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