Pesach

Pesach (Passover), or the Feast of Unleavened Bread, recalls the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. It is celebrated by first cleansing the home of all leavening and leavened products in the days before the holiday, and begins with a Seder.

The Seder is a special ritual dinner. Everyone sits around the table, reciting special prayers and singing songs, retelling how the Israelites escaped from captivity in Egypt. This service and meal often lasts several hours.

In the days before the holiday, most grocery stores either remove or cover all leavened products: cakes, bread, rice, peanuts, pasta, cereal, grains, beer, whiskey, etc. If these are important to you, stock up on those items before the holiday. They won’t be available until after the holiday week of Pesach is over.

A gift on this occasion might be flowers or a decorative plate. Gifts of food or wine should be certified by the Rabbinate as “Kosher for Pesach”.

The first and last days of Pesach are bank holidays.*