A Different Passover Seder

Passover is the most celebrated holiday for Jews the world over. But every community has its own ways to make their seder nights different from all other nights! Here is an article I wrote on Passover customs and rituals, including my own Baghdadi-Indian traditions, followed by an article about Bene Israel traditions.

At my Passover seder, which follows the traditions of the Jews of Indian-Iraqi-Syrian ancestry, we chant each paragraph of the haggadah in both Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic, a combination of Hebrew and Arabic. We use romaine lettuce instead of horseradish; a thick date syrup called halek for haroset; celery leaves instead of parsley for karpas; lemon juice instead of salt water, bread instead of matzah... No, no, just kidding. But only about the bread.

Although Jews all over the world conduct a seder for Passover with the hagaddah as their "instruction manual," customs vary from country to country. The words may be familiar, and certain rituals universal, but different melodies, novel customs and special foods impart a distinctive flair to Passover traditions from Portugal to Persia.

Read more about a different Passover Seder in Haaretz.
We've also posted it on RahelsJewishIndia.

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