Happy Passover from Bklyner!

Bklyner wishes a zissen Pesach to all Brooklynites who celebrate!

Passover, which begins at sundown on Saturday, serves as a remembrance of the persecution and exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt. At ceremonial dinners called seders, those observing the holiday eat foods that evoke both the suffering of the Israelites in bondage and the joy of their eventual freedom.

This year’s holiday also evokes another somber anniversary. The pandemic shutdown in New York began just before Passover last year, and the festival’s return reminds us both of the immense challenges of the ensuing months but also, hopefully, the better days to come.

While the vaccine rollout and looser restrictions on gatherings will allow some in-person celebrations, many Jews are preparing for another Passover via Zoom. If you’re in need of a plan for the holiday, The Forward has compiled a list of virtual seders you can check out.

For a glimpse into how some of our Brooklyn neighbors are preparing for the holiday, you can also read this New York Times story about the Rapaport family, which makes traditional matzo bread in a wood-burning oven they’ve set up behind their Borough Park home.

And in a reflection on family seders past, present and future, Brooklynite Brahma Yassky writes for Salon that while “we are still in the desert of COVID,” at least we are “traveling towards the time when we can laugh, hug and eat in the same room.”

However you celebrate, we hope you have a safe, healthy and happy holiday.