Spring is fast approaching which also means it’s soon going to be time for Passover and by extension Easter. Seeing as this is a Jewish Community Center then we can infer that quite a number of staff here celebrate Passover and spread the tradition across the rest of the JCC. If you thought that then you would be correct. Albeit not everyone who works here practices Judaism but I’ve managed to ask the people who do about their ways of celebrating Passover. Their responses were different and interesting. 

 

First I talked to Marlin who may not be Jewish herself but still holds strong feelings towards Passover, stating how she takes the initial meaning of the holiday in which the freedom is the Israelites are celebrated and extends that towards celebrating freedom for all people regardless of race, religion and background. Debbie who works at the front desk also shares this view. Back to Marlin though, she also shared with me a way that the JCC spread Passover. That is by having lunch with Rabbi Pernik who takes that time to discuss the significance of Passover to everyone. 

Moving onto people who are Jewish, Katlyn from the marketing department tells me of how Passover means so much more to her now that she is a mother. She also is able to connect more by sharing the story of Passover to her young daughter who apparently developed a curiosity about many aspects of Passover, such as how long ago was the Pharaoh’s reign? Or why were the Hebrews enslaved? 

Debbie at the front desk states how Passover has become a holiday that has connected with her more as she got older through learning more about the story of how the Hebrew were freed from the Pharaoh. She said that a big way of learning about it was through watching the Prince of Egypt. An animated film by DreamWorks that retells the story of Exodus. It's actually a great film that I highly recommend if you want to learn about Passover in an easily digestible way. Anyways back on track. Debbie also mentioned that Passover is a great chance for her to eat certain foods only accessible during this time of year. 

 

All of these responses help to show off the different ways that Passover impacts everyone at the JCC from those of Jewish faith to non Jewish people alike. I mean why wouldn’t it? This is a community that welcomes Jewish people and supports Jewish culture after all. So it would make sense that everyone has gained new perspectives on the spirit of Passover. 

But I also gained insight into what everyone's favorite part of Passover is and how they spread the spirit of the holiday. From teaching the story of Exodus to younger generations to taking part in traditions such as feasting with friends and family to even watching a Passover movie. There is something for everyone to celebrate when it comes to Passover. Hopefully you have something pertaining to Passover that you can celebrate too.  Happy Passover everyone and to those who celebrate Easter I hope that day is even better for you!