Pesach is one of the most important spring Jewish holidays, celebrated all over the world, in all Jewish communities.
On April 7, the Jewish community of Panevėžys celebrated Pesach in the premises of the community. The Passover Seder has long been the most important part of the holiday. The traditional gathering was attended by adults, children and guests. The traditions of Pesach were told, the Haggadah was read, and the women of the community lit candles. The table was full of all traditional holiday dishes, reminiscent of bitter slavery and difficult wanderings. At the festive dinner, bread was replaced by matzah – a flatbread that the Jews ate in the Sinai desert, and the bitter greens symbolized the suffering they experienced.
Once again, we congratulate everyone on the beautiful Pesach holiday, which is still ongoing, and we wish all Lithuanian Jews peace, harmony, and peace.
“Pesach” means “passed by” in Hebrew. Here we have in mind one of the episodes of the “punishments of Egypt” described in the Bible. Because Pharaoh refused to free the Jews from slavery, terrible calamities befell him and all the people of his country. The last was the death of the first born in each family. But the Jews were not affected by this sentence, disaster did not befall their homes – that is, God “passed by”.
When welcoming the Pesach holiday, a tradition arose to receive greetings not only from Jewish friends and colleagues, but also from the Lithuanian community and the city’s youth. And already on the first evening of Pesach, the city’s Jews and guests from Vilnius and Chicago gathered at the festive table to spend the first Seder. The dinner took place in several stages, four cups of wine were drunk, as much as the promises were given to God’s chosen people. The fifth cup was intact – it was dedicated to the prophet Elijah. During the Seder, candles were lit, prayers and consecrations from the Haggadah were read, singing and dancing were performed.
Traditionally, members of the Jewish community gathered on the second day for the second Seder, in which the Haggadah was read in detail and the evening’s theme was discussed.
Dear members of the Lithuanian Jewish community, we wish you a happy Pesach, which symbolizes freedom, happiness, and the opportunity to live!
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