By Janis Siegel, JTNews Correspondent
Black-eyed peas joined the matzoh at one Passover commemoration —the Eighth Annual African American/Jewish Coalition for Justice’s Freedom Seder.
The Freedom Seder, a joint project between the AAJCJ and the Greater Seattle B’nai B’rith, incorporates the retelling of the Jewish liberation from Egypt with the stories of African freedom fighters like Queen Nzingha of Angola and King Maremba of the Congo, who fought against the onslaught of European slave traders.
“We created a specific seder that incorporates a lot of African-American and Jewish content,” said Jeff Ross, AAJCJ member, seder founder and seder co-chair.
The biblically commanded Old Testament celebration attracted over 300 Christians and Jews to the Mount Zion Baptist Church on Seattle’s Capitol Hill to take part in the highly ritualized Jewish meal.
“It’s really to marry the Jewish seder with other content from another experience,” said Ross, who is also a former Greater Seattle B’nai B’rith president.
Ross has long-believed that both communities become stronger by learning to share and appreciate their mutual histories of slavery and economic injustice.
“The churches and the African-American community are deeply rooted in religion in this country,” said Ross. “They are very familiar with the Exodus story.”
The specially written Haggadah, the story of Passover, is modeled after a Haggadah written by local rabbi Ted Falcon called Celebrating the Journey: The Bet Aleph Haggadah.
Kadima co-sponsored the seder along with the Mount Zion Baptist Church.
“When the AAJCJ came to Kadima I saw our members get very excited,” said Susan Davis, Kadima’s executive director. “People never heard of this group before.”
Davis cancelled religion school classes usually scheduled for that Monday evening so students, parents and teachers could attend. She said was pleased to see many Kadima members show up that evening.
“Anything we can learn by reaching out to different groups is important,” added Davis. “It doesn’t have to be for the same reasons or the same intensity. We can maintain and strengthen all relationships.”
The AAJCJ was founded in Seattle in 1993 to promote programs and an ongoing dialogue between Jews and African-Americans. The group’s goals are to fight against prejudice, encourage economic opportunity, and to build bridges between the two communities.
In addition to the Freedom Seder, the AAJCJ has a Martin Luther King Day Program, a Seattle School Construction Jobs Project, a Southeast Seattle Project to promote discussion between Orthodox Jews and African-Americans, and Campaign 5000, which helps raise funds for African-American small businesses in the Central District.
“I’m one of the original members of the AAJCJ,” said George Vallery, Freedom Seder co-chair and a member of the First Baptist African Methodist Episcopal Church, who is involved in recruiting for holiday events. “This is our attempt to close the supposed abyss between black Americans and Jews.”
Vallery also participates in another AAJCJ program, the Pairing Project, that matches a Jewish individual or family with an African-American counterpart to promote dialogue and personal relationships.
“This is a program where two people just sit and talk about what’s going on in their lives,” said Vallery. “We might have lunch or just play racquetball.”
Next year, the Freedom Seder will move back to Vallery’s church, the First Baptist AME.
“The Freedom Seder has always been the main attraction for everyone,” said Vallery.
Members of the Mount Zion Baptist Church served a four-course dinner that was made possible by donations from Acme Poultry, Matzah Mama Catering, Albertson’s on Mercer Island, Mount Zion Baptist Church and the Seattle University Institute of Public Service.
Rev. Cheryl Clemetson of Mount Zion Baptist Church helped lead the program along with Rabbi Fern Feldman of Kadima and vocal soloist Simieon Rhoden.
“It touches on something very familiar for us so that we can grow together, share our perspectives and dialogue back and forth with each other,” Clemetson said.
Clemetson appreciates the opportunity to work with the Jewish community and particularly female rabbis like Feldman from Kadima.
The AAJCJ currently has a membership of nearly 200, a drop from its all-time high of nearly 500 members. Organizing members are looking forward to a late April planning meeting for ideas to invigorate the coalition and increase participation. The meeting is open to the public.
“Times have changed and our membership has been steadily going down,” said Ross. “There are different needs in both communities.”
Ross sees a “new anti-Semitism” embodied in the anti-Israel movement. More than ever, says Ross, “Jews want to be liked and accepted.”
Another emerging issue, says Ross, is the African-American community’s increased focus on the task of seeking reparations for their slave labor that was used to help build this country.
“Jews and Blacks want different things from our relationship,” said Ross. “Jews want allies and the African-American community wants friendship and expertise.”
Vallery agrees that the issues that both groups are focused on today are different than they were a decade ago. He would like to see a junior chapter that could address criminal justice issues, education, reparations and more.
“The real key is to begin to get younger folks involved,” said Vallery. “These are the kids of the future who are going to run things. They need to learn that whatever your thoughts are, there’s a process of love and understanding.”