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 "A
month ago when writing Pesach Seder down to the plan of Children's Creative
Center I could only hope that it would be special. Fortunately, it really was!" -
said Larissa Poltavskaya, the coordinator of children's programs in "Rimon"
JCC. "Always naughty and merry children changed right after the Seder.
We could see in their faces that they were pondering over something. They were
so deep in thinking that even their favourite festive activities - games,
sketches, and songs - seemed unnecessary that day. What were they thinking
about?"
"I like "Rimon" very much. Everybody knows me here,
because I act in sketches. I like to come here, especially on holidays, when
there are many adults who like to joke and propose riddles. But this time everything
was different," said seven-year-old Masha Arepyeva.
"We sat down to a big table with a keara on it - it's a kind of festive
Jewish plate".
 "It's
not just a festive plate", - corrected eleven-year-old
Ida Menshikova. "It's a special plate with chicken, egg, bitter herb,
boiled potato and some sweet stuff, I guess it's honey and nuts."
"Yeah, do you remember, it was great to make a sandwich of
matzoh, herbs, that sweet stuff and matzoh again." - exclaimed
Masha, imagining the sandwich. "Then Larissa started telling about
Pesach. She said it was the day that my grandfather escaped from a Pharaoh."
"Mom said different", - interfered Larissa's son
Ilya (10 years old) who was writing an e-mail at the next computer.
"She meant our great-great-grandfathers who managed to escape
from Egypt but then lived in a desert for 40 years."
 "And
ate matzoh! Great, I love it!" interrupted Masha.
"They ate it because they ran away quickly and there was no
time to leaven pastry."
"And when we eat matzoh we remember those people," continued
Ida.
"And I remembered the old people for whom we act on holidays.
They always look like that… and they love us so," said Masha without
naughtiness and coquetry. "I guess our great-great-grandfathers were
like them and agreed to live in the desert only for the sake of us!"
"We were afraid that children would treat Pesach the same
as full of festivals Purim or joyous Hanukah. It was essential to make them
understand the importance of this holiday. And you see that we managed to, thanks
to their lucid minds, kind hearts and pure souls!"
Galina Goldberg
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