B1 THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018 AROUND THE WORLD Sharing the story of Passover

Patty Hastings eggs, vegetables or herbs Tribune News Service dipped in salt water (meant to represent tears) and dif- VANCOUVER, WASH. — ferent types of bitter herbs, “What’s the most import- such as . ant food?” Tzivie Green- They’re unfamiliar foods, berg asked as she flipped meant to prompt ques- through a slideshow of tra- tions from inquiring young ditional Passover foods. minds. “This tastes bitter. “!” several kids Why are we eating this?” replied. “What is matzo?” Matzo, or crisp unleav- As with other Jewish hol- ened , is eaten only idays, the foods are infused during Passover, the hol- with meaning and history. iday celebrating the - For instance, ish people’s exodus from is meant to represent the Egypt 3,331 years ago. Last brick and mortar from when year, the Jewish the were enslaved Center of Clark County in and made bricks. The bit- Vancouver, Washington, ter herbs are dipped in the made matzo in preparation sweet charoset. for Passover, which begins Skylar Wake, 8, was enjoy- Friday . ing roasting chicken bones This year, they decided over an open flame. Her to do something differ- mother, Michelle Gregory, ent. On Sunday, children was eventually able to tear Faithful carry handmade palms during a Palm Sunday procession in the village of Glinianka, Poland. and their parents gath- her away from that activity ered at the so she could put together a in Brush Prairie to pre- wooden seder plate shaped pare seder foods and seder like the . plates. Seder is a ceremo- “I love that we do these,” nial Jewish dinner eaten Gregory said. during the fi rst two nights She said these kind of of Passover, and it’s the activities are important central part of the - because they get children day, said Shmulik involved in the on Greenberg. another level. Its traditions cen- “It allows them to interact ter around telling stories with that history in a diff er- during the meal. ent way,” Gregory said. “Generation after gener- Sarah Mittelman said ation, we’ve been sharing the activities help build her our story, parent to child,” sons’ foundation in Juda- said Tzivie Greenberg, ism in a fun, engaging way. Lushomo Hoalla, 8, right, feeds a donkey named Dominic co-director of the Jewish The two boys go to Hebrew at St. Paul’s Chapel, before its featured in a Palm Sunday center. school. Roman Catholic pilgrims hold palm fronds and an image of procession to Trinity Church in New York. Palm Sunday There were several “I love coming here for during the Palm Sunday procession at Church of the commemorates the day Jesus entered into riding foods prepared Sunday for chabad,” Mittelman said. Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed by many to be the site a donkey as crowds laid palm branches in his path. AP the seder plates: chicken Passover begins on the of the burial of Jesus Christ, in Jerusalem’s Old City. AP bones, charoset (a fruit 15th day of , which this and nut paste), hard-boiled year falls on Friday. Preparing for

Most Christians around the world began their observance of by celebrating Palm

Sunday, which marks Jesus Christ’s entrance into

Jerusalem when his followers laid palm branches in his path, prior to his crucifi xion. Holy Week ends

Sunday with Easter, when Christians celebrate

Christ’s resurrection. Residents in a poor neighborhood of Paranaque make vari- ous designs out of palm fronds on the eve of the Palm Sunday The Seder plate is part of the ceremonial Jewish dinner Grand Rapids Press - 03/29/2018 Copycelebration Reduced in Manila, to 80% Philippines. from original AP to fit letter page eaten during the fi rst two nights of Passover.Page MLive.com : B01 fi les

INTERFAITH INSIGHT Passover and Easter: Freedom and redemption

Douglas Kindschi ter herbs commemorates the bitter experi- Following his ordination as a Conserva- Sigal’s ideas were published in a number Director, Kaufman Interfaith ence of the endured by the Israelites. tive rabbi, his deep commitment promoting of books both during his life and after his Institute, GVSU Drinking the four cups of celebrates the interfaith understanding led to his pursuing death. He had planned a fi ve-volume series new freedom that was attained after the exo- a doctorate in New Testament at Pittsburgh on the “Emergence of Contemporary Juda- “When this world has love, dus. The recitation of the is a lit- Theological Seminary. It was there he devel- ism,” of which the third volume was pub- then we finally will indeed have Passover urgy telling each generation the account of oped his theory of “dual , lished in 1986. The forward to that volume and Easter. There will be redemption!” deliverance. The core narrative of Passover namely, that God intended there be two trib- was written by his widow, Lillian Sigal. She This week, begin the celebration of and the Seder meal is the movement from utaries of the covenant with Abraham: the wrote: “Despite his deep love for , he Passover and Christians observe Holy Week slavery to freedom. Judaic, expressed in ; and did not feel compelled to show its superior- concluding with Easter Sunday. Because The Christian story celebrated during the Christian.” He also noted his desire to do ity over , but rather preferred to of calendar diff erences it is not always the Holy Week is that of the fi nal days of Jesus, further research toward broadening this to illuminate the common matrix from which case that they occur the same week, and who after his entry into Jerusalem cele- include . both faiths have sprung and to stress that this year the dates are quite closely aligned. brated with his disciples the Passover meal. both provide equally valid paths for the pil- The beginning of Passover is observed with This was followed by his betrayal, trial, BASED IN COMPASSION grim in search of God.” Seder on Friday evening . For Christians death by crucifixion, and resurrection, Central to his vision was understanding She concludes with a reference to an inter- in the West using the , which is celebrated on Easter Sunday. The of the imperative of both faiths expressed view with the religion editor of the Grand the previous evening is the celebration of core narrative of Holy Week and Easter is the in the love commandment. As he stud- Rapids Press during the Passover/Easter Thursday, which commemorates movement from death to life. ied the teachings of Jesus, he saw refl ected season just a few months before his death. Jesus celebrating the Passover meal with his My fi rst signifi cant interfaith experience back to him the “compassion of the Judaic “Phillip spoke of the redemptive power of disciples known as the . Easter occurred many years ago when I was a grad- tradition in which Jesus and he both were love — the guiding principle of his life.” She Sunday this year is Sunday for most Chris- uate student and my wife and I were invited reared and formed.” Throughout his career, concludes by quoting him: “When this world tians in the West, but for the Eastern Ortho- to celebrate the Seder with a Jewish family in he was deeply active in seeing that this has love, then we finally will indeed have dox Churches, using the Julian calendar, it South Chicago. That was when I fi rst expe- compassion common to the two traditions Passover and Easter. There will be redemp- will be April 8. rienced the close relationship between my be translated into collaboration for social tion!” More important than the changing dates own understanding of the Christian celebra- justice. on the calendar is to recognize what is being tion of Holy Communion or the Following his death, the Rabbi Phillip [email protected] celebrated on these religious holidays. The and the rituals of the Passover meal. Sigal Memorial Lecture was established by Jewish eight-day celebration of Passover the Interfaith Dialogue Association, which Rabbi Sigal Memorial Lecture commemorates the deliverance of the Jews BUILDING BRIDGES has now joined with the Kaufman Inter- from slavery in Egypt. The highlight is the After moving to Grand Rapids, I also had faith Institute. Given Rabbi Sigal’s commit- “Social Justice as a Faith Based Imperative” Seder meal celebrated at the beginning of the privilege of meeting and learning from ment to social justice, it is especially appro- the weeklong observance. Rabbi Phillip Sigal, who served as the rabbi priate that this year’s lecture on April 10 Tuesday, April 10 at 7 pm The focal points of the Seder include the at Congregation Ahavas from 1980 will address “Social Justice as a Faith Based eating of matzah, or . until his untimely death in 1985. Rabbi Sigal Imperative.” Our speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Eberhard Center, Grand Rapids This symbolizes that when the Hebrew peo- was also a scholar, writer and one committed Susan Henry-Crowe, the general secretary of ple were getting ready to leave there was no to building a bridge between Judaism and the United Methodist Board of Church and Information and free registration at inter- time for the bread to rise. The eating of bit- Christianity. Society. faithunderstanding.org

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