn’t unusual when there are no tureens available. There aren’t even any warmers in which to keep the soup until it can be served. The homemade horseradish sauce that went with the fish added the needed flavor.

Towards the end of the evening, a hard worker & temple leader, came over to our table. He leaned over us & whispered that we would remember our time here & the many wonderful occasions there were & we would also remember the worst Seder the temple ever had. I reminded him that there wouldn’t have been a Seder at all if it hadn’t been for our new volunteer. He said that he was worried he'd want to do it next year. I told him to try to find someone else for next year or not have one at all. I also told him I would also remember the unkind words that had been said & the ungracious attitude of the people who came. I reminded him that it would be extremely hurtful if those comments got back to the new guy. He assured me that he wouldn’t say anything, but I assured him that others would.

Sure enough, as I was leaving, I went up to thank our new hard working volunteer again. I didn’t say anything about the criticism but he was laughing about it already. The petty remarks had gotten back to him. He said that next year he’d be sure that the temple had proper warming ovens. He joked about the fact that Jews weren’t happy unless they could complain. He quoted a Yiddish saying that his mother had that said that if Jews couldn’t complain, their stomachs would fall out. It sounds better in Yiddish. He has such a healthy attitude about it all. His ego was intact & he was ready for a re-match. I was so impressed with his positive mindset & strong self-esteem. I wish all volunteers could have their feelings so well armored & their sensibilities so secure. I also wish people would be more grateful about efforts made by volunteers & kinder about critical statements that come out of their mouths.

Now for details on the differences in the foods. One of the items on the Seder plate is charoset. It represents the bricks used by the slaves to build the storehouses of the Egyptians, yet it’s sweet. It’s a mixed symbol that includes the sweetness of the freedom that was attained. I usually make it with chopped apples, walnuts, & wine. I’ve seen it made with cinnamon, honey, &/or apricots added. Michael’s charoset was made from chopped apples, carrots, honey, raisins, wine, & slivered almonds. His fruit compote was the usual cooked dried fruit, but he added port to give it a great tang.

There were people from Warner Brothers who showed up for the Seder as well. They had just arrived on the Gold Coast & were slightly jet lagged, but had emailed ahead to make the arrangements. They’d gone online in New York using “Jewish Gold Coast” & found our congregation. They’re here wrapping up the shoot of Ghost Story with Juliana Margolise & starting on a new project. They’ll be here for nine months. The only name that was vaguely familiar was Richard Mirisch. They were very grateful to find the congregation & at least one of them said he was a regular temple goer.

Caring

We got a call this morning from a member of the congregation I’d written about in earlier emails. She’s a veteran of the Israeli army who has a steel plate in her head where she was injured by a grenade. She’s in her late 70’s & was widowed three years ago. She’s still grieving for her husband & has latched onto us as if we were her children. She was in Pindara Private Hospital & wanted us to visit. It was my first time in a hospital here & I was suspect of any hospital that was only one story high. It looked more like a motel. She was in a semi-private room, but didn’t have a roommate. The room was basic & even had a huge old oxygen tank sitting in the corner. During our conversation with her, she mentioned that her doctor took a lot of time with her. Through their conversations, he learned that she’d lost her appetite. He prescribed a shot of whiskey with her meals to stimulate her appetite. Sure enough, her lunch arrived & she toasted us with her “schnapps.” David said that in all the years he’d visited people in hospitals, he’d never heard of whiskey being prescribed for any reason. I guess it wasn’t so unusual here since the kitchen seemed to be able to fill the request. With all of the lack of modernity, it seems that her doctor is listening & finding somewhat unorthodox solutions.

Toby