Southern Italy's Anousim Personalize the Seder Plate & Add A Symbol That Can't Be "Beet"!

This past October I introduced you to the Italian Anusim (Italians whose ancestors were forced to convert to Christianity) through a Shabbat custom related to me by Rabbi Barbara Aiello. We became e-quainted after I read an article about the Rabbi, so I recently turned to her once again about unusual Passover customs. Sure enough she had one, and it can't be "beet."

In addition to the traditional Seder Plate placed at the head of the table for the Seder leader, Italian Anusim make sure that each participant has his/her own personal Seder plate. It's plain glass and all of the symbols are placed on it, plus an additional symbol that they have developed. Italian Anusim also include a bietola -- a blood red beet -- to symbolize the lamb's blood put on their doorposts by the Israelites in order to save the firstborn in each family.

This definitely is a creative twist and should get all of us thinking about something unusual to enhance this year's Seder, be it at school or at home.




Photo credit

Italian Anousim Use a Three Branched "Menorah" to Light Shabbat Candles

Who says there is nothing new under the sun? I'm always finding something different when it comes to Jewish holiday customs.

Take this triple candelabra as an example. It is a family heirloom belonging to Rabbi Barbara Aiello who can trace her ancestry to the Anousim -- secret Jews -- living in Serrastretta, a tiny Calabrian village in southern Italy.

I recently had the privilege of speaking with Rabbi Barbara. She's a woman with a mission, and that is to connect the population of present day Serrastretta to their ancient Jewish roots. She herself began this journey in 2004, when she began living in Italy on a full time basis. The strange customs that were practiced by her grandmother  prompted her to engage on a personal exploration. For instance, candle lighting on Shabbat. Even though the family was living in Pittsburgh PA, her grandmother would go down to the cantina -- Italian for cellar -- every Friday evening to light Shabbat candles. Despite the exhortations of Rabbi Barbara's father that they were now living in the land of the free, her grandmother's Crypto-Jewish practices ran deep and her constant answer was "you never know."

The candle lighting itself was a beautiful ritual where the matron of the house first lit the middle candelabra taper -- called the shamash -- removed it, and handed it to the youngest family member who in turn lit her personal candle standing in its own candle holder, then handed it on to the next family member according to age rank. And so the ceremony continued. From the youngest it finally returned to the eldest,  who began the process and in turn ends it by lighting the left and right candles on the candelabra.

Indeed, a beautiful all-inclusive family ritual handed down from generation to generation, along with the 100-year old candelabra which has its own special meaning. Notice the peacock motif. It was traditionally used by Jews in southern Italy. When a male a peacock opens its beautiful feathers, the shape of an eye appears -- symbol of the Kabbalstic third eye that sees into a person's soul and provides inner peace.

A welcome thought at this particular juncture in our lives, ripe for debate.
May you find inner peace this coming Shabbat.