Families fight anti-Semitism at the Seder table

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Hundreds of Jewish people across the country are opening their doors to people of other religions this Passover in an effort to combat anti-Semitism.

It is part of an initiative called 2 for Seder, created by the daughter-in-law of Joyce Fienberg, one of the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre.

"My mother-in-law was murdered in Pittsburgh, and after that happened, I just couldn't go back to work right away, and I really wanted to do some sort of volunteer work to help fight antisemitism," said Marnie Fienberg.

She came up with the idea for 2 for Seder, largely inspired by Joyce, who she said always welcomed anyone who had no place to go on holidays. So far nearly 1,000 people have signed up online to join the effort, including more than 100 in the New York Metropolitan area.

"You're inviting two people who have never attended a Seder, and you don't know what's going to happen when they take that information out into the world," Fienberg said. "Nothing may happen or something amazing could happen, but either way you've built a bridge."

Erin and Cory Davids of Port Jefferson, Long Island, say they've always welcomed people of other faiths on Passover, and when they heard about 2 for Seder from their Rabbi, they immediately jumped on board.

"I know pretty much everything about Judaism, so for me to be able to share that with people who are unsure about it, I think it's fantastic," Erin Davids said.

She and her husband invited one of Cory's coworkers, Robert Harris, and his fourteen-year-old daughter.

Harris was helping Erin set up Thursday night.

"I've been learning a lot and it's been actually, really eye-opening for me," he said.

Marnie Fienberg understands breaking bread, or in this case, matzah, won't stop hate and violence, but she does think it will open minds.

"Is this going to stop the next shooting? I don't think so, but it may stop the next graffiti or it may stop the next personal attack on someone," she said. "There's a lot of different ways anti-Semitism happens, it's not just as extreme as what happened to my family."

Participants who sign up on 2forSeder.org will get special guides emailed to them that include ways to incorporate the new guests into the Seder, as well as a letter from Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, and Joyce Fienberg's handwritten recipe for Passover popovers.