Hillel adds a sweet twist to traditional Passover dinner

04/06/07 - Hillel celebrated the first night of Passover with a ceremonial dinner on Monday, complete with matzo, bitter herbs and.flying marshmallows?The marshmallows were not actually part of the seder, a Passover dinner, but symbolic of the hail in the story, "The Plagues of Egypt," in which God punishes the pharaoh of Egypt for the enslavement of the Israelites.

"We do have a traditional seder," Amy Olson, director of Hillel, said. "We just try to liven it up with songs. And then for the story of the 10 plagues of Egypt, we had little frogs for the plague of the frogs, and then we had these mini marshmallows. When the hail fell in the story, we threw them."

Olson said about 60 people attended the seder, and was pleased to see so many people coming out to celebrate.

"I think Passover is a holiday that more people observe than other holidays," she said. "For many Jewish people, I think it has a certain resonance and importance."

Olson said Passover, a seven-day holiday that celebrates the freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, is one of the most important holidays in the Jewish religion.

"The story of the exodus of Egypt is the master narrative of the Jewish people, commemorating when we became a free people and formed an identity as a people," Olson said. "In every generation, it is incumbent upon every person to see himself as if he got out of Egypt. We relive it ourselves by connecting through the generations."

This was sophomore Samantha Chauveau's second year attending Hillel's seder, and said she enjoys the slightly modified version.

"It's really nice," she said. "It's shorter and more modern that the ones at home. It's also a lot more about meeting and getting to know people."

Chauveau said the dinners she had with her family were more casual and included more readings from the Haggadah, a book that tells the story of the exodus from Egypt.

Chauveau said it is important to her to celebrate Passover and keep kosher.

"I think a lot of people just say they're Jewish and then don't do anything for the holiday," she said. "I do keep kosher for Passover, which is definitely tough because you can't eat cereal or granola bars. I'm a rower, so that makes it really hard to cut so many foods out, but it is important."

Jessica Wolchok celebrated the first night of Passover with her family, something she said is the most important part of the holiday.

"We usually go to my grandma's house for a traditional seder with all the traditional foods," Wolchok, a junior, said. "For me, it's mostly about spending time with family. It's something you can count on each year."

Hillel will be having kosher Passover lunches and dinners through Monday. To make reservations, call Hillel at 874-2740.