Passover is ‘a family reunion, a history lesson, an affirmation of survival and a time of reflecting on ways to help the vulnerable.’

SUNSET SATURDAY, APRIL 12: Tonight, Jews begin the joyous and deeply reflective festival of Passover—the most widely observed of all Jewish traditions.

Click the cover to visit the book’s Amazon page.

A few years ago, as Holidays & Festivals columnist for ReadTheSpirit magazine, I wrote an extensive Holidays section of the Michigan State University School of Journalism Bias Busters book called 100 Questions and Answers About American Jews with a Guide to Jewish Holidays.

Here is part of what I wrote in that book, which now is widely used by individuals and groups nationwide who want to know more about our neighbors’ faiths and cultures:

For eight days, starting with 15 Nissan, Passover recalls the ancient Israelites’ Exodus from slavery in Egypt. Prior to the start of Passover, it is traditional for observant Jews to clean their homes so that not even a crumb of leavened food, or chametz, is present. 

While only one Seder is conducted in Israel, outside of Israel the first two nights of Passover have a Seder—a meal with symbolic foods, prayers, stories, songs and activities. In some homes, the Seder can last deep into the night.

Most Jewish communities also offer “model Seders” for non-Jews who want to learn about this experience prior to Passover. Many non-Jews are familiar from movies and TV shows with some of the Passover customs, such as the moment when the youngest in the household asks Four Questions, beginning with: “Why is this night different from all other nights?”

Passover usually is experienced as a family reunion, a history lesson, an affirmation of survival and a time of reflecting on ways to help the vulnerable.

Passover 2025

There are a few differences this year, having to do with the calendar itself. The “day” before Passover is the Jewish Sabbath and observant Jews don’t fast on a Sabbath—so the tradition that “first born” Jews fast on the day before Passover has been moved to Thursday, this year. The same thing will be true in observant families in the “search for chametz,” which will move to Thursday to avoid a conflict with the Sabbath.

Want some fresh family ideas? Just in time for Passover, this year, Parents magazine has published a family friendly overview of ways to get kids more involved in the whole experience.

Still looking for recipes? Every year, major newspapers and magazines update their online sections of “Passover recipes”—and it begins to look like quite a competition by the numbers.

  • The Food Network serves up 27 Passover recipes, including an innovative Air Fryer Latke (could that be as good?) and an Eggplant Matzo Lasagna.
  • Bon Appétit currently lists 47 recipes to consider, among them: Date-and-Soy-Braised Short Ribs and a Tahini Hot Fudge Skillet Cake.
  • Delish Magazine offers a whopping 53 holiday recipes, including an intriguing Pastrami Matzo Kugel (sounds unusual doesn’t it?) and a Feta, Spinach and Tomato-stuffed Salmon. Not your style? There’s also a Coconut-Curry Salmon recipe!

A lot of work goes into Passover!

Throughout the holiday period, and in more traditionally observant households, the dishes and baking tools used for the Passover seder are reserved only for this time and have never come into contact with chametz. So, in many households—and in institutions that keep Kosher—there can be an enormous amount of preparation involved. In some cases, institutional ovens are “changed out” before the holiday period to ensure that cooks are using Kosher-for-Passover stoves. Most Kosher homes don’t have that luxury, so they go through an elaborate process of cleansing stoves before the holiday.

Why is it so important to get rid of leavened products during this time?

According to Exodus, as the Israelites left Egypt they moved so quickly that their bread was not able to rise. To this day, unleavened matzah (spellings vary) is a staple element on seder tables and a symbol of this ancient festival.

Did you know? Matzo is made from flour and water that is mixed and baked in 18 minutes—to prevent the dough from rising. As matzo is such an important element of Passover, many Jews are trying to revive the art of homemade matzo. Baking matzo is a challenge; only 18 minutes are allowed between the mixing of flour and water to the finishing of baking. Elaborate measures are taken to ensure the mixture does not rise.

During Passover, the Torah obligation of the Counting of the Omer begins. On the second day of Passover, keeping track of the omer—an ancient unit of measure—marks the days from Passover to Shavuot.

Fast of Esther, Purim: Jews joyously observe fast and holiday, recalling steadfast victory

Purim costumes

Young people in costume, for the festival of Purim. Photo by Lilach Daniel, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

THURSDAY, MARCH 13: For many observant Jews, the dawn-to-dusk period today is a time to observe the Fast of Esther, related to the story of Purim. Yet today’s fast lasts only from sunrise to sunset (Purim begins at sunset), and for a joyful reason: the Fast of Esther recalls a story of victory!

Here’s the story:

About 2,500 years ago, a beautiful young woman named Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, the king of Persia. When Esther became queen of Persia, she hid her true Jewish identity.

Queen Esther’s husband, King Ahasuerus—who did not know that his wife was Jewish—was swayed by an evil advisor (Haman), who wanted to rid Persia of all Jews. When Esther was informed of this tragic plan, she knew she had no other choice; Esther asked her fellow Jews to fast with her in hope of divine favor, and she courageously revealed her true religious identity to her husband. Queen Esther’s brave act could have resulted in her death, but King Ahasuerus was partial to his wife—and he spared the lives of all the Jews.

PURIM: COSTUMES, COOKIES, STOMPING AND GIVING

The story of Purim is found in the pages of the book of Esther, in the Hebrew scriptures of the Bible. Many Jews still observe the Fast of Esther from dawn to dusk—and then, with the start of Purim at sundown, fruit-filled cookies are served, costumes are donned, wine is consumed and comical skits entertain audiences.

In the synagogue, readings from the book of Esther evoke hissing, booing and stomping, as Jews “blot out” the name of the villainous Haman. Some Jews even write Haman’s name on the bottom of their shoes, so as to literally stomp on his name!

Did you know? The name of G_d is not mentioned in the book of Esther, and many Jews interpret this as indication that G_d works in ways that are not always apparent. On Purim, disguises and costumes serve as symbolism of G_d “hidden” behind the scenes.

The carnivals and masquerades of Purim are accompanied by the four primary obligations of the day: to listen to a public reading of the book of Esther in the evening and the morning; to send food gifts to friends; to give charity to the poor; and to partake in a festive meal. (Find interactive tools and more at Chabad.org.)

2025 NEWS

“When fake news is good news …” the Jewish News Syndicate reports on this unique time of year in the Jewish community, when the Purim shpiel (humorous dramatization of the Book of Esther) is seen in Jewish media worldwide, providing articles of satire and humor for the celebration of this boisterous holiday.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports the array of events that will be held this year in New York City, for the festival of Purim, and on the music front, Jewish music notables Avraham Fried and Thank You Hashem collaborated on a new song for Purim, titled “Layehudim” (read more, and watch the music video, here.)

WANT MORE?

An array of Purim recipes can be found at AllRecipes.

Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah: Jews wrap up Sukkot, celebrate Torah reading cycle

Celebrating the end and re-start of the annual Torah reading cycle by unwinding the Torah scroll and spreading it around the room. Photo by Richard Cahan, courtesy of Flickr

SUNSET WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23 and SUNSET THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24: The days of eating (and, for some families, sleeping) in the sukkah are coming to a close for many Jews—although some extend eating in the sukkah just one more day during this time—as the faithful celebrate Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. For Jews in Israel, these two holidays combine into one day; for Jews of the Diaspora, Shemini Atzeret is followed by Simchat Torah by one day. Lively processions with torah scrolls circle the aisles and hallways of synagogues.

Did you know? Shemini Atzeret means “Eighth Day of Assembly,” while Simchat Torah means “Rejoicing in Torah,” or “Joy of Torah.”

SHEMINI ATZERET: Traditionally, Jews begin praying for rain on Shemini Atzeret. The rainy season in Israel begins soon, and for agricultural purposes, the Musaf Amidah prayer is recited, for rain, on Shemini Atzeret.

SIMCHAT TORAH: Great happiness continues on Simchat Torah. It is on this day that Jews celebrate the conclusion—and restart—of the annual Torah-reading cycle. Most years, synagogues around the world  hold processions that are followed by joyful dancing and singing. Torah scrolls are carried through the aisles, and even children join in by carrying toy or paper versions of the scrolls, making their way around the building in a series of seven circuits (hakafot). The primary celebration of Simchat Torah begins in the evening, when (traditionally), the ark is opened: congregation members sing and dance, and in many regions, the singing and dancing is taken to the streets and lasts many hours.

Sukkot: Jews gather in sukkahs for the harvest festival also known as Feast of Booths

A FAMILY LEGACY—My family still treasures the remaining portion of s’vach, the sukkah roofing, made by Minnie and Isaac Rosenthal of blessed memory in 1905. Standing with this remaining portion are members of my family. In upper left is Rachel Lachover Sadoff, a great-grandchild of Minnie and Isaac. Rachel’s father—Leonard Lachover of blessed memory—was a grandchild. Beside Rachel is Cookie Lachover, Leonard’s wife. Standing in front are Asa and Sloane Sadoff, great-great grandchildren of Minnie and Isaac. Sloane is also proudly holding the Hebrew alphabet that she made at school to decorate the sukkah. (Photos with this story courtesy of Rusty Rosman.)

 

Gathering Symbols of Our Jewish Culture—Young and Old

SUNSET, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16—Sukkot is the holiday of temporary booths or huts that the Jewish people erected in the desert on their way to the Promised Land.

Why in the world would we celebrate little huts? Just as we tell the story of going out of Egypt at Passover and celebrate the receiving of the Ten Commandments at Shavout, we erect sukkahs in the fall as we celebrate our ability to live freely and move about as we harvest what we planted to feed our families.

So what does a sukkah look like? It’s a temporary structure so it’s usually made out of boards that are latched together. Since we eat in it for only 7 days, it’s not too big but not too small. Big enough for a table to eat at with family and guests. Some very religious people choose to sleep in the sukkah.

The most important feature of every sukkah, wherever in the world it’s located, is a roof that you can see through to appreciate the stars in the sky at night. The roof is made of s’chach—or as we pronounce it s’vach—material from plants, which varies from palm fronds to bamboo to pine to reeds—laid out in a way that they will hold up during rain as well as sunshine.

Having your own sukkah at home is a thrill as well as an opportunity to pass down family traditions.

In my family, our most precious Sukkot memory is the roof covering. My grandparents, Minnie and Isaac Rosenthal of blessed memory, were a brand new husband and wife when they made their first sukkah in 1905. They went from the area they lived by the Eastern Market (in an area that is now part of I-375 in Detroit) to the Clinton River in Mt. Clemens. At that time, they rode the Detroit Urban Railway up the Gratiot line that ran from downtown Detroit all the way to Port Huron. They specifically went to the river in Mt. Clemens to gather reeds that they wove into a square grid. It took days to make quite a few grids to cover their sukkah.

Remember, this is a temporary structure used for only seven days so they had to be able to put it up, take it down and store it easily.

Today, 105 years later, only one grid remains of the roof covering but my family takes great care to preserve that section so lovingly made by Minnie and Isaac—a constant reminder of our family’s long legacy in southeast Michigan. Now, I am thankful that the preservation of that hand-woven s’chach is in the hands of my second cousin and that part of our family tree.

Each year, it’s fun to decorate the sukkah with pictures, fruits and vegetables hanging from the roof supports. When I was a child, I loved making pictures to decorate the walls—and the same when I was a parent—and, this year, I was so pleased to see little Sloane with her Hebrew alphabet all ready to display in the sukkah.

When I was young, I remember my grandmother teaching us how to make birds out of eggs! First, you blow out the insides of a raw egg—you twice poke a needle into it across from each other—and gently blow the insides out. Then very carefully, we’d glue feathers on to make a bird and even more carefully, paint the egg blue like a robin’s egg. If we were lucky and didn’t break it, we were so proud to hang our birds in the sukkah!

When Sukkot is over after 8 days, it’s time to put everything away until next year. The trick for us was saving our egg-birds in one piece!

Minnie and Isaac Rosenthal in 1905.

In this photo you can see more detail of this remarkably resilient grid that Minnie and Isaac assembled 120 years ago. They knew what they were doing to have it survive more than a century!

 

Yom Kippur: Jews repent and end High Holidays with holiest day of the year

Man praying Western Wall

“Slichot” prayer service during the Days of Repentance preceding Yom Kippur, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Photo by Mark Neyman for Government Press Office, courtesy of Flickr

SUNSET FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11: From the sweetness and high hopes of Rosh Hashanah, and through the High Holidays, Jewish families worldwide arrive at the solemn observance of what often is called the holiest day in the calendar: Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement.

 

A solemn observance, Yom Kippur (also called the Day of Atonement) is believed to be the final opportunity to make amends before one’s fate is sealed for the coming year.

What should most Jews know about Yom Kippur? Chabad.org offers a list of 19 facts “every Jew should know.” Read the article here.

Looking for break-the-fast recipes? Try a Yom Kippur recipe suggestion from the New York Times, or from Parade.

YOM KIPPUR: FASTING AND FORGIVENESS

This year, for 25 hours from sunset on October 11, the official start of Yom Kippur, Jews try to maintain a strict fast. Intense prayer accompanies the fasting, and many Jews spend hours reflecting on repentance. Having asked forgiveness from others and made amends in the days preceding Yom Kippur, Jews traditionally seek forgiveness from God on Yom Kippur. Kol Nidre, or “All Vows,” gathers the larger Jewish community and begins Yom Kippur evening services; Ne’ilah, a service during which the Torah ark remains open and the congregation stands, is the final plea to God for forgiveness.

A blast from the shofar follows the final prayers.

Why is Kol Nidre so significant? Kol Nidre is a deeply emotional experience for many Jews. At the start of Yom Kippur, amends are made and the community symbolically opens itself to regular members as well as others who rarely attend services. There is a long and complex history to the traditions of Kol Nidre—and there are many examples in Jewish fiction of moving scenes set at Kol Nidre. Overall, Kol Nidre represents a fresh resetting of commitments and promises within the community.

SOLEMNITY AND CELEBRATION

Although Yom Kippur is a solemn day, it is also one of celebration: Celebration of the anniversary of God forgiving the Jewish people for worshipping the golden calf. According to Jewish scholar and ReadTheSpirit contributing writer, Joe Lewis:

By traditional calculation, Moses brought the second tablets to the people on Yom Kippur. God’s nature is revealed to Moses as a God of mercy and compassion, patience and kindness (Ex. 34:6), and this idea is central to the liturgy of the day. We end the day with a blast on the shofar, eat our fill, and make plans for the festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles), which is only five days away.

Rosh Hashanah: On October 2, 2024, the new Jewish year 5785 begins.

AFTER SUNSET on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, the new year 5785 begins for Jewish families around the world. And while Rosh Hashanah always is focused on joy and the richness of God’s blessings—this will be a serious High Holy Day season with global conflicts continuing and a rising tide of antisemitism in the world.

Nevertheless, if you have Jewish family and friends, it’s always appropriate to wish them L’shanah tovah—“For a good year!”

On the first and second days of the Jewish month of Tishri, Rosh Hashanah is celebrated by Jews around the world. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year,” or “first of the year,” and many Jews use this period of time to make resolutions and commitments for self-improvement.

‘WE TRY TO REMEMBER, NOT FORGET’

Compared with secular New Year celebrations, writes Rabbi Lenore Bohm in this inspiring reflection on the holiday, “the Jewish New Year, while joyful, is spiritual, thoughtful, and reflective.  We try to remember, not forget.  We visit the graves of loved ones. We look for opportunities to be especially generous and charitable. We gather with close friends and family for delicious, home-cooked meals.  We express hope that we have grown in the year gone by.” (You’ll also enjoy the list of holiday questions Rabbi Bohm lists at the end of her column, which all of us—whatever our faith—would benefit from asking.)

On Rosh Hashanah, work is not permitted and many more traditional adherents spend the day in the synagogue. The shofar, a ram’s horn blown like a trumpet, is one of the holiday’s most famous symbols—but Rosh Hoshanah also comes with special readings and prayers for a good new year.

THE HIGH HOLIDAYS

What are the High Holidays? Sometimes referred to as “High Holidays,” or “High Holy Days,” this is the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and usually the phrase includes the 10 days in between. One description of this period says, in essence, that G_d opens the books of judgment as the new year begins and finally, on Yom Kippur, the judgment for the year is “sealed.”

Yom Kippur starts at sunset on Friday, October 11, this year.

The popular harvest festival Sukkot, then, starts on Wednesday, October 16.

HONEY, APPLES AND BREAD: A SWEET NEW YEAR

Of the sweet foods consumed on Rosh Hashanah, none is more popular than honey. Jerusalem, biblically referred to as “the land of milk and honey,” is yet another reason to eat honey on this special holiday. Jewish families like to serve apples or bread dipped in honey, or create dishes that incorporate these ingredients.

Sweet recipes: Looking to bake up something sweet and scrumptious this Rosh Hashanah? Try forward.com’s granola baked apples. For an entire menu of Rosh Hashanah recipes, check out AllRecipes, Epicurious, Food Network and Martha Stewart.

Tammuz 17 and the Three Weeks: Jews enter period of mourning for Temples, history

A Jewish person praying at the Western Wall. Photo by Israeltourism, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

TUESDAY, JULY 23: A multi-week period of solemnity begins for Jews around the world today, in a tradition that begins on Tammuz 17 and continues into what is known as “the Three Weeks.” Beginning on the 17th of the month of Tammuz and ending on Tisha B’Av, Jews lament the destruction of the First and Second Temples and the historical misfortunes of the Jewish people. Each day is met with a higher degree of lamentation than the last (with the exception of Shabbat). There is also great hope, however, in this time of sadness: As the past and present are examined, Jews look to the future.

Did you know? The Western Wall is the only remains of the retaining wall surrounding the Temple Mount, the site of the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem.

During the Three Weeks, observant Jews refrain from holding weddings, listening to music, celebrating in public, embarking on trips, having hair cut or shaved, and wearing new clothing. A fast is undertaken on the 17th of Tammuz and on the Ninth of Av. (For guides, stories, multimedia and more, visit Chabad.org.) The period is known as “within the straits,” from the Book of Lamentations.

Did you know? The 17th of Tammuz marks the day when the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans, in 69 CE.

According to traditional texts: The Three Weeks encompasses the days when the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans and both Temples were destroyed. The holy Temple that had stood in Jerusalem for 830 years was destroyed. This is also a period when Jews recall Moses breaking the original Ten Commandments.

During this three-week period, Jews try to increase good deeds and charitable works, while intensifying Torah study.