Jews in Israel and worldwide prepare for Passover

Jews around the world made last-minute preparations Wednesday ahead of the spring festival of Passover, cleaning houses, cars and offices, cooking furiously and getting ready for a week without leavened bread.

The holiday, which marks the Hebrews' exodus from slavery in Egypt as recounted in the Bible, begins Wednesday night with a special meal known as the seder.

Beyond being an opportunity for extended families to get together, the seder is focused on recounting the story of the exodus, especially to children, so the tradition is preserved from generation to generation.

"The history of the Jewish people begins with the exodus from Egypt," said Rabbi David Rosen, interfaith director at the American Jewish Committee.

Passover, he said, is the root of Jewish "understanding of marginalization and vulnerability, and the emphasis on sensitivity to the widow, the stranger, those who are different from you."

"You have to know oppression to know redemption," Rosen said.

The biblical story recounts that God killed the first-born of Egypt after Pharaoh refused to release the children of Israel from bondage, but "passed over" the houses of the Hebrews. That's the root of the holiday's name.

After that divine blow, Pharaoh gave in and let the Hebrews go. They were then given the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai and wandered in the desert for 40 years before arriving in the Land of Israel, according to the Bible.

The tradition of eating matza, the unleavened bread identified with Passover, comes from the Bible's account that the Jews left Egypt in such a hurry that their bread did not have time to rise. It is also considered the bread of the poor, meant to remind Jews of their ancestors' hardships. Leavened bread is banned and burned ceremonially before the holiday starts.

Even the country's cows have been eating special Passover food, the wheat in their diet replaced by corn, peas and alfalfa so their milk can be consumed. For several weeks, rabbinical authorities have visited barns to ensure the laws are being enforced.

Their owners are not allowed to have leaven in their possession. There is also concern that a grain of wheat could mistakenly get in the milk and render it non-kosher.

One self-appointed watchdog group has assigned informants to spy on restaurants and bakeries to make sure they do not serve leavened bread during the holiday. The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel said it would relay its findings to police, municipal authorities and the Interior Ministry.

"The Jewish character of the state of Israel is at stake," the group's chairman, Nachi Eyal, told the Jerusalem Post. A 1986 law bans the public display of leavened products, though it has been difficult to enforce.

The holiday is also an occasion for a thorough spring cleaning. There is a yearly pre-holiday rush on cleaning products at supermarkets, and long lines formed at car-washes as the festival approached.

At sunrise Wednesday, Jews also performed a ritual done once every 28 years, when tradition holds the sun returns to its place at the time of creation.

Tens of thousands of people greeted the sunrise at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray. The worshippers said a blessing expressing thanks to God for creating the world.

The prayer is not connected to Passover but happened to coincide with the holiday.

Because of concerns that Palestinian militants could take advantage of the holiday to carry out attacks inside Israel, the military clamped a closure on the West Bank for the duration of Passover. No Palestinians will be allowed to cross into Israel except those needing medical care, according to a military statement.

Israel also renewed a travel warning urging tourists not to go to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, citing threats of militant attacks. The Sinai is a popular destination for Israeli travelers, despite past attacks on Israeli and Western targets there.

Terra/AP