Easter, Passover inspire student spirituality

Sarah Siegel Staff Writer

In its annual college rankings issue, The Princeton Review consistently lists Vassar students among those “Most Likely to Ignore God on a Regular Basis.” During Passover and the Christian holy week, however, divinity may be a bit harder to avoid.

On Good Friday, the Vassar Chapel will display creative interpretations of the stations of the cross. There will also be inter-denominational services on Easter Sunday.

The Vassar Jewish Union will sponsor two seders, which are the traditional Passover meals throughout which the Exodus story is retold. For the first night of Passover, April 2, Assistant Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Rabbi Rena Blumenthal led a seder dinner in the Aula. The second seder, co-sponsored by ACT OUT, Save Darfur, Community Works and Hunger Action, featured a social justice theme.

Campus Dining seeks to accommodate students’ Passover dietary habits by offering matzoh and pre-made kosher-for-passover items at both the All College Dining Center and The Retreat.

Many of the students interviewed said they weren’t doing anything for the holidays—either because they were neither Jewish nor Christian, or because they just were not religious.

However, a large number of students also said that they were happily anticipating the holidays. Camille Paul ’10 is excited to celebrate by going to the Vassar Chapel and then cooking Easter dinner with friends in her dorm kitchen. Brooke Adams ’07 looks forward to hearing her boyfriend preach in New York City, and to spend the rest of the holy week with her friends in the Christian Fellowship. “It’s been a core part of my Vassar experience,” she said, “to be part of a group of fellow believers.”

As Blumenthal answered the door to the Bayit Jewish Student Center to receive a large delivery of Manischevitz (the best-known brand of Jewish sacramental wine), she explained that although Passover represents a serious opportunity to reflect on the meaning of freedom, seders have also been great fun in the past. She said that at the first seder she led in 2004, there were so many people they had to sit in each other’s laps, and it was some time into the meal before she realized that there was a drinking game going on in the corner: a shot of Manischevitz each time she said “Moses” or “G-d.”

Some students will celebrate independently of campus-sponsored events. Sofia Gans ’09 will be making her own seder with friends. Cathy Lê ’08, who worships at Valley Christian Church in Hopewell Junction, said that she and some other Vassar students will be going to Easter dinner at the house of the Pastor there. Lexi Liakos ’08 goes to a local Eastern (Greek) Orthodox church. For her, Easter celebrations include dyeing eggs red the Thursday before Easter as well as fasting and a midnight mass on Saturday leading into a feast on Sunday.

Some chose not to attend formal religious ceremonies for either holiday, but prefer to be observant in their own ways. Jennifer Rosenthal ’10 did not attend a seder, but is observing the Passover dietary laws (no leavened bread during the eight days).
Many people said that they would be going home to celebrate with their families. Eleanor Boothroyd ’10 celebrated both holidays, first in New Jersey for Passover, then in New York City for Easter.

Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Sam Speers stressed that all campus services are open to everyone. He said that although he did not know if students are becoming more or less religious, “students are more aware of what’s at stake in understanding religion.”

While Blumenthal said that usually the Jewish and Christian holidays are celebrated separately, Speers said that he was delighted to see “students finding creative ways to lift up the hope for [peace] and liberation and a rich life for all people, [hopes that are] so central to both the Jewish and Christian holy weeks.”

Others are simply glad there’s a holiday. Sarah Hanson ’07 will not celebrate either Passover or Easter, but said that she will be in Rite-Aid the day after Easter to scoop up all those discounted Cadbury Cream Eggs.