Passover began before sundown Wednesday and ends after sundown Thursday. Passover celebrates the biblical story of the Israelites' emancipation from over 400 years of slavery in Egypt, and Ohio University Bobcats celebrating from Athens observe the holiday with friends and community organizations.
According to Reform Judaism, in the biblical story, God sent the Egyptians a series of ten different plagues in retaliation for keeping the Israelites enslaved, with the tenth killing the firstborn of each family. God told the Israelites to paint lamb's blood over their doors to leave their children unharmed, and the plague would “pass over” them. As the plague continued, the Pharaoh of Egypt let the Israelites go, and they hurriedly packed their belongings. Due to their eagerness, the Israelites' bread had no time to rise; this sacrifice is honored now as the holiday prohibits eating leavened grain products.
Alexys Rudd, a junior studying psychology, discussed what it is like to observe the sacrifices the Israelites made.
“It gives me a time to reflect on some things that aren't always super easy,” Rudd said. "Everybody complains like, ‘I can’t eat bread for a week,’ or ‘I really want a muffin or something.’ And so looking back on how easy I have it and how hard it is to not eat something with gluten in it when other people have things so much harder.”
Rudd said although it is hard to avoid any products containing yeast or gluten for the week, honoring the sacrifices the Israelites made is crucial to celebrating Passover.
“When the Hebrews were leaving Egypt, they never had enough time for their bread to rise,” Rudd said. “So that’s why we don’t eat things with yeast in it over Passover, so we’re recognizing that.”
Matzah is a flat, unleavened bread able to be eaten during Passover. On Seder, the traditional Passover meal that is hosted on each of the first two nights of the holiday, it is a “mitzvah,” or commandment, to eat matzah, according to Chabad.
Riley Peeden, a senior studying journalism and political science, is the president of OU’s Chabad chapter. Peeden discussed how the Jewish organization hosts Seder.
“Chabad hosts a big dinner for the first two nights,” Peeden said. “It’s kind of a religious dinner … it's just a big dinner where you kind of go through the symbolic stuff that represents what Passover means.”
Celebrating religious holidays far from home can be hard, especially when dietary restrictions come into play. Rudd discussed the challenge of honoring Passover traditions while at school.
“It’s just a lot different because I’m not spending the time with my family when I have been, and I have no idea if the dining hall has everything that is Kosher for Passover, and nothing there technically is because it’s all in the same vicinity was something with yeast,” Rudd said.
To combat these struggles, Rudd said she tries to hang out with her Jewish friends who share the same experiences.
Peeden said she struggled with finding the same food alternatives for Passover that she finds at home grocery stores.
“I’m from the Cleveland area, and you can go to any grocery store during Passover and get matzah, but this Passover when I went to Kroger, they didn’t have it, so it’s just different celebrating in Athens,” Peeden said.
While the Athens grocery stores may be lacking, Peeden finds comfort in Chabad, as it offers students kosher-friendly meals.
“That’s why Chabad is helpful, because every day they have meals that are kosher for Passover provided for Jewish students,” Peeden said. “So that helps to know that I’m keeping Passover and keeping Kosher even when I’m not home.”
More than just meals, Chabad serves as a space for Jewish bobcats to share and grow in their faith. Being Jewish all her life, Peeden discussed how important Chabad has been to her during her time at OU.
“I actually could not have found something better than them,” Peden said. “When I came to college, and I met the rabbi and his wife, I just instantaneously connected to them, and they just made being Jewish something fun, and it gave me a really good sense of community.”
Passover offers Jewish bobcats a time to slow down and connect with their friends and faith through the religious holiday.
“People can kind of complain about Passover because there are so many things you can’t eat, but I always like it because it’s always a time I’m going to Chabad a lot because I’m going for a lot of meals and just getting to spend a lot of time with the community, which is always a nice thing,” Peeden said.
Another Jewish organization on campus, Hillel, also celebrates Passover. It held a community Seder on Wednesday and offered supplies for members to hold their own Seders the next day. It is also offering Passover-friendly lunches Monday through Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Passover typically falls around Easter, but it is crucial to differentiate between the two religious holidays. Peeden explained that due to the holidays' close calendar dates, it is important to understand that Passover is not related to Easter.
“I feel like it gets some association if that makes any sense, but it really is a completely different holiday, completely no relation at all,” Peeden said. “I feel like growing up Jewish, I always knew about Christian holidays, but people don’t really know about Jewish holidays.”
Although it can be intimidating, respectfully asking questions is the easiest way to learn more about different religions and helps people broaden their understanding. Peeden said her non-Jewish roommates ask her questions all the time and encourage others to do so.
“Sometimes people get scared to ask questions,” Peeden said. “They don’t want to sound stupid or anything, but what I want people to know is that it's okay to ask questions, and I prefer them to ask questions and try to get to know more about my holidays and the stuff I celebrate.”
