For the eight days of Passover, many observant Jews avoid chametz, food with leavening agents like bread. This year, my friends at the the Jewish arts and culture nonprofit Reboot are calling for people to give up single-use plastic. Jimmy Kimmel Live! writer Jonathan Bines came up with the idea that he calls Plastover. From Reboot:
As part of the reinterpretation of the holiday, Reboot is also reimagining the original 10 Plagues of Egypt as the 10 Plagues of Plastic. During the seder, Jews are called to empty their wine glasses drop by drop, naming each plague in remembrance of the tragedies that befell the Egyptians. The Plagues of Plastic ask the same, naming the tolls that plastic has taken on our world. Each Plague of Plastic draws directly from the themes of the original plagues – the waters of the Nile turning to blood becomes the oceans turning to garbage – and ends with a simple action that can be taken to address that specific issue. The project includes educational materials for Hebrew schools, synagogues and individuals to help guide them and provide prompts for reflection and discussion […]
To celebrate the launch of the project, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) will host an art installation, "At Our Table," by Reboot network member and artist Olivia Guterson. At Our Table is a collaboration of Reboot and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, and made possible with the generous support of CANVAS. The work is part of the national project – Dwelling in a Time of Plagues – which commissions outdoor, site-specific art installations. At Our Table reimagines a Passover table constructed from locally-sourced, discarded, single-use plastics, illuminating the concepts and costs of convenience, throwaway culture, and environmental responsibility during a holiday centered on joy and the sacrifices required to find our own personal liberation.
Plastover: An Exodus from Plastic Waste (Reboot)
top image: "A stream in the Madagascar district in Douala flooded with plastics" by Mouenthias (CC BY-SA 4.0)