Beginning at sundown April 19, Jews near and far will gather around the Seder table to mark the beginning of Passover - a holiday that celebrates the freeing of Jewish slaves from Egyptian rule 3,000 years ago. A Seder is a ritual feast that is held on the first and second nights of the eight-day Passover celebration here in the United States.

It is a festive meal, often enjoyed with family and friends, but it is also a serious time of remembrance of the struggle for freedom - not only for Jews, but for all those who are oppressed.

"The Exodus from Egypt has special meaning to anyone who is concerned about the oppression of others," said Martyn Adelberg, rabbi with Racine's Beth Israel Sinai Congregation. Whether it is people suffering from political oppression, or those simply fighting for their rights - including situations today in Tibet and Darfur - the Passover Seder is a time to not only reflect on the plight of others, but to think about what we can do to help make their lives better, Adelberg said.

The meaning of the Seder is explained in the Haggadah, an ancient text that is read on the first night of Passover. The Haggadah tells the story of the Jews' slavery in Egypt and the miracle of God freeing them. And the foods that are served during the Seder dinner have some significance to the teachings of the book.

Matzo, a cracker-like, unleavened bread, for example, is eaten in place of leavened bread to remember that the slaves didn't have the time or means for leavening. And charoses, a sweet paste of fruits, nuts and wine, is served to represent the mortar the Jews used to cement bricks together in their work for the Egyptians. Charoses is one of six special foods that are arranged in order on a Seder plate, which serves as the centerpiece for teaching the story of Passover, or Pesach, during the Seder meal.

Family time

While some synagogues, including Racine's Beth Israel Sinai, offer community Seders during Passover, many Seders are conducted in family homes. Joshua Bloom, a member of Beth Israel Sinai, has many fond memories of Seders served in his home while growing up, where his mother prepared home-made gefilte fish and other traditional foods, and relatives came to not only feast, but to share the story of Jewish perseverance and triumph.

"It is a story with a happy ending," said Bloom.

In recent years, Bloom and his wife, Rebecca, have been carrying on the tradition with their children, as well as other family and friends, serving the Seder in their Racine home.

"The Seder is something I have done all of my life, and I'd like my kids to be able to have a similar tradition," he said.

A tradition that has been around for thousands of years, the Seder has become something that really bonds Jewish people together, said Jeffrey Collen, also a member of Beth Israel Sinai.

"It is all really geared toward helping us remember being in slavery 3,000 years ago, and the whole process of how we got out of slavery, and God's promise to the people," Collen said.

The Seder Plate

Maror (bitter herbs): Herbs, such as horseradish, are used to symbolize the bitterness of Egyptian slavery.

Karpas (vegetable): During the Seder, the Karpas (usually parsely) is dipped into salt water, which represents tears shed by Jewish slaves under Egyptian rule.

Chazeret (bitter vegetable): A bitter lettuce or the green top of a bitter herb is placed on the Seder plate as another of the bitter herbs (in conjunction with the Maror).

Charoses (apple, nut, spice and wine mixture): The ingredients of the Charoses are ground together to symbolize the mortar used by Hebrew slaves to build Egyptian structures. The sweetness of the mixture represents the sweetness of God's kindness.

Zeroa (shankbone): The Shankbone is symbolic of the Paschal lamb offered as the Passover sacrifice in biblical times.

Beitzah (egg): The egg, which is roasted or baked, symbolizes the festival sacrifice made in biblical times. It is also a traditional symbol of mourning, as well as a symbol of spring.

Recipes for Seder

Rebecca Bissi Bloom, a member of Beth Israel Sinai Congregation, has been cooking and serving the Seder meal for her family and friends for years. Here are a couple of her favorite Seder recipes:

Charoses

7 large, firm red apples (I use a mixture of Fuji, Gala and Delicious apples).

2 cups Walnuts

½ cup Honey

2½ tablespoons cinnamon

1 cup Mogen David wine

In a large bowl, mix honey, cinnamon and wine. Set aside. Peel and coarsely chop apples, placing each one in the bowl with the wine mixture as you chop. Coarsely chop walnuts. Stir into apple mix. In batches, place the mixture into a food processor. Smaller batches work best. Using the on/off switch, process about 8 times until the apple mixture is chopped, still coarse but smoother than it would be if chopped by hand. After processing, store Charoses in a large ZipLock container, squeezing excess air out of the container. Store in refrigerator. May be kept up to 5 days.

Bloom makes this chicken and matzo ball soup using her own chicken stock recipe, along with matzo balls from a recipe in "Bon Appetit," magazine.

Chicken stock

15 pounds of whole chicken, cut into pieces

6 very large, Vidalia or sweet onions, coarsely chopped

1 pound carrots, cut into rough pieces

2 tablespoons Kosher salt

¼ cup Madagascar green peppercorns

4 bay leaves

Using two huge stock pots, fill each half full of water. Split the above ingredients between the two pots. Add enough water so that the level in the pot is two-thirds full. Bring the pots to a boil. Skim scum off the top, lower heat to medium low, cover and simmer five to six hours. Cool. Strain stock into a clean container. Using cheese cloth, strain again. Refrigerate overnight. Remove fat layer from top. The stock may be made and used within two days, or if not used within two days, it may be frozen. This should yield 1 gallon. For the Matzo Ball Soup, reheat the stock, correct seasonings.

Chicken soup with miniature

leek-chive matzo balls

(from Bon Appetit, April 1993, Page 72)

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted pareve

margarine*

½ cup packed finely chopped leek (white and pale green parts only)

½ cup finely chopped fresh chives

4 eggs

2 tablespoons ginger ale

1½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup unsalted matzo meal

Melt margarine in heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add leek; saute 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add one-half cup chives. Beat eggs, ginger ale, salt, pepper and ginger to blend in bowl. Mix in matzo meal and leek mixture. Cover and chill until firm, at least two hours. Line large baking sheet with plastic wrap. Using moistened palms, roll rounded teaspoons of matzo mixture into balls. Place on prepared baking sheet. Chill 30 minutes. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Drop in matzo balls; cover pot. Cook matzo balls until tender and evenly colored throughout, about 40 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer matzo balls to bowl. (Can be made three days ahead. Cover and chill.) Bring chicken broth to a simmer in large pot. Add matzo balls and cook until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Place four matzo balls in each of 12 bowls. Ladle soup over. Garnish with chives and serve. Serves 12.

*A nondairy margarine available at most supermarkets.