Hillel’s annual Second Night Seder was this past Tuesday, April 11th. It was a very successful evening for Hillel with over 45 people in attendance, which was more than the past three years.
Of the 45 people who came, there were a handful of new faces and some parents that attended. “A lot of awesome people came out of the woodworks,” said CSU Hillel Director, Alex Amchislavskiy.
At the Seder, there were many discussions about social justice. Hillel Leadership team member, Rose Bork, led a discussion about modern forms of slavery. She talked about the different types of human trafficking and how it is still an issue today, even in America.
Amchislavskiy said that Hillel’s Seder created community while exploring the themes of freedom and justice. “We need to remember that at any moment, we must seize the opportunity and lead our own Exodus to freedom,” he said.
Hillel member, Alex Kaye, made a touching toast about how “we can be enslaved by our own Pharaohs and judgements,” and we tend to bring ourselves down. He said that we need to recognize who we are and how there is beauty within us and we need to remember to take care of ourselves and respect each other. “Everyone puts on their mask and we need to take down the facade we put up because of judgments and remove what holds us back from being ourselves because that is not your authentic self,” said Kaye. “These facade and judgments are our Pharaohs. It’s being the light you are no matter the judgments that are thrown at you.”
Hillel turned the Afikomen into a competition between tables. Since there were four rows of tables, one person from each row hid the Afikomen. Only three tables were able to find their Afikomen. The fourth hid theirs so well that is is still missing, just like last year. At 2016’s Seder, one Hillel member hid the Afikomen so well, the Hillel leadership team found that Afikomen just a couple months ago. Those who found their table’s Afikomen will be receiving a gift card for coffee from Alex Amchislavskiy.
The Seder ended around midnight. Although most of the people left, there was about 18 people who held out until the end making l’chaims. Many of those remaining were seniors who will be graduating next month, so they all began reminiscing about their time at CSU and how they have grown.
Hillel member, Sam Roll, said he had a great time at Hillel’s Seder. “There was wonderful community [at the Seder]. I’m always surprised by how many people attend that I’ve never met before,” said Roll. “Hillel and the CSU Jewish community never fail to welcome anyone with open arms, from all walks of life. This one of the many reasons I loved the Seder.”
Next year in Jerusalem (backup location at CSU Hillel).