by Raechel Fittante
Staff Writer
The annual Passover celebration at the University of La Verne will be held in the President’s Dining Room at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28.
Students and staff are invited to be guests at the gathering and are encouraged to join and share in this cultural and religious experience which represents a celebration of freedom for all people, not just those of the Jewish faith.
The Passover Seder is a spring tradition in the Jewish faith which commemorates the exodus of the Hebrew slaves from Egyptian bondage, as described in the Book of Exodus in the Bible.
The event is co-sponsored by Dr. Rhoda Kachuck, professor of English, and Judy Georges, campus minister. The model Seder is designed to bring together people from various faiths and walks of life to honor freedom and liberation.
The essence of the Seder is “to rejoice in the freedom from that which enslaves us,” said Georges.
“We have all been enslaved by something,” said Dr. Kachuck.
“The meeting is somewhat of a liberation—a celebration of the preciousness of freedom from whatever oppresses us,” said Georges sharing her feelings on why the event is so important to the campus and people in general.
On the first one or two nights of Passover, a seven-day observance, Jewish families sit down to the Seder. It is not only a dinner of traditional Jewish foods, but is also a ritual. The Haggadah, a book telling the story, is passed out, and in some families, each member leads the rest of the family in the presentation of different sections of the book. Some of the things included in the Haggadah are stories, chants, songs and prayers that require participation in a group setting.
The idea of ULV’s model Seder is to recreate that Passover experience on campus. Haggadah books will be distributed around the tables and people will participate in the full spectrum of the learning experience.
Rabbi Moshe Halfon will come from his West Covina temple and lead the group in song and prayer. Traditional Jewish foods will be prepared, each dish having a symbolic meaning that will be explained to the group.
“It never hurts to have the experience of a commemorative ritual,” said Dr. Kachuck. “It’s a highly educational experience to teach unto children of today the recognition of the past. Passover is when the past and the present run into each other.”
Dr. Jonathan Reed, assistant professor of religion, said, “It is fantastic for students to get exposure to Judaism. Students can learn more about Judaism in that one evening than they can learn in an entire semester in the classroom.”
There were about 80 people in attendance at last year’s Passover Seder, which is free to all students with meal cards and there will be a charge for other guests who wish to participate.
“I do it because I think that it is really important for students to expose themselves to as many world religions as possible on a University context,” said Georges. “Something incredibly important happens when we sit down at a table together rather than just having a regular conversation.”
“Freedom is mainly the meaning of the holiday. It brought the Jews out of Egypt and was actually a prelude to the wandering through the desert that led to the discovery of the Ten Commandments,” said Kachuck.
People who wish to be guests at the Seder on Tuesday night can sign up with Dr. Kachuck or Georges. The ceremony will be about two hours long.
