Christians, Jews Share Seder, Faith

March 27, 2007

Author: JIM WALSH

Source: Courier-Post

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070327/NEWS01/703270357/1006

HADDON HEIGHTS--At a not-so-traditional Jewish dinner here Monday, the main course was interfaith understanding.

About 75 Christians and Jews gathered for a shared Seder in a church hall, a meal meant to help spread understanding of the upcoming Passover holiday.

"This leads to greater understanding among people," said Amy Garcia, a Catholic from Cherry Hill who attended the event in the St. Rose of Lima parish hall.

"I want to learn about the Passover meal," said Gladys Carden of Lawnside, who runs the Messianic Magnificence Ministry. "We also want to identify the things that Jesus did at the Last Supper with his disciples."

A plate at each table held traditional Passover fare, such as matzoh and horseradish. Seder participants read through the Haggadah, a slim volume that retells the Passover story of the Jews' escape from bondage in Egypt.

They turned the pages from back to front, in the Hebrew style, as Rabbi Lewis Eron explained the Passover customs and discussed the holiday's meaning.