At Hillel UW, Passover Offers Something for Everyone
Passover is one of the biggest holidays on the Jewish calendar, and on college campuses around the world, Hillels are pulling out all the stops to make sure students have a home away from home to celebrate.
For Jewish students involved with Hillel at the University of Washington, that means a packed week of meals, learning programs, and Passover rituals.
“Passover is one of my favorite times of year at Hillel UW,” shared Rabbi Lauren Kurland, senior Jewish educator at Hillel UW. “Whether we are learning about and making different types of charoset, or singing Dayenu together while (gently!) hitting one another with green onions in the Afghani Jewish tradition, there are tons of smiles, an incredible sense of community, and lots of matzah crumbs to be found!”
Hillel UW’s Passover programming kicked off before the holiday even began, hosting multiple “Passover Pop-Ups” on the campus quad starting in the middle of March. Students were able to pick up a box of matzah and get the rundown on all the upcoming Passover events — and for non-Jewish students, it was an opportunity to learn about the coming holiday, ask questions, and maybe even try a bite of matzah themselves.
Matzah is probably the food most associated with Passover, but there are plenty of others — including charoset, a traditional mixture of fruit, nuts, and wine (or grape juice) that symbolizes the mortar used by the Israelite slaves in Egypt.
That’s why, as part of the programming leading up to Passover, Rabbi Kurland also hosted “Sweet Traditions: Charoset From Around the World,” a hands-on learning experience exploring the story, symbols, and meaning of the holiday through one of its sweetest traditions. In addition to learning about charoset and its role on the seder plate, students were able to make and taste-test charoset recipes from across the global Jewish community.
The pre-Passover deliciousness didn’t stop there. The Monday before the holiday began, students gathered at Hillel UW for a “Chocolate Seder” — an evening much like a regular seder, but with classic elements like parsley and horseradish swapped out for chocolate-covered strawberries and sour candies. Students got into the Passover spirit while taking traditional customs and sweetening them even more by dipping them in fudge.
“I love how UW really cares about making Passover a fun yet educational experience through our unique programs—especially the ‘Chocolate Seder’ and the main seder for undergraduates,” said Susana Mogil, a second-year student at UW. “It’s a beautiful time where students I don’t tend to see as frequently show up. Some have done their own Pesach seder every year, while others have never learned about it before. No matter what our experience is going into it, we all end up learning a lot more about ourselves, our community, and the Exodus story.”
While many of the pre-Passover programs put fun twists on traditional practices, there were plenty of more conventional options once the holiday began. Hillel UW hosted a chametz bonfire, the customary burning of any remaining chametz (leavened products) on the morning before Passover. That evening, students came together for Hillel UW’s annual first night seder — a night of tradition, fun, and, of course, delicious food. Designed to appeal to students with a broad range of Jewish backgrounds, the seder was interactive, thought-provoking, and sometimes even a little funny, and included plenty of storytelling, great conversation, and the traditional lively hunt for the afikomen.
Holiday programming continued through the rest of the week, with a special Passover Shabbat meal on Friday night and two community Passover lunches. The holiday will conclude with one last celebration, “Breaking Bread: Mimouna Shabbat,” where students will enjoy some post-Passover bread products while learning about Mimouna, a Sephardic tradition that marks the end of Passover with food, blessings, and community.