Passover this year starts at sundown on Wednesday, April 1. In many Jewish households, the Passover seder is a “gantzeh megillah” — a big production. The holiday commemorates the defining chapter in Judaism, when the Jews fled slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. “The Ten Commandments” movie tells the story. 

The Seder is all about order and is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the holiday. It is conducted on the evening of the 15th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar throughout the world. 

I am often asked why Easter and Passover are often celebrated close together and why there are different dates on our calendar every year. Unlike our secular calendar, which is based on the solar year, the Jewish calendar uses 12 lunar months of 29 to 30 days in length. The new moon marks the beginning of each month, with the full moon occurring halfway through the month. The seventh month in a normal Jewish calendar year is the month of Nisan. Passover is celebrated on the 14th day of Nisan at the time of the full moon. For the Western Church, Easter is observed on the first Sunday following the full moon that comes on or after the vernal equinox. This full moon is normally the one that takes place on the 14th day of Nisan. Thus, in most years, Easter is celebrated on the Sunday following Passover. 

Like many practicing American Jews, we remove all leavened products and legumes like beans from our kitchen, and we eat matzah instead of bread each day. We start weeks ahead with all the preparation and shopping for the festive meal. Our daughter in the past prepared the chicken soup with matzah balls, hoping that they are neither heavy as lead nor light as a feather. Our son prepares the charoses. 

The Haggadah is a foundational Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. According to Jewish practice, reading the Haggadah at the Seder table fulfills the mitzvah (command) incumbent on every Jew to recount the Egyptian Exodus story to their children on the first night of Passover. Interestingly, the most popular modern Haggadah started as a marketing tool for an American company. 

The Maxwell House Haggadah is an English-Hebrew Passover Haggadah introduced in 1932. It has been printed continuously since that time. With over 50 million copies in print, it is the best known and most popular Haggadah among American Jews. It is considered a cultural icon. In 2011, a new English translation replaced archaic phrases in the original and also incorporated gender-neutral language. 

The Seder plate, holding special foods that are mentioned in the Seder service, is a focal point of the table. On our Seder plate, the horseradish (maror) is symbolic of the bitterness of slavery. The egg (beitzah) is symbolic of growth and mourning. Roasted lamb or shank bone (z’roa) symbolizes the Passover sacrifice. A vegetable (karpas), often parsley or lettuce, is dipped into salt water at the beginning of the Seder to represent the tears shed by the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. Also on the plate is a fruit, wine and nut mixture called charoses, representing the mortar used by the Israelites to build ancient Egypt. 

Matzah is eaten during Passover because it symbolizes the haste with which the Jews left Egypt; their dough did not have time to rise, resulting in unleavened bread. This tradition recalls the Exodus and serves as a reminder of the affliction of slavery, as matzah is also known as the "bread of affliction." Additionally, it represents liberation and the transition to freedom, marking the Jewish people's journey toward receiving the Torah. Thus, matzah holds deep historical and cultural significance during Passover. 

The Manischewitz Company began in 1888 when Rabbi Dov Behr Manischewitz founded a small Matzah bakery in Cincinnati, Ohio. Known for creativity, the company invented the world’s first square matzah and the first entirely automated Kosher matzah production. They recently rebranded with fresh graphics and vibrant colors. The rebranding aims to reach a broader demographic, including younger and growing families, while maintaining the brand's cultural relevance. Newer products include gluten-free and kosher-for-Passover frozen knishes, frozen gluten-free matzo balls and grape seed oil in a bottle and spray can. 

Passover is a family holiday that brings together generations to celebrate the Jewish people's long, resilient history. It is a time for gathering with friends and family, eating special foods and singing catchy songs. The holiday is rich in tradition, with customs passed down through generations and new interpretations emerging to reflect contemporary values. Families across the world celebrate Passover in unique ways, with common threads connecting Jewish communities to one another. “Happy Passover” or “Happy Pesach” is the proper and welcome greeting during the holiday. 

Charoses, pronounced ḥărōsees, is a traditional component of the holiday. There are many varieties with ingredients based on the regions where Jews lived. David Radwine’s mother (see recipe below) made a traditional Eastern European or Ashkenazi version, which reflected the ingredients from her ancestral family homeland before coming to America in the late 1800s. It is one of the best parts of the meal, eaten on pieces of matzah. Thank you, David, for sharing your family recipe. 

Leila Radwine’s Charoses 

Ingredients

• 5 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup red wine, kosher for Passover
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Cover, and refrigerate until serving time. Happy Pesach!

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.