‘Big Tent’ for Amherst Common Seder

AMHERST, MA — To mark the beginning of Passover, there will be a seder tonight on the town common, with activities ranging from a matzo-eating contest to a discussion of how an ancient Jewish ritual can inform modern life.

Rabbi Shmuel Kravitsky of Chabad at the Four Colleges will preside. A month ago, he put on a white suit and black wig and celebrated Purim on a chartered bus traveling between the four campuses, complete with loud music and neon lights.

“I wanted to get people excited about the holiday,” he said. The New York Times ran a story and photograph on the celebration, and he said he’s been deluged with emails ever since.

Tonight’s “seder under the stars” won’t be that wild and crazy, but it will probe “the depth and beauty behind the actual holiday,” he said. Kravitsky wanted to have an bigger impact than he could have had at a seder in the Amherst apartment he shares with his wife and child, he said.

“And what better way than to go to the center of town and open up shop with a big tent and invite people?” he said.

The seder will start at 8 p.m. and last until 11:30 or midnight, he said. It will include singing, dancing and kosher food, such as salads, chicken, gefilte fish, fruit and macaroons. And, of course, matzos.

Kravitsky said he wants to stimulate a discussion of what Passover means to those attending, and he will encourage them to share funny memories of the holiday. Children will play a big role, he said.

“I want to try to create a family feeling,” he said.

Kravitsky comes from the Lubavitch branch of Judaism, but all are welcome, he said.

“Passover helps us break out of bondage,” he said. “We were slaves in Egypt, and who are we slaves to now? Our bad habits and limitations? The holiday helps us break out of them.”

Many people face disconnects between the faith of their childhoods and their current lives, and he seeks to join them together and “make peace between body and soul,” he said.

“I hope to teach them there are a lot of values you can take away from a seder and live the rest of your life with,” he said.

Kravitsky and his wife, Ariel, moved to Amherst from New York City last August with their young daughter, Moussia. Their goal was to enhance Jewish life and programing for college students.

The rabbi was born in Israel and immigrated to the U.S. as a child. He said he specializes in lecturing about Judaism and Jewish mysticism, known as Kabbalah, to people who have had little exposure to it.

He also has a flair for popular culture and humor, as shown by the Purim celebration. Under the title “Judaism on Demand,” his Web site reads, “Rabbi Shmuel is available to meet with students for one-on-one learning or schmoozing. Ask the rabbi about his former life in the mafia. Just joking.”

He also leads a discussion of the spiritual philosophy of Judaism Wednesdays at 8 p.m. at his apartment at 26 Salem Place in Amherst. Ariel Kravitsky, who attended Hampshire College and studied in Israel, is also available to meet with students.

The rabbi also has a weekly travel schedule that takes him to all four campuses, meeting students and encouraging them more involved with spirituality, he said.