Colorado Jews begin Passover celebration this weekend
Saturday night marks the start of the Passover holiday, which is celebrated over eight days.
Tens of thousands of Colorado families will remember the story of the Jews' Exodus from slavery in Egypt.
Preschoolers at the JCC Denver danced and sang on Friday as they were treated to a play telling the story of the Exodus.
"In a world where choices have been waning, it's really important that we celebrate Passover and remember that once we were slaves in Egypt and now the Jewish people are free. But it's important for all people to be free," said Stephanie Leen, Judaic Specialist at the JCC Denver's Early Learning School.
This weekend families will hold Passover Seders, which are meals of thanksgiving and re-dedication to the idea of liberation.
"There are people all over the world who do not have their freedoms. They don't have their freedom to choose what they want to do, they don't have their freedom to choose where they want to go, nor do they have the freedom to choose if they want to stay. So this message is really important this year on Passover," added Leen.
On the Passover holiday, Jews eat matzah -- which is flat, unleavened bread, symbolizing the importance of liberation and a time when there was no time to let bread rise.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Pink Triangle towers over S.F. as beacon of hope in face of rising intolerance
Britnee Barnes and her wife sat on the slope of Twin Peaks on Saturday morning, listening to the steady 'tap-tap' as volunteers behind them nailed pink tarps into the hillside. It took only a few hours for the hundreds of volunteers to install the massive triangle, the slash of pink quickly covering the steep slope, visible for miles from vantage points across the Bay Area. 'This symbol has made so many comfortable, it's so public, so much clear support' for the LGBTQ community, Barnes said. The couple had risen at 4:30 a.m., driving from Vacaville to San Francisco to participate in this year's installation of the Pink Triangle, one of the many events that mark the start of the city's Pride festivities. The symbol hearkens back to Nazi Germany, where gay men were forced to wear pink triangles and subject to extraordinary persecution and murder in concentration camps, alongside Jews, Roma, political dissidents and others that Adolf Hitler and his administration considered 'undesirables.' After the Allies defeated the Nazis, most of those in concentration camps were freed — but many of those marked with a pink triangle were put back in prison under a law barring homosexuality, said Pink Triangle founder Patrick Carney. Germany didn't officially recognize gay men as victims of the Nazi regime and worthy of compensation until 2002. Carney, who attended Saturday's event in an all-pink ensemble including a bejeweled tennis visor and glittering pink shoes, first installed the triangle with a few friends in the dead of night in an act of 'renegade art' 30 years ago. In the years since, the triangle has grown exponentially larger, doubling in size four times, Carney said. Now, the event has won the endorsement of the city, and hundreds of volunteers decked out in pink shirts show up every year to install the triangle and deconstruct it weeks later. This year's triangle measured 230 feet on a side, made up of 175 pink tarps held in place by 5,000 steel spikes. Nearly an acre in size and visible from across the Bay Area, the symbol serves as a massive, 'in your face, educational tool,' Carney said. The installation took place Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, when hundreds of volunteers hammered down the mesh tarps as they chatted and laughed together. Hours later, Carney led a ceremony to mark this year's triangle, with civic leaders including Mayor Daniel Lurie, state Sen. Scott Wiener, Supervisors Rafael Mandelman, Matt Dorsey and Joel Engardio, and other local elected officials. 'San Francisco is the only city in the world with a giant triangle over its Pride festivities,' Carney said. 'It's a huge reminder and warning of what can happen when hatred can become law.' In his remarks, Lurie said the Pink Triangle — now a beacon of hope and remembrance in San Francisco — has taken on deeper meaning in the face of rising antigay rhetoric and legislation. 'Silence is not an option,' he said. 'We must be loud and lead with compassion, action and pride.' States and cities across the country are enacting anti-LGBTQ legislation. Earlier this week, news emerged that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the renaming of the U.S. Navy ship Harvey Milk, christened after the San Francisco gay rights icon. And after his second election, President Donald Trump has ordered drastic cuts to the nation's HIV-prevention efforts and issued executive orders purging members of the transgender community from the military. SF Pride Executive Director Suzanne Ford noted the increasing assaults on the nation's trans community, first in red states and now by the federal government. 'We've been surviving and reacting,' said Ford, a trans activist. 'We must draw a line here in San Francisco and say, 'This persecution will not stand,' and look forward to the day we will be liberated from this MAGA regime,' she said, referring to Trump's Make American Great Again movement. Wiener reminded the audience Saturday that Nazis did not take power through a coup, but through a democratic election. 'The Holocaust started almost a decade after that election. It was a buildup over time,' he said. 'This is what we're dealing with now. It's not an overnight thing. This is going to be a fight over years. … We have to be in this in the long run to defend our community, our health care, our democracy and our immigrant community.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Weekend Jewish kids' event changes plans due to security concerns
DENVER (KDVR) — In light of the Boulder terror attack, some Jewish organizations are rethinking their public events. Some hesitation among those in the Jewish community gathering in public after the Boulder attack. One growing group in Colorado, Valley Beit Midrash Denver, said they will not cancel their events, but they will take precautions to make it safe. FBI warns of threat to Israeli, Jewish communities after Boulder attack, others Usually, the event is at Washington Park in Denver, and they have since decided to move it inside Temple Emanuel, citing safety reasons. '[We're] taking all measures necessary to ensure the safety of everybody who joins and our team,' said Ariel Nassau with the Valley Beit Midrash Denver. 'It's disheartening. It is the situation that we're going through right now, and we have to adapt as hard as it is.' Valley Beit Midrash hosts monthly events for young families and is having to scramble to make sure those who come feel safe. The event is called Jewish Learning, and they teach kids between one to five years old about different topics through reading, crafts, and activities. 'All these feelings of being scared, being sad, being shocked. They are overcome by being together, by talking, by creating community. So I would encourage people to do it, in spite of it being hard, especially right now,' he said. The event is June 7, from 9:30 to 11 a.m., and this month's topic is diversity. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Symbolism and smiles during the stoning of the devil ritual at the Hajj
MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — For some, the stoning of the devil ritual at the Hajj in Saudi Arabia marks a solemn moment, a complete submission to God. For others, it represents a victory over evil. Subardi Abdulaha, from Indonesia, was one of more than 1.6 million pilgrims in Mina on Friday throwing pebbles at pillars with gusto. 'I'm doing the jamarat,' said Abdulaha, referring to the three vast concrete structures. He smiled and his eyes lit up. 'I throw the stone as a symbol against Satan!' Pilgrims had collected their pebbles overnight Thursday from Muzdalifah, an area located a few kilometers (miles) away from Arafat, a hill outside the city of Mecca with great spiritual significance. They must throw seven pebbles at each of the three pillars. Mina is where Muslims believe the Prophet Ibrahim's faith was tested when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son Ismail. The devil appeared before Ibrahim three times, trying to dissuade him from obeying God. The prophet responded each time by throwing stones at the devil, driving him away. Ibrahim was prepared to submit to the command, but God stayed his hand and spared his son. In the Christian and Jewish versions of the story, Abraham is ordered to kill his other son, Isaac. The Eid al-Adha holiday, observed worldwide by Muslims and timed to coincide with the end of the Hajj, celebrates Ibrahim's submission to God. After the stoning ritual, men shaved their head and women trimmed their hair by a length of a fingertip. Those who could afford it sacrificed an animal. Saudi officials were stationed throughout Mina to assist pilgrims, providing them with directions and distributing water to ease the strain of the heat. Temperatures reached a high of 46 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday. Many pilgrims went to Mecca afterwards to circuit the Kaaba, the black, cube-shaped structure in the holy city, and walk between the hills of Safa and Marwah, completing the core rites of the Hajj.
