The Haut Seder Plate HeirloomDo you have any plates you only use once a year? But for me, it is the Sedar Plate. This special plate is used on Passover. Dug out of the bronze coating, certain foods are placed into their pockets and each food symbolizes a different reason why we celebrate Passover. For example, The egg represents life, The shank bone represents the sacrifice that the Jews have made, The parsley represents the first years Jews were slaves under the Pharoah of Egypt, The sweet fruit represents the mortar for the bricks used by Jewish slaves while building the pyramids, The bitter herbs represents the bitterness of slavery, The romaine lettuce represents the bitterness of the Roman invasions. My family’s Sedar plate dates way back. In fact, the Sedar plate was originally made in Poland in the early 1900s. Furthermore, it was made by my great-great-grandfather, and it has been used on every Passover since. Although this plate has seen many Passovers, my grandma makes sure it looks brand new every year. The plate was hauled over by my great-grandma when she moved to the United States in the 1930s to escape the rising antisemitism in Europe during this time period. In addition,  She waited for her family to meet her in the United States, but unfortunately, the rest of her family weren’t able to leave before Poland was invaded by the German Nazis. After World War 2, she learned that very few of her relatives survived the holocaust. For this, my family uses the plate to remember the family members we lost throughout our family’s history.

– Sam Martin

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more