Staying on campus for Passover and worried you might be tempted by food that is not kosher for Passover? Avoiding leavened bread and not-kosher-for-Passover food might be challenging, but certainly not impossible. With the help of the Marcus Hillel Center, Chabad and the Dobbs University Center (DUC), you do not have to feel as though you are wandering the desert all over again.
Head over to the Marcus Hillel Center on April 3, the first night of Passover, for a free Seder. Students can either stop by for a fast, free Seder with members of Emory’s Jewish community or choose to stay after the meal for a family-style celebration with festive songs and discussions. Though Hillel will be closed on April 4, students can still join Rabbi Russ Shulkes and his family at their house and enjoy a Seder on the second night of Passover.
In addition to the meals that will be directly hosted by the Marcus Hillel center, they have arranged opportunities for students to host their own Seders. Hillel has prepared “Seder-2-Go” packages for students who wish to host a Seder on either or both nights. Go to Hillel to pick up your own “Seder-2-Go” package, which includes Hagaddahs, a Seder plate, charoset, a large bottle of grape juice, plastic ware and a box of matzah. Once you return the Hagaddahs and submit your receipts, Hillel will pay you $5 for each student who attended.
For a more formal Passover experience, donate $18, as opposed to the standard community fee of $54, and join Rabbi Zalman Lipskier at the Chabad, where you will receive hand-baked matzah and wine with your traditional meal. The $18 donation goes toward defraying the cost of the event and ensures each guest gets a seat. For the rest of the week, chabad suggests a donation of $10 per meal and joining them for lunch and dinner Saturday through Thursday.
In either case, walking all the way over to Hillel or Chabad may pose a challenge to those with busy schedules this week. Consider eating from the Kosher station at the DUC. Of course, students who are already on the Kosher meal plan may continue to choose food from the Kosher section as usual. Students who are on the ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’ meal plan may use a meal swipe plus pay an additional $4-$6 dollars for food from that particular section.
“There are so many options that aren’t kosher for Passover and also not everyone around you is keeping Passover,” College freshman Dana Shustik said. “It’s not like you’re at home with your family. I think it’s nice that there are so many [meal] options.”
[padding type=”medium_left_right”][quote_colored name=”” icon_quote=”no”]”The fact that we have them [the meal options] is amazing.”[/quote_colored][/padding]
While some students may go home to share this religious experience with their families this weekend, Emory provides a variety of options for students to celebrate Passover and be in the company of those who choose to adhere to religious traditions.
“When I got here, I was nervous about celebrating [the high holidays] because I love being home for the holidays,” Shustik said. “I went to Hillel and Rabbi Fleshel’s house for Rosh Hashanah and it was really beautiful because the Jewish community was so strong and everyone came together because everyone missed home, especially all the freshmen, so it was really nice.”
Shustik won’t be on campus for Passover this year, but is optimistic about the holiday’s celebration at Emory.
“I won’t be here for Passover, but I’m sure it’s going to be just as nice with everyone coming together and having their own family-style Seder. It’s nice to celebrate holidays here,” she said.
