Feeding more than the soul with Passover Seder
Fox Valley Jews gathered to share a Passover Seder Sunday afternoon in Geneva, celebrating their freedom as a people and teaching the holiday's lessons to their children.
Members of the Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors prepared a traditional Seder, a holiday meal steeped in symbolism recalling the deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.
"The main message of Passover is freedom," said Nancy Sohn of Geneva, one of the group's members.
About 100 people were expected for the event, said Leslie Weems of Geneva, one of the group's board members.
"It's really neat to have somebody to celebrate the holiday with," she said.
Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors brings together about 150 Jewish and interfaith families in the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas. The group maintains a headquarters and activities center at 121 S. Third Street in Geneva, but Sunday's event was so large that it had to be moved to the Geneva Park District's Community Center on Western Avenue.
Sunday's Seder, on the second day of the eight-day Passover holiday, was centered on children.
"The important thing is that these kids hear the story of Passover," Sohn said.
Passover refers to God's slaying of every first-born child in Egypt, but "passing over" Jewish homes.
Released from slavery, the Jews made their exodus from Egypt in such a hurry that they had no time to wait for their bread to rise, resulting in the traditional matzah, or thin unleavened bread.
The Passover Seder includes several symbolic foods, such as charoset (a mixture of apples, cinnamon, wine and chopped walnuts) to represent the mortar used by Jewish slaves, and parsley dipped into salt water, to symbolize the slaves' tears.
"The great thing about Fox Valley Jewish neighbors is the ability to get together with other Jewish people without having to go a long way," said Sohn, as she prepared a chicken-based matzo ball soup for the Seder.
"A lot of our members belong to a synagogue, and many don't," Sohn said.
Bethany Kural moved to Geneva from Michigan with her husband and four children a few years ago. The family does not attend an area synagogue.
"This is really a nice opportunity for our children to be around other Jewish children, and to share common beliefs," Kural said. "And this is doing the job nicely. We're able to share holidays where we'd otherwise just be at home."