Figure 1.--Here Israeli kids about 1948 are munching on matzo. Matzo is an unlevened crcker like bread strongly associated with Passover. If it was taken in 1948 it would be about the time Israel declared indeoendence.

Passover or Pesachis the longest Israeli holiday. Jews celebrate their liberation from Egyptian servitude. Passover is an major biblically derived Jewish holiday. They honor their liberation by God from Egyptian slavery and their freedom as a nation under the leadership of Moses. It is an event desibed in the account from Exodus as described in the Hebrew Bible, especially in the Book of Exodus, in which the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. According to generally acccepted biblical chronologies, the Exodus would have occured about 1300 BC. Passover is a spring festival which during the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem was connected to the offering of the 'first-fruits of the barley'. Barley was the first grain to ripen and to be harvested in ancient Israel. There is an association between Passover and Christian Easter. The New Testament tells us that the Last Supper was a Passover celebration. The Gospels all agree that Jesus was crucified in conjunction with the annual feast of Passover (Matthew 26:2, Mark 14:1, Luke 22:1, John 18:39). The peak of the holiday is 'Leil Haseder' when Jews have a big family dinner and tell the story of the 'Haggada'. At the Kibbutzim, passover is the harvest festival where the Kibbutzim celebrate the passover harvest festival. Schools close for 3 weeks, beginning a few days before the actual holiday. Also associated with Passover is matzo. Matzo (also matza or matzah) is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine. It is an integral part of the the Passover festival, during which chametz (levened bread) is forbidden.

Created: 5:25 PM 2/20/2018
Last updated: 5:25 PM 2/20/2018