Jewish community celebrates beginning of Passover

The Jewish holiday of Passover began at sundown Monday, starting eight days of celebration remembering the exodus of Jewish slaves from Egypt under Moses.Also known as Pesah, Passover celebrates the birth of the Jewish nation."This is when the people became a religion, not just a bunch of nomads," said Sheldon Edelman, member of the Manhattan Jewish Congregation. Although Manhattan does not have a traditional Jewish temple or rabbi, nearly fifty Jews gathered at the Manhattan Jewish Congregation to celebrate a community Seder meal last night. It will mark the congregation's 38th consecutive Passover Seder."For a small group in a small town, it's pretty good," Edelman said.The Passover is one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar, second only to the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. According to Edelman, Passover's importance touches many facets of Jewish life. He noted that it was the event that began the observance of the Sabbath as a day of rest, as well as the founding of the Torah, the doctrine of Jewish law."The Torah says in five different places, 'You shall teach your children about this' and that's what this is," Edelman said. "Seder means 'order' in Hebrew, and there is an order of telling the story, and that's what we do. "It's all for communicating to those who do not know what happened and why, and why we worship God."During the week of Passover, it is traditional for a Jewish family to celebrate a Seder meal, in which many dishes are symbolic. Some of these dishes include horseradish to symbolize the bitterness of slaver and an egg to represent new life.A primary symbol of Passover is the matzo, or flat, unleavened bread, which the Israelites hurriedly made after their hasty escape from Egypt. During Passover, the Torah calls for Jews not to eat any leavened products, including bread, pasta or beer. Although the Passover meal usually is celebrated as a family event, the Manhattan Jewish Congregation chooses to celebrate as a community."This is one of the few congregations that I know that celebrates a community Seder," said Ben Lange, member of the Manhattan Jewish Congregation. "Most congregations do not - it's very much a family holiday - but we like to think of ourselves here as our family."For K-State students who practice Judaism, being away from family during Passover can be difficult. However, some say having an option in Manhattan helps fill the void."It's nice, because sometimes the high holidays fall during the week, and students can't leave," said Sarah Waxman, second-year student in veterinary medicine. "If I can, I prefer to be home with my family. But I if I can't, I'm glad that they are here."Though nearly all of the nation's Jewish population celebrate Passover, students said there are still small town idiosyncrasies that make celebrating in Manhattan difficult. "Here, it's a little tough because I can't always find the products in the grocery store," Waxman said. "They have the items at Dillons, but you usually have to track someone down and tell them what the box looks like."Nearly 25 students attended the Passover Seder last night. Members of the Manhattan Jewish Congregation said students are always welcome and a special part of their congregation."We provide a home base for them," Edelman said.