Seder plate of the year

Some works of Judaica are timeless, merging the requirements of a ritual object and aesthetic perfection that creates a perfect reflection of our millennia-old tradition..

And then there’s the amazing seder plate that Elizabeth Lieb of Montclair created this year. It just screams “2020!”

Lieb, who is a member of the Maker Junction maker space in Fairfield, fashioned her Zoom seder plate out of walnut, maple, and cherry wood. She used a laser engraver, CNC router, and bandsaw, all available to her through Maker Junction.

“I just wanted to make something for the family to look back on,” she said.

“The first Zoom seder was an oddly mixed blessing. On the one hand it was scary that it could be a last seder for someone. On the other, everyone had a few minutes to talk about what they were doing — at the time I was laser cutting face shields and running them into the city for doctors — and I got to know some of my cousins and their kids much better.

“And when we came around to it again, I wanted to do something to remember it. I’m surprised at how I started to crave Judaism more during the past year. I haven’t made any Jewish art since Hebrew school.”

For Chanukah, Lieb used Maker Junction’s 3D printer to create two menorahs that manifested two of 2020’s popular memes: the dumpster fire and the cartoon figure sitting in a burning house saying “This is fine.”

This year, her extended family held a 5 p.m. pre-seder Zoom meetup.

“Then we all went to our respective pod or immediate family seder,” she said. “I missed the seder we had last year.”