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This Jewish Holiday Begins at Sundown April 2.

Passover begins with a seder, a family meal that includes many joyous songs and a reading of the story of the Jewish exodus from Egypt.

In 2007, the Jewish holiday Passover begins at sundown on April 2 and lasts through sundown April 10. As Jews celebrate the flight of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, many rituals are performed to mark this holy period.

1. Passover, also known as “Pesach,” is observed for seven or eight days, depending on where you live. Jews in Israel and Reform Jews, those who came through Europe, celebrate Passover for seven days. Jewish people living elsewhere in the world celebrate for eight days.

2. Passover also refers to the Biblical story of the 10th Plague. According to the Bible, God brought a plague on Egypt for keeping the Jews in bondage, and the first-born child in every Egyptian household was killed. However, God passed over the homes of the Israelites, allowing them to live. According to the Bible, Exodus 12:20-22, Moses instructed the Israelites to sacrifice a Passover lamb and put the blood of the lamb around their doorframes.

3. Passover can be in March or April. It begins the 15th day of the Hebrew month Nisan. A lunisolar calendar, still based on 12 months, is used to determine religious holidays.

4. What is Seder? Passover begins with a ceremonial feast called the Seder. At the Seder, the story of the flight of the Israelites is read from a book called the Haggadah.
The Seder plate contains foods that have special meaning for this holiday:

Haroseth
Parsley (dipped in salt water)
Roasted egg
Shank Bone
Bitter herbs

5. Unleavened bread is eaten during Passover. According to the Bible, when the Israelites fled, they didn’t have time to let their bread rise, so they made flat, unleavened bread called matzah (also spelled matzo) instead. Therefore, Jews eat matzahs during Passover.

6. There are several foods that may not be consumed during Passover. Chometz, or anything that contains barley, wheat, rye, oats and spelt — a kind of wheat often fed to livestock — is forbidden during Passover. Some Jews avoid corn, rice, peanuts and legumes. Foods not cooked within 18 minutes of contact with water are also forbidden.

7. Orthodox Jews Prepare Their Homes, Cooking and Eating Utensils for Passover. Sinks, refrigerators, ovens and stoves must be scoured and left unused for at least 24 hours before Passover. Special plates, “Passover china,” must be used, and silverware is boiled.

Some recipes for Passover:
Marinated Chicken

2 chickens, quartered
1/2cup wine
juice of 2 oranges
juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 large onions, sliced
10 potatoes, halved

Clean chickens and place in large pot, upside down. Mix wine and juice and pour over chickens. Cover and marinate in refrigerator overnight.

Remove chicken from pot. Pour juice into container and set aside.

Coat bottom of Dutch oven with olive oil. Add layer of sliced onions and potatoes. Top with chicken. Pour half of marinade over chicken. Cook over low flame, checking frequently and adding water as necessary, to prevent sticking.

Mix remaining marinade with 1/2 cup water and pour over chicken ten minutes before end of cooking. May also be baked in oven following the above instructions, at 350° for 1 1/2 hours. Serves 6-8.

Potato Kugel

10 large potatoes
1 carrot
1 onion
5 eggs, beaten
3/4 - 1 teaspoon salt

Peel all vegetables and shred in food processor or hand grate. Mix in eggs and salt. Pour into greased ‘wonder baker’ and cook over low flame for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until brown and crispy.

Stewed Zucchini

1 onion
juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon (2 tablespoons)
2-3 medium zucchini, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-5 tomatoes, peeled
olive oil for frying

Peel and slice all vegetables. Saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Add rest of vegetables and seasoning. Cook over low flame, 10-15 minutes. Serves 3-4.

Variation: After cooking 15 minutes, add 4 beaten eggs and cook for an additional few minutes until done.

Passover Sponge Cake

7 eggs, separated
1 whole egg
1 cup potato starch, sifted twice
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 cups sugar

Separate eggs. Add the whole egg to yolks, then beat whites until stiff gradually adding sugar. Set aside.
In separate bowl, beat yolks. Add lemon juice. Gently fold yolks into whites. Gradually fold potato starch into batter.
Pour into ungreased tube pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Invert cake to cool.