Patti Smith Trumps My Seder

(I really don't like using "trump" the verb, but sadly it works)

...https://www.forbes.com/sites/janelevere/2025/03/21/patti-smith-to-be-honored-at-carnegie-hall-fundraiser-concert/

I have made the difficult decision to take a “Shmita year” or in normal parlance, take “a year off” from the 34 years of producing the Downtown Seder in New York City since 1990. I am confirming we will do it again, on Monday, March 30, 2026, two-days before Passover actually starts, so please mark your calendar.

I’ve wrestled with this for a few days as we were only able to confirm a couple of amazing performers, speakers, and political figures. So many people traveling or previously committed and working hard in their own worlds—didn’t mesh with the date picked for 2025. Next week is our 20^th anniversary of a tribute series at Carnegie Hall raising important funds for music education for children from underserved communities which is taking much of mine and our team’s extracurricular focus. This Patti Smith tribute is going to be one for the history books, but it is sapping all energy and time to create a strong program for our annual Seder.

What is gut wrenching is that this year feels more important than ever to remind ourselves of many of the lessons we celebrate every year at this ancient dinner party. Passover is such a poignant reminder of the tyrants that affect our society, the history lessons we have NOT learned. The reminders of climate change, of liberation, etc. David Broza (my soul brother who has done the Seder more than any other artists) agreed to change his flights back to Israel to make it and do an homage to our friend Peter Yarrow, who passed away recently and had done many years of our Seder—an iconic folk artist who sang with Peter Paul and Mary at the Lincoln Memorial for MLK’s historic Dream Speech. We had a couple of other confirmations, but far from enough to complete the “order” in the Seder--it wasn’t in the stars.

Yet, I am personally feeling pain for the unrelenting 3-year battle in the Ukraine. Those soldiers don’t get to take a “Shmita break/time-off”-- the cease fire and desired peace not seemingly ever coming. And the Palestinians, just as some were moving back into their homes (if they had a home not destroyed), are back on the move, being asked to relocate and bombed again. Hamas is up to its dirty tricks and unwilling to hand over the hostages. And the US is deporting legal immigrants. The various pharaohs of the Middle-East and the all over the world--all unwilling to let their people go live in Peace. Next year in the Israeli Riveria—Trump Gaza. Give me a fucking break.

And back here in the US. I might not be a fan of Elon at the moment, but bombing Telsa showrooms? Please don’t shoot me in protest because I still drive a Tesla, the best EV car on market. I have 5 more months in my lease, I don’t want to pay for the scratched symbols of hate on my door that I am a right-wing supporter of DOGE. Do you think we have upped the rancor in the country to not tell the difference of who is on what side? Liberal Jews who are accused of being Hamas supporters because they have empathy for the Palestinian people? Or those Liberal Jews who actually don’t understand the difference and thus hold signs protesting their own beliefs, altered by algorithms and media totally being manipulated by others. People don’t even know what they are repeating. Or those Orthodox Jews who stand with Israel, no matter how much Bibbi becomes a true Pharaoh. These are crazy times getting more Orwellian by the hour. That is why we need to sit down around the table, break bread, drink 4 glass of wine, and take time to think about what is happening around us. And it is why I feel so guilty about not doing my public Seder a few days before Passover starts this year for the 300 people who annually come and enjoy it.

But the concept of Shmita, every 7 years or so, letting the fields to lie fallow and let the agricultural regeneration of the soil breath. This farming concept transcends Judaism and is followed by the best biodynamic wine growers I know to some extent. Academics take a sabbatical year, artists take retreats, and hell, I need to take the year off on this program. Take the kettle off the stove. It is a rationalization, mea culpa, but the decision is made. Thanks for letting me air it all out…https://www.forbes.com/sites/janelevere/2025/03/21/patti-smith-to-be-honored-at-carnegie-hall-fundraiser-concert/