LAGRANGE-With joy, singing, and rituals that symbolize the events of a poignant moment in their history, Jewish people all over the world will celebrate Passover this week.

Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, commemorates the exodus of the Jews from Egypt in 1300 B.C.E. following hundreds of years of enslavement. The name Passover derives from the belief that death passed over the homes of the Israelites when the last of the 10 plagues, death of the firstborn of each house, befell Egypt in response to pharaoh's refusal to free the Jewish people from captivity.

Gail Hirschenfang, cantor of Congregation Shir Chadash in Lagrange, said that because Passover takes place in the home, it is among the "most celebrated" of Jewish rituals.

The main event of the holiday is the seder, a meal held on the first night of the eight-day holiday. The seder incorporates a variety of activities and foods symbolic of the exodus, the suffering of the Jews during their enslavement, and the joy for finding freedom. Placed at the center of the table is the seder plate, which contains five items: bitter herbs, parsley, a roasted egg, a roasted shank bone, and something called charoses. The herbs represent the bitterness of slavery and the parsley the new green of spring. The parsley is usually dipped in salt water meant to be symbolic of the tears shed by the Jewish slaves. The roasted egg symbolizes life and the shank bone represents the sacrifice from the times of slavery. Charoses is a sweet mix of finely chopped fruits and nuts that resembles the mortar that bound the bricks the enslaved Jews were forced to make for pharaoh's buildings. Matzoh is also eaten on Passover to recall the unleavened bread eaten at the time of the exodus.

The historical reasons for the rituals are recounted during the seder through the custom of having the youngest child present ask four questions in Hebrew, beginning with "Why is this night different from all other nights?". Afterward, the evening concludes with the singing of joyous Passover songs.

Members of Congregation Shir Chadash marked the holiday during Shabbat, or Sabbath, this past Saturday. According to temple president Michael Rothman, every other Saturday morning at Shir Chadash is dedicated to a "sharing Shabbat" in which both adults and children study and learn. This past week, the grownups and youngsters joined together for an informal, fun, and often humorous Passover "happening" that included a talk by Rabbi Polish, holiday games and activities for the kids, and a service afterward. The activities were all held at Freedom Plains Presbyterian Church on Route 55, which the temple has been using since September while it prepares to build its own structure on nearby Freedom Road.

During Saturday's event, families shared humorous and moving memories from seders past, which Rabbi Polish called "very, very personal things" that he urged the children to remember and treasure.

Calling Passover a "feast of history," Rabbi Polish told the youngest members of the congregation, "When you sit down at the seder table, you're also living your own history." He encouraged them to "look around the table and take mental pictures" of everyone present so they can continue writing their history.

Following the rabbi's talk, he welcomed a special guest, Moses, the man God chose to lead the Jews out of Israel. Moses, in this case, was Zach Wolff, a member of the temple and a freshman at Millbrook High School.

Clad in a sheet and a cotton ball beard, Wolff fielded questions such as "Aren't you supposed to be wearing a yarmulke?" and "Were you scared when you had to deal with pharaoh?"

"It's fun," said Wolff of his portrayal of one of the most famous of Biblical personalities. He noted that he "did study a little" to prepare for the questions he might be asked.

Following their chat with Moses, the kids were allowed to visit several craft stations where they could make a combination seder plate/matzoh holder, color a seder placemat, create a Passover scrapbook page or play Pin the Plague on Pharaoh. They also had the opportunity to make their own charoses, either in the style of the Sephardic Jews, who were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula during the Spanish Inquisition, or in the style of the Ashkenazi, or Eastern European, Jews.

Eleven-year-old David Bordowitz, who prepared a bowl of Sephardic charoses, said the Passover event was enjoyable.

"The fun is to celebrate the freedom of the Jews," he said, adding that the best part of the celebration is "that we're free today."

Sarah Witman, 11, said the Passover event gave her a chance to be with her best friend and celebrate her religion at the same time.

"It's a win-win situation," she said.

"The kids are into it," said temple member Meg Stewart, who noted that the activities gave the children a chance to learn while the adults could reconnect with each other.

Stewart also said the exodus and the Jews' freedom from oppression is a "story that really resonates" with her because she's a lesbian.

"If one's not free, we're all not free," she said. "It's a civil rights thing."

Stewart called Passover a "great holiday," in part because it's "not somber" like the high holidays held in the autumn.

"It's a beautiful holiday," she said.