ABOUT US

So you want to know who we are and what inspired us to create another holiday? We are a lot like you and you are a lot like us. It may sound a little complicated but the easiest way I can explain it is “you are us.” Hopefully you will get it if you continue to read this page.

Growing up in a secular Jewish home in Queens New York, my parents, who are more spiritual than religious, did not observe the holidays other than when we went to my Grandparents home for the Passover Seder. My memories of these dinners are very special, Grandma’s great cooking, the sipping of sweet red wine, my Grandpa telling 2,000 year old stories of how the Jews escaped from Egypt. We sang traditional Passover songs, many reminding me of Gospel hymns. We searched for a piece of Matzo called the Afikomon, which is the Greek word for Dessert. I never understood how they could equate a piece of dry unleavened bread with Dessert. But the fun part was that if you found the piece of hidden Matzo you received a gift. I heard this was added to the Passover dinner 700 years ago to make it more interesting for the children. They were right, because I didn’t fall asleep on the couch until I received my gift. My family did these Passover dinners until I was eleven and then my Grandparents did what all old New York Jews did, they moved to Florida. The following year my parents did make a Seder. The highlight of the evening was not only my Mom’s brisket, but that my mother made the effort to keep the tradition for me.

Some people may think that I may have been deprived of a rich Jewish upbringing. That may be so, but I have no complaints. The spiritual exposure I received was priceless. I grew up in a home where we never heard a negative racial remark, where no one questioned me on what color or religion my friends were. When I look back on my childhood I realize how lucky I am to have parents who already understood Mosaica.

At the age of 23 I moved to California. It was lonely at first, but after a short period of time I made many friends. I soon discovered that we all shared something in common; we all came from someplace else.
About 8 years ago while living in the Canals of Venice California, I decided to host a Passover Dinner similar to the ones my Grandparents had many years ago. Since most of the Jewish people I knew were already attending their traditional family Passover Dinners, I thought it would be interesting to invite my friends who never attended a Seder before. I studied the Haggadah with all the rituals for Passover. I felt little pressure, for nobody would know if I made a mistake. I called my Mom for her brisket recipe and I called Jerry’s Deli for everything else. It was the hottest ticket in town. It was a wonderful evening. I felt like my Grandfather was standing by my side as I conducted the Seder. We ate, we drank, and we sang traditional Passover songs. I even told the same 2,000 year old story that my grandfather told me 40 years prior.

As the evening was coming to a close, I looked around the table and felt that something had been left out. It struck me that the Passover story wasn’t just about Jews, it was about all of us sitting at the table. The guests were made up of African-Americans, Chinese, Japanese, Latinos, and Irish, all peoples who have experienced some kind of persecution. Why was it that only the Jews tell their story every year for the past 2000 years? I then suggested that maybe we could have another dinner where we could all exchange stories about each other’s cultures. We agreed that as important as it is to celebrate our own past, we felt even more compelled to discuss the wars and injustices being committed around the world at that very moment. We spoke of many issues, from why one million children die each year from malaria, a disease that can be treated, to the senseless war between the Serbs and the Croatians. Something very interesting was going on at the dinner table that evening, a Mosaica of different people, engaged in conversation on subjects and issues that they would not ordinarily discuss with each other, was taking place.

Little did I realize that I had hosted not only my first Passover Dinner, but also my first Mosaica Dinner. I didn’t mean to combine the two events; it just evolved that way. Now you understand when I say “you are us.” We are all connected and need to be in this together! I believe that my Grandfather would have approved of the evening.