| "Next year in Jerusalem." The words at the end of | | | | joined us. Of the four on our production team, two |
| the Passover seder always give me chills. How many | | | | had never experienced a Passover seder before. We |
| Jews over how many generations have longed to | | | | lit candles and prayed we would heal and not harm. |
| celebrate in the Holy Land. This past year, though, I | | | | We could not find any matzah in all of Kampala so |
| was faced with a dilemma. I wouldn't be celebrating | | | | we improvised and ate the Indian flatbread called nan |
| Passover in Jerusalem or even, as usual, at the | | | | instead. On the cover of our makeshift Haggadah |
| festive table of Nancy and Charlie Behrend in | | | | was "Escape from the Quarry." The word Haggadah |
| suburban Denver. I would be adrift, working half a | | | | means "the telling" and recounts the story of the |
| world away in Kampala, Uganda. The possibility of | | | | escape of the Jews from Egypt. In light of what we |
| Passover without family, friends and a seder loomed | | | | were witnessing the flight from slavery was a |
| large. | | | | powerful tale of freedom and liberation. |
| Three colleagues and I were heading to Kampala to | | | | In the preface to our Haggadah we were reminded |
| work on a series of videos about a Boulder, Colorado | | | | to let the ritual inspire us to relieve suffering, work |
| based non-government organization called BeadforLife | | | | against injustice, recommit to our own spiritual |
| beadforlife.org that is making a big difference in the | | | | awakening and leave a trail of goodness as we walk |
| lives of Ugandans suffering from poverty so extreme | | | | through the world. We reflected on what parts of |
| that it kills. It is a collaboration of cultures and | | | | our character we wished to wash away, and as our |
| compassion. Women in Uganda, whose lives have | | | | weaknesses became clear we completed the |
| been crushed by the modern day plagues of civil | | | | thought with an emphatic Kayn Yihee Ratzon- "so be |
| war, HIV/AIDS, hunger and homelessness, make | | | | it." We discussed the nuances of the seder, asked |
| colorful bead jewelry out of recycled magazine | | | | the four questions and told the story of how God |
| pages. Women in North America sell them and the | | | | sent plagues to the Egyptians which finally forced |
| money goes back to Uganda for education, health | | | | Pharaoh to free the Jews. We prayed mightily to |
| care and housing. Until two years ago, the only way | | | | cast away the plagues of our modern lives: |
| these women and their families survived was by | | | | Teaching of hate and predjudice. |
| working in a rock quarry, crushing stones for $1 a | | | | Greed and avarice. |
| day. Each day was spent in the never-ending pursuit | | | | Abuse of Mother Earth. |
| of just enough to get families to the next day. | | | | Hunger. Especially here in Africa. |
| Babies were lost to disease or sometimes tossed | | | | Corruption of justice and government. |
| out, children went to sleep hungry, parents | | | | Poverty. |
| succumbed to AIDS and left children orphaned and | | | | Breakdown of families and communities. |
| alone. Like the night of Passover in biblical times, | | | | Oppression of nations and peoples. |
| death was at everyone's doorstep. | | | | Making of war. |
| We spent the trip in the slums of Kampala. | | | | Apathy and hopelessness. |
| Witnessing the way more than half of the world lives | | | | Mostly we talked about the incredible resolve we |
| was life altering. Thousands crowd into the Acholi | | | | were witnessing and how a circle of compassion and |
| Quarter which is teeming with refugees from a | | | | connection was transforming lives. As we sat |
| senseless and brutal 19 year civil war up north. People | | | | together we considered what we were thankful for. |
| live in a red dirt world without electricity, running | | | | With the Dayenu we proclaimed "enough" and |
| water, sewage systems and in many cases, hope. | | | | promised not to focus on what's lacking in our lives |
| Children have distended bellies and tattered clothes. | | | | but to be grateful for all our blessings. After |
| Homes are made of sticks and mud that fall apart in | | | | witnessing suffering and redemption in the slums of |
| the rain. Yet over the course of our stay we | | | | Kampala it became so apparent that we have |
| witnessed an incredible welling of spirit and | | | | amazing blessings in our country, gifts that people in |
| generosity. What little there was, was shared. Smiles | | | | the Third World can't even fathom. By remembering |
| were warm and abundant. Everyone had light in their | | | | the bitterness of oppression we could savor the |
| eyes. They sang and danced through their suffering. | | | | sweetness of freedom, a freedom we wished upon |
| Women like Naiga Mary, Rose Namukasa, Achan | | | | all the people of the world who are enslaved by |
| Grace, Millie Grace and Jajja Josephine, who refused | | | | poverty and chaos. We prayed for peace and |
| to be defeated by their poverty, were earning | | | | opened the door for Elijah and welcomed him. Could |
| income by making beads and their hard work was | | | | any of the women who toiled in the rock quarry for |
| blessing entire families and communities. | | | | $1 a day be Elijah fulfilling his promise to return as a |
| In this setting we celebrated Passover. Our hosts, Dr. | | | | poor person to see how he would be treated? Could |
| Charles Steinberg, a noted AIDS doctor, teaching | | | | we reach within ourselves and cast out the curses of |
| native physicians how to administer antiretroviral | | | | our world that afflict hearts and countries like those |
| drugs and treat the disease which has killed off an | | | | in Africa and do our part to grant the troubled |
| entire generation of Africans, and his wife, Torkin | | | | continent peace? At our table in Kampala we |
| Wakefield, the co-founder of BeadforLife, stepped | | | | concluded with the words that are said at every |
| up and put together a Passover seder in their | | | | seder in every part of the world. "This year we |
| apartment. Their friend, William, a former Catholic | | | | celebrate here, but next year in Jerusalem. |
| priest, who has spent decades ministering in Africa, | | | | |