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YESOD in St. Petersburg Creates Buzz with Pre-Passover Programs
The aroma of freshly baked matzah is wafting through the walls of the newly opened YESOD — the new St. Petersburg Jewish community’s home. YESOD is attracting hundreds of community members eager to get a little taste of Passover before the holiday actually begins.
Especially poignant was the first day of the YESOD matzah bakery project, held on April 2nd, when 25 kindergartners, their parents and teachers descended on the grounds of YESOD for a special program. Young madrichim (Hillel volunteers) welcomed the children by decorating the building in "Egyptian Style" together with professionals from a local art studio. What followed was a one-hour interactive "Passover Adventure". The children traveled from room to room to partake in each stage of the Passover story, from the ten plagues to crossing the Red Sea by walking through a sea of red balloons and trying not to burst them. The final destination was the "Matzah Bakery," where Hesed volunteers welcomed the children with hot stoves and dough. The atmosphere was so festive that the kindergartners ended up baking much more matzah than planned and they ate it together with the Hesed volunteers. A similar program was held in the afternoon from Adain Lo’s "Neshama" Program for disadvantaged families. Almost 80 children and their parents participated in the Passover Adventure, filling the YESOD with young voices, enthusiastic laughter and the aroma of matzah. YESOD’s full roster of pre-Passover programming, as well as its many planned Seders — in which an estimated 1500 community members plan to attend — are creating a buzz throughout the St. Petersburg community. April 2006 |
