There will be plenty of seders, services and celebrations this weekend as Passover begins and Easter Sunday arrives.
By Michael Aushenker / Special to The Malibu Times
This weekend is a major one on the religious calendar as Jewish and Christian places of worship prepare to celebrate Passover and Easter, respectively. Starting at sundown on Friday, local synagogues Chabad of Malibu and the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue begin the eight-day celebration of Passover. The next morning, the City of Malibu hosts its annual ?Easter Hoppening? with an Easter egg hunt in Bluffs Park, followed on Easter Sunday by a host of services and events by local Christian churches.
Passover is the annual Jewish holiday commemorating the emancipation of the Israelites from their slavery in ancient Egypt, and is held each spring from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan.
Malibu?s Christian denominations celebrate the end of the 40 days of Lent on Easter Sunday when, according to the Bible, Jesus rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion.
Chabad of Malibu will hold family-friendly seders on Friday and Saturday, the first two nights of Passover.
?Passover represents the ultimate freedom from Egypt, from hatred and jealousy,? Rabbi Levi Cunin says.
On April 14, the final day of Passover, a Messiach Meal will celebrate Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hassidic Judaism. Cunin says Tov inspired 400 Chabad houses around the world: ?the ideas, the philosophy, the soul of Judaism.?
Chabad?s seders include shmurah matzah, hand-baked from Israel.
?I share with people the more mystical understanding of what Passover is all about,? Cunin says. ?Each part of the seder plate represents different parts of the soul, a tradition that goes back to 1414 BCE, the year we left Egypt.?
The April 6 seder starts at 7:30 p.m.; April 7 begins at 8 p.m. Cover for adults: $72; children (5-12): $36. However, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. For more information, visit http://www.jewishmalibu.com/.
Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue will hold a community seder on the second night of Passover on Sat., April 7, at 5:30 p.m. This year (5772 on the