Community Corner

Passover in Bed-Stuy: More Than Just Matza

A Bed-Stuy local shares the meaning of Passover for his community

The Jewish holy day, Passover, begins today, April 18 at sundown.

And for the tens of thousands of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews who live in North Bedford-Stuyvesant (the area through Bedford and Flushing Avenues, between Classon and Broadway Avenues), what goes on in the rest of the world for these seven days will have little consequence to this important time of worship, sharing and celebration.

“It is a very lovely, very peaceful holiday,” said Abe Stein, a housing developer and community liaison for the 79th Precinct in Bed-Stuy. “It’s a time to reconnect with your family. We park our cars for a week, stop all work and conduct no business during this time.

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"We tell and re-tell the story of when the Israelites were freed form slavery; there is a lot of prayer and festivity with the family.”

Passover is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays next to Rosh Hashanah (The Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Passover commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt.

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Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, which is spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and is celebrated for seven or eight days.

The Biblical story of the great Exodus recounts that God inflicted ten plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would release his Israelite slaves; the tenth and worst of the plagues was the slaughter of the first-born.

The Israelites were told to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord passed over these homes without punishment, hence the term "Passover.”

“There will be large family gatherings during the first two nights called the Seder where we retell and sometimes reenact the entire story of our freedom, to show the kids what happened,” said Stein.

The Seder itself is based on the Biblical verse commanding Jews to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt: "You shall tell your son on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.'" (Exodus 13:8).

Another meaningful part of the Passover celebration is the eating of the Matza (or Matzo), a flat unleavened bread. When Pharaoh freed the Israelites, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread to rise. In commemoration, for the duration of Passover no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is called "The Festival of the Unleavened Bread"

“During Passover, we cannot eat any bread, fruit or cake,” said Stein. “There is an exciting rite that we practice for the two nights of the Seder, where we hide pieces of Matza around the house, and then the kids have to find it. Once they find it, they cannot eat it.

“They must return it to us after dinner, at which time we will them give them a gift in exchange. For young children, the gift may be a set of Legos. For an older child, a stereo. And for some that are even older, a car. So Passover is a very exciting time for the children."

Stein says several generations of families may gather at at one Seder to have a kosher dinner. “A family gathering can finish as late as 4:00 in the morning," he said.

Stein explained that on Tuesday and Wednesday, the first two days of Passover, the male residents gather together at night with the leavened bread that remains in their homes and burn the bread in the street. There are prayers every day, beginning at 9:00 am and lasting until about noon.

The ritual will continue through Friday. The community will then take a break, said Stein, until April 26. But they recommence on April 27 and 28, considered the second part and last days of the holiday.

Passover is a very strict time, as far as food, said Stein. Not only is their bread diet restricted to Matza, but also, the Matza must be prepared in a special way: As many as 30 people may be cooking at one time to prepare the Matza. From the time the Matza dough is mixed, it must be in and out of the oven, and then served within 18 minutes.

"The Matza has a very unique taste; it's like a crispy cracker," said Stein. "You can dip it in guacamole, or eat it with cheese or mozzarella."

But, added Stein, Passover is about much more than Matza-- it's about family and sharing.

“Passover is a time of community and sharing and remembering what is most important,” said Stein. “It is family time. Family is very important. If someone’s family runs into financial trouble, in a heartbeat we will rally together and raise $30,000 to help that family get back on its feet.

“If you have it, you have to share it. God gave it to you, and he will take it away in two days with a bad business deal if you do not share,” said Stein who says he purchases 100 pounds of Matza every Passover and gives 95 pounds away to those in need.

Stein also has contributed large amounts of money towards the building of a few basketball facilities in the neighborhood and also contributes each year to the 79th Precinct baseball league for underprivileged children.

“No one should be in need,” said Stein again, before he was interrupted by a knock on his door.

“Hold on one minute,” he said and he went away. (The sounds of Yiddish in the background). He returns.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “That was the head of one of the families up the street. I don’t know him very well. But he stopped by to say he didn’t have money to buy food for the Passover. I gave him $100.”


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