Dr. Deborah Weissman holds a Ph.D. in Jewish education from the Hebrew University. Her main field of academic research is the social history of Jewish women’s education. A prize-winning Jewish educator, she has had extensive experience in both formal and informal Jewish education.
Debbie was one of the founders of Kehillat Yedidya in Bak’a, a modern Orthodox synagogue and has been a pioneer of Orthodox feminism. Very involved in inter-religious dialogue, she was the first Jewish woman to be elected as President of the International Council of Christians and Jews. In 2014, the organization awarded her the Interfaith Gold Medallion, “Peace through Dialogue”.
Coming up soon for Jews is the annual celebration of the Exodus from Egypt, Passover or Pesach. This is a festival of spring, the birth of a nation and freedom. The most wide-spread ritual of the festival is the festive meal called the Seder, during which most Jews recite and sing the Haggadah, the liturgical book which tells the story of liberation. But, there are some curious or even problematic aspects of the Pesach liturgy. What are some of the insights we, as modern people of faith, can draw from this book?