Passover, a sacred Jewish holiday, begins tonight at sundown, and several Jewish groups in Eugene are planning celebrations.
Oregon Hillel, an organization for University Jewish students, is holding a Seder dinner tonight, which will mark the opening of Passover. The Seder begins at 7 p.m. in the Gerlinger Lounge. Tickets are $9 for students and $25 for community members.
Hillel Executive Director Hal Applebaum said that the Seder connects the past and present of the Jewish culture.
“We don’t say they were delivered from bondage — we say we were,” Applebaum said.
Seder translates into “order of the night,” and it is a symbolic meal and religious service meant to remember the story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.
The centerpiece of the table is the Seder plate, which contains foods that represent different parts of the Exodus to remember. Horse radish stands for bitterness of war, a shank bone represents the sparing of the first born of the Jews during the plagues, and an egg celebrates life and rebirth of the Jews.
Throughout Passover, Jews can’t have any chametz — anything with yeast or wheat, or anything that rises when cooked — in their home. Separate dishes are also used to keep the dinner kosher. Matzo, an unleavened bread that symbolizes how quickly the Jews fled Egypt, will be served instead. During the Exodus, the Jews had bread baking but did not wait for it to be done before pulling it out of the ovens and leaving.
Food “is one of the biggest parts of Passover,” event coordinator Rayna Dushman said. “It’s about telling our story (and) celebrating that we are a free people.”
Throughout the meal, people will say blessings and traditional prayers to recount the Jews’ journey to find freedom.
“Most people have gone through some kind of oppression, whether they are African Americans, the queer culture, or others,” Dushman said. “So everyone can relate and celebrate. Although we are celebrating Israelites being a free people, we can all celebrate symbolically.”
At the conclusion of the Seder, people say “bashana haba’ah b’yerushalayim,” which means “it would be great to celebrate together in Jerusalem next year.”

“It’s a really good way to identify with your heritage,” Applebaum said. “Many of the students have Seders in their homes, and because Hillel is like a home away from home, it only makes sense. But some students haven’t done them in a long time, so this is a good thing from them.”
Event organizers said anyone is welcome to come to the Seder and, if nothing else, enjoy the meal.
“We eat great food, we tell stories about our people and past, and we celebrate community,” food coordinator Rachael Osofsky said. “Every Jew is going to want matzo ball soup, and we’re going to have that.”
Chabad of Eugene, a new organization on campus, is holding two Seders — tonight and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. West Bros. Catering is responsible for the meal, which will be held at the River Ranch Event Center, 2123 Franklin Blvd. The cost is $10 for students and a sliding scale of $18 to $36 for community members. For additional information, log on to http://chabadofeugene.org.
The Wesley Center, located at 1236 Kincaid St., is also holding a Seder on Thursday night. The ceremony, a vegetarian potluck, runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. All who attend are requested to bring their own food and beverages to share, and matzo and Seder plate food will be provided. Students interested need to sign up by calling 344-7945.