Candelabra connects generations at Smith College

NORTHAMPTON — Passover in the Jewish community is a family affair — an annual spring festival that draws loved ones around the table at sunset.

In unison with Jews across the world, some 30 Smith College students gathered around the table Wednesday evening to mark the first night of Passover with a Seder meal, which commemorates the Biblical story of the release of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Passover lasts eight days in the United States, beginning with the ritual Seder.

In the Helen Hills Hills Chapel on campus, tables were arranged in a “C” shape, draped in white tablecloths and covered with traditional fixings — matzah and bitter herbs, although grape juice was used in place of wine. The atmosphere was casual and lighthearted as students chatted and sang together accompanied by guitar, while making their way through the ritual.

Central to the Seder was a candelabra that has been a centerpiece for the Smith campus Jewish community for more than 50 years, and the Passover meal began when three students lit its candles.

The three-branched candelabra was donated by one of the college’s prestigious alums, Gertrude Weil, in 1971 and has been used for weekly Sabbaths and High Holy Days on campus ever since.

Weil graduated from Smith in 1901 and went on to be a leading voice for progressive causes, including women’s suffrage, labor reform and civil rights. As the first Smith College graduate from North Carolina, she brought these values down South in the early 20th century, and her life’s work has been documented in the Jewish Women’s Archive.

The donation of the candelabra is mentioned in her biography, “Gertrude Weil: A Jewish Progressive In the New South” by L. Rogoff. The enduring gift from Weil continues to be a source of inspiration on campus 55 years after being gifted, students shared.

For sophomore Gigi Ochs, the shape of the piece is not only symbolic but also builds community. For one, it is shaped like the Hebrew letter “shin.” This, she explained, is also the shape many people make with three fingers and press against their head as they pray.

Aside from the symbolism, the design also allows more students to participate in rituals, she said.

“Traditionally, one person will light the Shabbat candles,” said Ochs, who attends services weekly. “But it [the candelabra] is great because it means more than one person can light them, and it builds a lot of community. And we always gather around the candles and sing. It’s such a nice time and I look forward to it every week.”

Rabbi Bruce Bromberg Seltzer, who serves at Smith and led the community in prayer, said that the piece had been gifted toward the end of Weil’s life. She had money and had never married, and she provided a donation specifically to purchase the candlesticks.

“It’s cool they’re using a ritual object from a student from 125 years ago,” he said.

Lux Onigman, a senior at Smith, said that there was a time when the candelabra had been put into a storage closet during the COVID-19 pandemic amid a transition of rabbis on campus.

“We discovered it, I believe in the basement closet here two or three years ago,” they said. “My first year we had been using only little tea lights and a little dish for Shabbat holidays. And when we found this we were like, ‘Oh, this is really nice.’”

Since being brought back out, the candelabra has also been featured on T-shirts made by students last year.

As Wednesday’s ritual continued, four glasses of grape juice were poured, parsley was dipped into salt water and eaten, and students were invited to eat the lettuce, orange slices, peppers and celery spread out on the table. Unleavened bread was also shared.

The format of the meal is reminiscent of Greek and Roman ritualized feasts, said Bromberg Seltzer.

There is an arc to the celebration of Passover, he explained. The opening of the Seder puts participants into the mentality of slavery in Egypt, while the conclusion of the celebration emphasizes liberation.

“We’re kind of in a historical journey in one night,” he said. “We’re taking ourselves back, but we’re also living in a world that isn’t fully redeemed. There’s a lot of suffering, and so we’re hoping that this freedom that we’re experiencing, that we’re remembering in this holiday would come to everyone eventually.”

The post Candelabra connects generations at Smith College appeared first on Daily Hampshire Gazette.