Northoftampa: Feast of freedom

Feast of freedom

Passover commemorates the freeing of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, and preparations for the Seder meal are among the most elaborate of any religious occasion.

By TIM GRANT

CARROLLWOOD -- As members of the Jewish community prepare to celebrate the Passover holiday this week, families are ridding their homes of bread products, planning large gatherings in their homes and, in some cases, making travel arrangements.

Passover, which begins on Wednesday night and lasts eight days, recalls the Biblical story of God's freeing of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. That story is told on two consecutive nights in a dinner known as the Seder. While it sounds simple enough, the painstaking preparations required to observe this holiday are among the most elaborate of any religious occasion.

"It is my favorite Jewish holiday, even though it is the hardest one to prepare for," said Rabbi Brian Zimmerman, religious leader of Congregation Beth Am on W Fletcher Avenue.

Observant Jews clean their homes exhaustively and eat foods they do not eat any other time of the year. They also refrain from eating bread and most baked products, as they recall the struggles of their ancestors.

In the story of Exodus, God demanded that Pharaoh release the descendents of Abraham, and sent plagues to punish Pharaoh for refusing. Eventually God instructed the Angel of Death to spare the Jews by passing over their homes in the last and worst plague.

The Israelites left Egypt and embarked on their journey through the desert so hastily that they did not have time to allow their bread to rise. That is why during the eight days of Passover, Jews eat matzo, a flat, cracker-like bread made with no yeast. The more observant also cease to use any cookware, dishes and silverware that have come in contact with those bread products, and search ceremoniously for traces of bread, cake or cereal with a candle or flashlight.

"Kids love the candlelight search," said Rabbi Joel Wasser of Kol Ami on Moran Road. "Sometimes parents will leave a few Cheerios out to give kids something to find. It's really fun, although it might sound bizarre."

For the most part, Passover is a family occasion focused largely on educating children about their history. Unlike other religious ceremonies, the Seder encourages children to interrupt and ask questions. In fact, rabbis say the rituals of Passover are designed to elicit questions. One time-honored tradition asks the youngest to sing a Hebrew song that asks four questions about the Seder.

Gary Teblum, a member of Kol Ami, teaches a class called "Passover Without Panic," which helps people get ready for Seder and shows them ways to personalize the Seder for their guests. In past years, Teblum said he rewrote some of the traditional Seder music to the tune of pop songs. One year, he said the songs were all Disney melodies with Passover lyrics. Elsewhere, there are feminist Seders that emphasize women's contributions to Jewish history.

"This is a holiday that most Jewish people have a strong childhood memory of," Teblum said. "Positive or negative, it's usually very vivid."

A limited number of Passover foods are available at local supermarkets and at the Jo-El's delicatessen in Carrollwood. However, the strictly kosher Jo-El's is closing for the holiday week to avoid having to remove bread products from the menu; and a much larger selection of Passover foods is available at the original Jo-El's in St. Petersburg.

Some families leave town for the week. "That way they don't have to clean house," Zimmerman said. "And in many cases they will go to other cities where a greater variety of Kosher food is available." There are even eight-day cruises where guests are served kosher-for-Passover fare.

Cindy Sper of Beth Am plans to travel to Asheville, N.C., to see relatives. "For us it is an opportunity to share all of the family history that has been ours since childhood," Sper said.

"This is an opportunity to do the preparation with my sister. So we share this together, and that's part of the bonding process," Sper said. "It isn't about getting out of anything. You lose it all if you get out of it."

-- To reach Tim Grant call 226-3471, or e-mail him at grant@sptimes.com.