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From the Civil War to Our Seders, a Song of Redemption

JL;DR SUMMARY Aurora Mendelsohn reflects on the integration of the spiritual "Go Down Moses" into Passover Seders, highlighting its historical significance and its role in linking the Jewish Exodus with African American struggles against slavery. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

PassoverSlaveryJewish LiturgyCivil WarSederExodusAfrican American HistoryFreedom SederGo Down MosesContrabands

Places mentioned

Norfolk, Virginia, United States
"They escaped at night and rowed across the harbor from Norfolk, Va., to Union-held Fort Monroe."
Washington, Washington DC, United States
"In a later celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation at a Contraband camp in Washington, D.C."
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
"Aurora Mendelsohn is a biostatistician who lives in Toronto."

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Cairo Item ID 79146
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Retrieved 2026-04-04 05:31:30 UTC
Curated 2026-04-04 08:30:45 UTC