The Space Between The Steps

By Rachel Kraus

The design and goal of the Seder is to experientially - through props, song and a bit of live theater - induce curiosity, stimulate the senses and delve into the art and immersive space of storytelling. I was raised in a home that prioritized personalizing ‘vihigadita l’vincha.’ My parents infused within us the importance of sharing and ritualizing every part of our national and personal history.

I am the grandchild of 4 Holocaust survivors. It is an identity of strength and profound significance that I carry with me every single day and one that has added importance on Pesach.

In the liminal space between the 13th and 14th Seder steps, Barech and Hallel, when we open the door and invite in Eliyahu the Prophet, my grandfather had a family tradition that he initiated in the years following the war, to recite a special prayer, an ode to the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto.

My grandfather chanted aloud this sweeping and moving reading about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, about the decimation of a people by a modern day Egypt and Pharoah. His powerful voice was unwavering, and, as he approached the end, would sing in his bellowing baritone voice, ‘Ani Maamin, ‘I believe’.

The room shook. Time stood still. No one could move or even, swallow.

This is a tradition we still carry on, now an ode to my grandfather. Of the 15 steps, it is the white space between the steps where we tell our story, where we personalize and ritualize what this story truly is, what my story truly is.

We have the unique opportunity to incorporate and elevate our own stories and thread that into the Seder. The space between spaces, the white space, the liminal space, is there for us to capture and animate with our stories.