We’ll Be Here All Night
Stories for Passover about slavery, freedom, family… and lice
What do we talk about at Passover? Slavery, plagues, food, and of course all the unforgettable stories from Seders past. In this Passover special, produced by Vox Tablet for public radio stations (and you), we’ve got all that and more—hosted by Sara Ivry and Jonathan Goldstein, with stories from Etgar Keret, Sally Herships, Debbie Nathan, Michael Twitty, and Jonathan Groubert.
We’ll Be Here All Night, Part 1: Plagues
Co-host Jonathan Goldstein speaks with writer and filmmaker Etgar Keret about the narrative strengths and weaknesses of the Passover story, ending with an animated discussion of the 10 plagues. Next, reporter Sally Herships takes us into the home of Abigail Rosenfeld, one of Brooklyn’s “lice ladies,” the women (usually Orthodox Jews) who make a living helping desperate parents rid their schoolchildren of this “plague.”
Extra: Read Etgar Keret’s story “Plague of the First Born”
Extra: Extended conversation—Jonathan Goldstein & Etgar Keret
We’ll Be Here All Night, Part 2: Slavery
Reporter Debbie Nathan shares a story about learning that her Southern Jewish great-great-grandparents owned slaves in Mississippi.
We’ll Be Here All Night, Part 3: The Seder
Michael Twitty, a Washington, D.C.-based food historian and Jewish educator, talks about how he’s adapted one of Passover’s symbolic rituals to reflect his ancestors’ slave history. Then radio journalist Jonathan Groubert recounts the old-school joke his dad used to tell at the Seder year after year.
Extra: Michael Twitty’s recipe for Berbere Brisket
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