The Passover holiday is devoted to the Exodus from Egypt. This event holds one of the central positions in Jewish people life. For more than three thousand years, every spring, Jews all over the world go again through the way from slavery to freedom making every step of this travel a part of their own lives.

It has become a good tradition to invite guests to celebrate Passover. This year a graduate from Jerusalem Yeshibah, Mendel, visited Karaganda to hold Passover Seder together with us.

A Jewish house needs to be well prepared for Passover, be thoroughly cleaned of hametz. We did it in the Hesed building. Most of work needs to be done in the kitchen, Passover dishes should be koshered. Rabbi Mendel was doing it with great diligence.

On that day, all Jewish men who came to Hesed were granted the honor of conducting a ritual of laying tfilin. This was a very exciting occasion especially for those who did it for the first time.

On March 29 everything was ready: tables are laid with kosher wine, matzo, Seder dish, Aggada, a cup with salty water - all are indispensible attributes of Passover. The holiday started with lighting candles and reciting prayers. Our Passover night consisted of reading out Aggada and practicing all necessary holiday rituals. Our children also attended the celebration. They asked four traditional questions. All guests listened to Rabbi Mendel with great attention. One could feel that for many people this information was a revelation.

The second Seder was held the next day. To give as many people as possible the opportunity to visit the holiday we have invited other members of the community to the second Seder. The interest was very high. There were many questions to our guest and he answered them all. Mendel is a friendly, attentive young man with a great sense of humor. It was very nice to talk to him. Our guest went sightseeing on a tour of the city accompanied by Shemesh Center Director Irina Kozhanovskaya.

Unfortunately, many elderly people could not visit Passover Seders because they were held late in the evenings. Specially for them, there was a celebration held during the day. Everybody who wanted to celebrate the holiday in the community was invited to Shemesh. Everybody felt at home, it was a warm and friendly atmosphere at the holiday.

This is how Passover was held in Karaganda. This is a holiday of physical and spiritual freedom, spiritual unity with God.

Larisa Brodskaya