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.

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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.