PASSOVER

P

assover was a big deal in 
the household where I grew 
up. By sundown on the first 
night, our entire Detroit-based fam-
ily would arrive for a seder that my 
mother had been planning for weeks. 
The preparations began well before 
our doorbell rang, including remov-
ing all leavened bread products, or 
hametz, from the house. With it went 
the lentils, peas, beans, rice and corn. 
After the purge, I remember seeing 
Mom in the kitchen for several days 
cooking the meal. It wasn’t complete 
until she set up the seder plate and 
put out the usual props for the ser-
vice, like charoset, saltwater, horse-
radish, parsley, wine and matzah. 
This year, Passover begins before 
sundown on April 5, and ends after 
sundown April 13. While I couldn’t 
grasp the magnitude of hosting a 
30-person seder as a child, it was 
obviously a major undertaking. As 
kids, we only had to worry about 
reading from the Haggadah and stay-
ing quiet while the family retells the 
story of biblical exile. 
My mother would be happy to 
tell you that the holiday is now in 
the hands of her adult children. It’s 
become our responsibility to ensure 
that familial traditions make their 
way to our holiday tables, giggling 
cousins and all. Traditions between 
American households often resemble 
each other here, but Passover celebra-
tions in other countries can be very 
different. 
And as the torch has been passed, 
we find ourselves honoring old tra-
ditions while bringing new flavors to 
the feast. For many families, that’s the 
alluring spices of the Silk Road. 

Check out flavor-
ful traditions from 
around the world this 
Passover. 
Seders 
Abroad
STORY AND PHOTOS BY 
MICHELLE KOBERNICK 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

44 | MARCH 30 • 2023 

