Let's Learn About the Jewish Holiday of Passover!

Let's learn about Passover!

This class includes teacher presentation and learner participation. Learners are invited to ask questions and to share what they know about Passover throughout the class meeting. 

In this secular class I begin with a historical description of 13th Century Egypt and the way the ancient Egyptian kings, or "Pharaohs", ruled their land and kept slaves. I describe the life of an Egyptian slave and the kind of work they were expected to do including building the great pyramids. After discussing the historically documented experiences of Egyptian slaves, I share with learners that Jews believe 13th Century Egypt to be the setting for the story of Passover. I then introduce learners to the Jewish story of Passover which describes how the Israelite people who were living in Egypt during the 13th Century were treated by the Pharaoh who enslaved them. I then introduce Moses' role in the Jewish story of Passover and his unique relationship to the Pharaoh and the Pharaoh's daughter. According to the Jewish story of Passover, Moses came to petition the Pharaoh on behalf of the Israelites to free them. The historical overview and telling of the Jewish story of Passover ends with the Israelites escaping the land of Egypt. 

After this historical overview, I present how Passover is celebrated in modern times. My discussion of a modern Passover celebration does not discuss religious precepts or beliefs but describes the festive Passover meal that families host and the unique foods that are on the Passover table along with the symbolism of each item to the historical Passover story. To end the class, I invite learner questions.

I look forward to teaching about this festival and hope you will join me to learn about Passover!