Passover 2005 Celebrations from Siberia to Mumbai

Passover 2005, Celebrations from Siberia to Mumbai

Passover, the festival of freedom, can now be openly celebrated in almost every corner of the world. Nonetheless, many of our fellow Jews – due to harsh economic conditions and myriad challenges – require assistance to do so. JDC, in conjunction with Federation and local community centers, will make it possible for over 80,000 Jews around the globe to commemorate the holiday this year.

Each year a growing number of people seek out their local JDC-supported Passover festivities, and thus Jewish communities in capital cities as well as periphery villages are being fortified one piece of matzo at a time. This is literally the case in the Ukraine, where, through JDC funding, a matzo-making tradition has been born. For a few weeks in early Spring, a factory in Western Ukraine becomes a matzo-baking center for Jews of all ages. Many of those who choose to participate in the baking activities have only recently been able to embrace their heritage. "It really means something to create the same food that was made by our ancestors who were newly-freed from Egypt," shared one woman who baked matzo with her grandson for the second year in a row.

Across the FSU, JDC-generated programs are preparing to hold seders for some 40,000 people. In Moldova alone there will be 67 seders that will serve 2,355 people. Many of these traditional dinners are held for specific audiences; in Belarus, World War II survivors will gather; a women's seder will be held in the city of Kerch, Ukraine; and the Jewish community in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, will host an interactive children’s seder. Teenagers are the focus of another such event, lending a hand in leading the seder as part of an educational course called "Survival School" which helps empower them to become future leaders of the community.

The spirit of Passover is celebrated in other ways, as well. In Siberia, for example, a chess tournament will commemorate the holiday. The Jewish community in Volga has organized a ‘Cooking with Matzo' class to enable families to bring Passover into their homes. A Haggadah exhibit will be on display in Western Ukraine, and art supplies will be provided to all children who participate in Jewish community programming across the region to create Passover-themed art projects.

For those who are unable to leave their homes, Hesed social welfare centers and the Warm Homes program bring hot meals and perform seders for thousands of elderly in places ranging from the cosmopolitan Moscow and St.Petersburg to vast regions of Belarus and Samara. In addition, some 28,000 holiday food packages will be sent out, each containing matzos as well as other Kosher for Passover staples. "Thank God for the food packages and the collective seders," remarked Rita, a mother of two in Moldova. "At least I know that my children belong to a strong, proud community."

Oceans away in Argentina between 18-20,000 people are expected to take part in Passover events across 90 different institutions with the help of JDC. Bet El Synagogue in Buenos Aires, for example, will hold a mass seder for 650 people. Prior to the economic devastation that culminated with the country's December 2001 economic collapse, many of these families – primarily upper-middle class – made seders in their homes. Today, due to still debilitating economic conditions, JDC-enabled services are the only way that Passover can be honored. "At least for Passover we will be together, and there is a great comfort in that," commented Lydia, a local volunteer.

Jews in Mumbai, (Bombay) India will head to the Evelyn Peters Jewish Community Center to attend a community seder. To enable as many families as possible to attend, the Center has arranged for a bus to transport Jews from surrounding areas to the event. On April 19, a Passover camp for children is being held to teach the youngest generation the story of Passover, traditional songs, and conduct a mock seder. With the help of the Baghdadi Jewish Community, the Jewish population is able to purchase locally made Kosher for Passover matzo.

Meanwhile, through holiday food packages and communal seders – from the small coastal town of Split, Croatia along the Adriatic Sea, to populous cities such as Prague, Czech Republic – JDC continues its mandate to ensure that any Jew in the world who wishes to is able to celebrate Passover. "This holiday unites us," says Bartek, a JDC Jewish Service Corps volunteer leading seders in Czestochowa, Poland. "Celebrating together helps us come to terms with the past and gives us hope for the future."