On the Third Night of chanukah

My bubbe gave to me

THREE PLATES FOR SEDER



From a Simple Touch... an ebay store with lots of Glass Fusion Dichroic Glass and Metal products for your holidays and home.







Iris Tutnauer is a silversmith living, creating and working in Jerusalem... Her work can be found in museums in Israel and the USA.





Marilyn Davidson created this seder plate for Nambe. This modern plate was designed especially for serving the six ceremonial foods of the seder feast. Elegantly crafted of our brightly polished metal alloy, the 14-inch square plate with rounded corners features the first letter of each food item's name in Hebrew. A shallow well formed by the raised letter holds a portion of the appropriate food. Impressive in size and dignity, this special piece commands a strong presence on the seder table.

Bringing Order to your seder table

Anat Mayer is a recognised Israeli painter and artist. Her hand made work is characterised by the use of Israeli motifs such as those mentioned in Deuteronomy (8,8): " A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey." Israeli motifs have become her trademark and she successfully combines Jewish tradition with the Israeli spirit of current days. For the past 15 years, Anat has used her unique talent to create art pieces loved by many around the world.

Frogs, Locust and Death- OH MY

The reading of the ten plagues is one of the most memorable parts of the seder. I had a rabbi who used to interpret people's wine droppings- apparently there were a lot of congregants who had some OCD.

Artists have enjoyed interpreting the plagues too. Michael Falk, a holocaust survivor who lives in Israel. After the war, Michael was reunited with his parents in the United States. They soon made aliyah and Michael became a farmer, and art became a hobby. Since retiring from farming in 1991, Michael Falk has devoted himself entirely to painting. Many of his themes are taken from the Old Testament, but his paintings also reveal his deep love for the land and animals which have been so much a part of his adult life.

Here are several of his paintings (and a little bit of fun).



















The 10 Plagues of Pesach (Sung to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas)
by Gary Teblum a Florida attorney and fomer president of his synagoguge.

For the first plague of Pesach, Pharoah came to see
A river that was all blood-yFor the second plague of Pesach, Pharoah came to see
Green jumping frogs
And a river that was all blood-y
For the third plague of Pesach, Pharoah came to see
Big white lice
Green jumping frogs
And a river that was all blood-y
For the fourth plague of Pesach, Pharoah came to see
Wild scary beasts
Big white lice
Green jumping frogs
And a river that was all blood-y
For the fifth plague of Pesach, Pharoah came to see
Cows with disease
Wild scary beasts
Big white lice
Green jumping frogs
And a river that was all blood-y
For the sixth plague of Pesach, Pharoah came to see
Boils causing itching
Cows with disease
Wild scary beasts
Big white lice
Green jumping frogs
For the seventh plague of Pesach, Pharoah came to see
Hail big as golf balls
Boils causing itching
nd a river that was all blood-y

Cows with disease
Wild scary beasts
Big white lice
Green jumping frogs
And a river that was all blood-y
For the eighth plague of Pesach, Pharoah came to see
Tons of flying locusts
Hail big as golf balls
Boils causing itching
Cows with disease
Wild scary beasts
Big white lice
Green jumping frogs
And a river that was all blood-y
For the ninth plague of Pesach, Pharoah came to see
Days of pure darkness
Tons of flying locusts
Hail big as golf balls
Boils causing itching
Cows with disease
Wild scary beasts
Big white lice
Boils causing itching
Green jumping frogs
And a river that was all blood-y
For the tenth plague of Pesach, Pharoah came to see
Death of the first born
Days of pure darkness
Tons of flying locusts
Hail big as golf balls
Cows with disease Wild scary beasts
Big white lice
Green jumping frogs
And a river that was all blood-y

Four cups of wine

The following was written by the poet, I. Halpern who lives and writes in Central Islip, New York. Mr. Halpern records books for the New York Braille Institute World Library for the Blind and Seeing-Impaired. He presents his own poetry and conducts workshops for Poetry in the Schools and National P.E.N. Writers in Prison.

Passover Seder at Bedford Hills
Maximum Security Women's Prison, NY

we tried to depart from Egypt with every breath
behind us stood guards with ammo belts to hold up their pants
we are poets and murderers with more crime behind us than usual

what is the "Order" for us?
four glasses of grape juice, some matzohs, bitter herbs
would this make us free?
to climb over mountains
get away from these locked narrow confines

sister poured the first cup
into Styrofoam chalices larger than olives
in the next room it was time for the cell count
names with numbers of resenters of the lash and chain
at one end of our table was some salt water in a glass bowl
near that the guardian matzohs in a pile by the radish root

we were straining to leave Cairo
a the sun forced itself in through bars
welded onto casement windows wired shut
but the light washed in over our tablecloth


sister poured the second cup we dip parsley into the salt water
teardrops around maximum lockup
every exit dead-bolted as we prayed

sister pours the third cup like it was Louis Roederer Crystal
as the Rabbi tells us we must get out of Mitzrayim not Egypt
Mitzrayim means a narrow place
Egypt is our friend today, so we must get out of our narrow place

sister pours the fourth cup like it was Dom Perignon
grabs the horse radish root like it was the neck of an uncooked goose
it is bitter
so damned bitter
as everyone watches everyone else
to see
if anyone knows
how to do their time

Marian Slepian IS a silversmith and Cloisonne enamilist of world reknown. From her work, it is easy to see why she is so respected. And remember- be careful drinking those four cups of wine!

For more about doing work with Jewish prisoners, look here or here.