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"Passover is my favorite Jewish holiday," said Heidi Benenson, explaining that it is "food, drink and song over a hard topic."
Passover is an eight-day festival celebrated in early spring that commemorates the Israelite emancipation from slavery in Egypt.
As with most holidays in most religions, it is celebrated with ritual and special foods. Benenson recently joined organizers Vivian and Valerie Poettgen making charoset for the Temple Isaiah Women's Seder service. The ritual meal features matzo (unleavened bread), parsley, signifying spring, salt water for tears, lamb shank for sacrifice, horseradish as a bitter herb, wine as a blessing and a roasted egg which represents new life.
This charoset was made of apples, nuts and honey; it signifies the mortar which binds everything together.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA