Pass the matzo: Suburban congregations coming together Saturday to mark Passover with community seder

Traditionally a homely affair in Jewish custom, seders typically bring together family members and close friends to share a meal marking the start of Passover.

However, two suburban synagogues are coming together for a communal observance Saturday that primarily is for people who don’t have a family Passover Seder in which to participate.

“It is a community seder,” said Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein of Congregation Kneseth Israel in Elgin, which is hosting the event together with Beth Tikvah Congregation in Hoffman Estates.

“We are sold out,” Klein said. “We have 82 people coming. For some people, this is the only seder they can do. They are single, they are older, they are new to the community … We have young families this year.”

Passover is a Jewish spring festival commemorating the deliverance of the ancient Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. It begins Saturday evening and ends Sunday, April 20. The holiday’s main rituals are centered around the special home service called the seder, which includes a festive meal, a prohibition on eating chametz, and the eating of matzah.

Storytelling is a huge part of the Passover Seder. Family and friends gather in the evening to read from a book called the Haggadah, meaning “telling,” which contains the order of prayers, rituals, readings, and songs for the seder. It’s a way for each generation to learn and remember the exodus from Egypt more than 3,000 years ago — a story central to Jewish life and history.

“Passover is the most-celebrated American Jewish holiday, more than Rosh Hashanah, more than Hanukkah,” Klein said. “There is something compelling about the story of the exodus from Egypt.”

Passover is celebrated for either seven or eight days, depending on family and communal custom.

“The songs of Passover heighten and refresh our communal experience, raising our voices together in both ritual and innovative melodies in each generation,” Beth Tikvah Cantorial Leader Ilana Axel said. “We are introducing a new and expanded telling of the Passover story with traditions from around the world and a new-to-the-congregation Haggadah.”

Saturday’s community seder is part of Passover Across America, sponsored by NJOP (formerly known as the National Jewish Outreach Project). Its theme is celebrating “Passover Around the World,” exploring different Passover traditions. The food will reflect global tastes, including a charoset bar and international kosher wines.

“My congregation has people who were born in 17 foreign countries, including India, Ukraine, Russia,” Klein said. “In every generation, people add to the story and, in every corner of the world, people do slightly different things” to mark the holiday.

The children of some of her congregation’s Indian-American members made a banner of handprints with red paint on their palms, signifying the blood of a sacrificed lamb the Israelites were told to mark their doors with so the Lord would “pass over” their homes and spare their firstborns during the final plague in Egypt. In other traditions, the handprints are made in blue.

The hamsa — a hand-shaped amulet — is a significant symbol in Judaism and Islam, representing protection and good luck. In Judaism, it symbolizes God’s power and protection, and also is believed to ward off the evil eye.

“We are particularly excited about weaving in traditions like the hamsas from Mumbai, scallions from Iran and Afghanistan, jewelry from Austria and Hungry and more,” CKI President Josh Stover said.

Recognizing an Austrian/Hungarian tradition, congregation members have been asked to bring their treasured heirloom jewelry to Saturday’s seder to tell stories about.

“We decorated the tables with treasure chests … it’s an icebreaker,” Klein said. “It is a lot about storytelling. The whole thing is to get the kids to sit up and notice … ‘why is this night different, why are we doing this.’”

The idea is also to remind people of Jewish values, Klein said.

“We were slaves in Egypt so we are supposed to take care of the most marginalized, the widow, the orphan, or the stranger, the resident alien,” she said. “I think the pandemic has been hard for lots of congregations. People want to come together again and that's a good thing even in this difficult time.”