Youngstown students dig in for celebration of Passover

By LINDA M. LINONIS

linonis@vindy.com

youngstown

Passover, which begins at sundown Monday, celebrates freedom and what it took to achieve it. Jewish families mark the observance with Seder rituals in their homes and at synagogues.

Students at Akiva Academy, who represent diverse cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds, prepared for Passover by making matzah, unleavened bread, and harosef, a sweet mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon and grape juice.

“It’s not so much the specifics as the communality of the celebration,” said Susan Schonberger, Judaica coordinator. She said lessons focus on universal concepts such as freedom, peace and friendship.

Passover revolves around the story of the Israelites, who were slaves in Egypt, and their exodus to freedom.

Schonberger said she used the book, “The Yankee at the Seder,” to engage students in conversation about the Civil War. The book, based on a true story, finds a Northern soldier at a Southern Jewish home for Passover. The soldier and family share a Seder and discuss freedom. “It reflects what life is about. Passover is about the cycle of life,” Schonberger said.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.