Passover Seder

Passover is a holiday to be celebrated by everyone because of it?s meaning ? freedom. For Jew and non-Jew alike, this year why not try something different and attend a Passover Seder that has never been done before. When we are children the miracle of Passover seems very magical. I have found a magician who will re-create the 10 plagues and make the prophet Elijah appear. Of all my years as a rabbi this is probably going to be the most inspirational event that I have been a part of. You don?

The Passover Seder, a ritual yearly meal that commemorates the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, is meant to honor the past. But Rabbi Reuven Mintz of the Chabad Jewish Center in Newport Beach also sees it as an opportunity to plan for the future — and to put the present in context. Foods on traditional Seder plates symbolize aspects of the exodus story, including bitter herbs for the hardships of slavery and charoset, a fruit and nut mixture, for the mortar the slaves used to build the storehouses of Egypt.

Chabad Jewish Center will hold a Passover Seder at 7 p.m. April 19 at the Fairmont Newport Beach hotel, 4500 MacArthur Blvd. The Seder costs $60 for adults and $30 for children, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Chabad also is seeking people to sponsor guests at the Seder. Attendees will enjoy a traditional Seder dinner prepared by Fairmont chefs and hear the retelling of the story of Exodus. Children will receive Passover-themed favors at the event. Tickets must be paid for in advance by check or credit card.

Greer Wylder Passover revolves around traditional and modern Jewish foods shared with friends and family. Planning a traditional Seder can be fun. Seder means "order," because each part of the holiday celebration follows a specific sequence, from the beautiful table arrangements to the eating of symbolic foods. Passover has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years. Its historical importance represents the enslaved Israelites' flight from Egypt, which led to the formation of the Jewish nation.

Boston hospital surgeon will speak at library Atul Gawande, chief surgical resident at Women's Hospital in Boston, will speak at the Newport Beach Public Library at 5:30 p.m. today about his book, "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science." Gawande's book was a finalist for the National Book Award and was selected by the New York Times as one of the "Best Books of 2002." Gawande is also a research fellow at the Harvard University School of Public Health and a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine.

CHABAD OF NEWPORT BEACH Chabad of Newport Beach will host Passover Seder at 8 p.m. today and Sunday at the Chabad House, 3419 Via Lido #147, Newport Beach. Learn about the healing powers of the matzo and enjoy an in-depth Hebrew/English Passover experience with plenty of translation and an abundance of commentary. Call for prices. (949) 721-9800. TEMPLE ISAIAH Temple Isaiah of Newport Beach will sponsor its 26th Annual Community Seder at 6:30 tonight at the temple, 2401 Irvine Ave., Newport Beach.

The Easter and Passover holidays remind us of the importance religion plays in our lives. Easter is the holiest day of the year for Christians since it represents for them that Christ is the messiah. Passover is one of the most important Jewish holidays, and it largely celebrates the Jewish exodus from the tyranny of slavery. Even those of us who are lazy about attending religious services make the time to get dressed up and attend Easter Sunday Mass or a Passover Seder. And you can be sure that at this time of the year there are always touching stories of goodwill like the Orange Coast Middle College High School students who delivered Easter baskets to breast cancer survivors.

SPECIAL EVENTS 'YES GOD, I CAN!' The Rev. Gail Miller of New Thought Community Church will deliver the sermon "Yes God, I Can!" at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at 1929 Tustin Ave., Costa Mesa. For more information, call (949) 646-3199. SENIOR SEDER The Jewish Community Center of Orange County will hold a Seder for seniors at noon Thursday. The center is at 250 E. Baker St., Costa Mesa. The event is $8.50. For more information, call (714) 755-0340. TEMPLE ISAIAH TRIP Temple Isaiah will host a trip to Chabad Day School in Westminster at 7 p.m. Thursday to learn and be taught how unleaved bread was made in ancient times.

What’s one of your favorite Easter memories — something that really summed up the holiday for you?   In 2006 a priest friend and I traveled to the Holy Land for two weeks, arriving the day before Palm Sunday. We spent that first week (Holy Week) in Jerusalem, visiting many of the holy sites, and even celebrating Mass early one morning at the tomb in which Jesus was laid. It was an awesome and moving experience. Our time in Jerusalem culminated on Easter Sunday with Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

For Christians and Jews, all of our religious holidays divide us except for Passover and Easter. Passover and Easter divide us by bringing us closer together. Let me try to explain this exquisite spiritual contradiction. Passover and Easter are different in that Passover, as theologian Martin Buber has written, is celebrated by a meal eaten for God, while Easter is celebrated by a meal eaten of God. Passover celebrates a God who could not become visible, while Easter celebrates a God who had to become visible to save a sinful humanity.

What’s one of your favorite Easter memories — something that really summed up the holiday for you?   In 2006 a priest friend and I traveled to the Holy Land for two weeks, arriving the day before Palm Sunday. We spent that first week (Holy Week) in Jerusalem, visiting many of the holy sites, and even celebrating Mass early one morning at the tomb in which Jesus was laid. It was an awesome and moving experience. Our time in Jerusalem culminated on Easter Sunday with Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Passover is a holiday to be celebrated by everyone because of it?s meaning ? freedom. For Jew and non-Jew alike, this year why not try something different and attend a Passover Seder that has never been done before. When we are children the miracle of Passover seems very magical. I have found a magician who will re-create the 10 plagues and make the prophet Elijah appear. Of all my years as a rabbi this is probably going to be the most inspirational event that I have been a part of. You don?

The Passover Seder, a ritual yearly meal that commemorates the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, is meant to honor the past. But Rabbi Reuven Mintz of the Chabad Jewish Center in Newport Beach also sees it as an opportunity to plan for the future — and to put the present in context. Foods on traditional Seder plates symbolize aspects of the exodus story, including bitter herbs for the hardships of slavery and charoset, a fruit and nut mixture, for the mortar the slaves used to build the storehouses of Egypt.

How to make the message behind the Passover holiday fresh each year is perhaps a question rabbis have struggled with since the Jews fled Egypt 3,000 years ago. “For most people, it’s about ‘How do I relate to something that happened 3,000 years ago,’” said Rabbi Marc Rubenstein of Temple Isaiah in Newport Beach. “We’re trying to address the theme with a modern answer.” The Passover Seder, a highly ritualized meal that commemorates the bitterness of Jewish slavery with symbolic foods, typically begins with the first of four questions: “Why is this night different from all other nights?

Chabad Jewish Center will hold a Passover Seder at 7 p.m. April 19 at the Fairmont Newport Beach hotel, 4500 MacArthur Blvd. The Seder costs $60 for adults and $30 for children, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Chabad also is seeking people to sponsor guests at the Seder. Attendees will enjoy a traditional Seder dinner prepared by Fairmont chefs and hear the retelling of the story of Exodus. Children will receive Passover-themed favors at the event. Tickets must be paid for in advance by check or credit card.

The Easter and Passover holidays remind us of the importance religion plays in our lives. Easter is the holiest day of the year for Christians since it represents for them that Christ is the messiah. Passover is one of the most important Jewish holidays, and it largely celebrates the Jewish exodus from the tyranny of slavery. Even those of us who are lazy about attending religious services make the time to get dressed up and attend Easter Sunday Mass or a Passover Seder. And you can be sure that at this time of the year there are always touching stories of goodwill like the Orange Coast Middle College High School students who delivered Easter baskets to breast cancer survivors.

Passover, beginning Monday at sundown, has been continuously observed by Jews for the last 3,319 years, and local temples are finding new ways to keep the celebration of Israelite liberation inspiring. Newport Beach's Temple Bat Yahm will uphold its tradition of hosting a community Seder on the second night of the weeklong holiday, focusing this year on the family, with special activities to keep youngsters engaged and a new, easy-to-understand, more colorful Haggadah. "This year we have focused on making the service more family friendly without losing the core teachings of Passover," temple Cantor Jonathan Grant said.

Passover, beginning Monday at sundown, has been continuously observed by Jews for the past 3,319 years, and local temples are finding new ways to keep the celebration of Israelite liberation inspiring. Newport Beach’s Temple Bat Yahm will uphold its tradition of hosting a community Seder on the second night of the weeklong holiday, focusing this year on the family with special activities to keep youngsters engaged and a new, easy-to-understand and more colorful Haggadah.

Greer Wylder Passover revolves around traditional and modern Jewish foods shared with friends and family. Planning a traditional Seder can be fun. Seder means "order," because each part of the holiday celebration follows a specific sequence, from the beautiful table arrangements to the eating of symbolic foods. Passover has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years. Its historical importance represents the enslaved Israelites' flight from Egypt, which led to the formation of the Jewish nation.