The Passover Aggadah says, "In each generation, the person should feel as if he/she, himself, is liberating from slavery." This is the meaning of the Passover Seder, the most important educating event of the year.

Passover holds a central position in the collective consciousness of the Jewish people not only because of the historic event that it commemorates. Passover unites all aspects of the Jewish Tradition. It makes Passover the most important family holiday of all Jewish holidays. One of the most important commandments, to eat matzo during Seder, is associated with a warm family atmosphere.

We had a lot of preparations in Pavlodar Hesed before the holiday. We made presentations about traditions and holiday rituals, how to prepare dishes, kitchen, and what food is permitted for the holiday. We issued the Hesed Bulletin to describe in detail how to prepare for the holiday. Hana Meerovna, a Historian, told about the holiday history. Many members signed a "prohibition on hametz". According to Passover tradition, we have done a thorough cleaning of the kitchen and all other rooms to clean them of hametz. In the Children’s Day Center children made Passover kears from clay. In our family, youth, and children’s clubs we held sample Passover Seders. At the School of National Resurrection an open lesson was conducted where children demonstrated their knowledge of the holiday and showed how to hold Passover Seder. Those people who could not come to the synagogue attended Seder held in Hesed. Many people recollected how Seder was held in their childhood, how they were baking matzo, how were looking for hametz on the holiday eve.

On March 29-30 in the synagogue sitting at the feast table we were telling each other that our people would overcome today’s problems as we had overcome slavery. Moreover, we know that if new enemies appear they will never defeat us. The Israeli people are everlasting and ineradicable.

Irina Tveritneva