Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-01
EVE OF THE PASSOVER
HEBREW SERVICE FOR MEMBERS
OF SUNDAY SCHOOL.
First Observance Of Seder Hagadah in
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. at Eighth
Street Temple.

Hagadah, or the domestic service for the
eve of the Passover, was held publicly for
the first time in this city last evening at
the Eighth Street Temple, the members of
the Sunday school of the Washington Re-
formed Hebrew Congregation participant
ing. Rabbi Stern and his assistant, Rabbi
Simon, conducted the exercises, reading re-
sponsively with the IT'S children present
passages from the Bible recounting the es-
cape of the Israeltes from the land Of
bondage, something of their hardships In
the desert and their reasons for rejoicing
in their deliverance.
To great extent the service was educa-
tional, it being merely a repetition of the
exercises the head Of each Hebrew family
is supposed to hold about his fireside on the
eve before the feast of the Passover, when,
If he is of the most pious, he gathers about
him his wife and children and tells them
the story of the exodus gives them UNI
leavened bread to eat and distributes other
articles of food typical of the hardships of
the wanderings toward the promised land.
For the past 3,4OO years this service has
been observed in Jewish homes. AS pub
lie affair 1t was instituted in this city by
Rabbi Simon, who recently came to Wash
ington from the west. Many of the MEM
bers of the local congregation had never
witnessed it In public before and others
could only remember having seen 1t in other
cities
vided into two parts, one for the children
and the other for the congregation. The
former sat at tables arranged in an appro-
pirate form, on which were the unleavened
bread, a bit of green, representing the bitter
herb of the desert and mixture OF apple
anu cinnamon, symbolical of the clay of
which the children of Israel had to build
dwellings in the land of Pharaoh.
Significance Explained.
In clear manner Rabbi Simon explained
the significance of each article of food, ask
ing the children to taste it, and then he pro-
posed toast to Spring to which all the
children drank from one of two glasses of
unfermented wine at their places Next
the young rabbi turned to his superior,
Rabbi Stern, and in a few well-chosen
words asked that the second glass be drunk
to the health and happiness of their revered
leader This toast was responded to with
enthusiasm, and Rabbi Stern warmly
regard
Following the symbolic part of the even
ings program there was a light dinner for
those who took part. Rabbi Stern also
made a brief address during the evening.
The closing number of the program was the
singing of a series of melodies that have
been sung by the descendants of Abraham
for eighteen centuries.
Those Who Supervised.
Beside the two rabbis, the following per-
sons had supervision over the services: Mr..
Isaac L. Blout, president of the congrega-
ton, assisted by the board Of the religious
school-Mr. Max Fisher. chairman; Messrs
Jacob Eisenman, Joseph Jacoby, Harry
King and A. Kahn, supplemented by a COM
mittee of ladies composed of Mrs. Max
Fisher, Mrs. Harry King, Mrs. Joseph ia
CODY, Mrs. Jacob Eisenman, Mrs. l. l..
Blout, Mrs. B. Solomon, Mrs. A. NJ Fisher
and Mrs. Myer Cohen.
foo t1ro nf
yesterday morning at the Eighth Street
Temple was sermon on Freedom by
Rabbi Simon, who spoke upon the SUBJ
ject from political, religious, intellectual
and spiritual standpoint. The Passover,
which began at sunset Wednesday, will con-
tinue for seven days There will be special
service at the Eighth Street Temple Tues
day evening at 7:3O o'clock, and the con-
Guiding ceremony will be held there at 80
o'clock Wednesday morning, at which time
Rabbi Simon will preach.
Adath Israel.
The regular Passover services were held
at Adath Israel Temple 9th and G streets
northwest. the place Of worship of the
orthodox Jews, last evening and the even
Ing before. Rabbi Julius T. Loeb spoke of
the delivery of the Jews from captivity,
The music was chanted with accompani-
ment as Is the custom with the orthodox
Hebrew church. and the men and women
of the congregation were seated separately
The customary services were held at 6
o'clock last night at Adath Israel Temple,
and will be repeated Tuesday and Wednes-
day of next week.
The feast of the Passover lasts for eight
days, during which both of the local
Hebrew congregations will hold the Gus
tomary services.
Services in celebration of the feast of the
Passover or the Hebrew Fourth of July
as expressed by Associate Rabbi Simon of
the Eighth Street Temple, were held at the
temple yesterday, when Rabbi Simon
preached an interesting sermon on the
Gospel Of Freedom" in which he eloquent
ly told of the deliverance of the children
of Israel from the bondage in Egypt and
of the great joy that reigned throughout
the land as the descendants of those chill
dren celebrated that liberty bestowed upon
them by just God, through the medium of
Moses.
The passover commenced at shutdown
Wednesday, and was celebrated by serv-
ices in the temple. at which the story of the
deliverance of the people from Egypt con-
stituted the Scriptural reading. The chant
ing of psalms by the people and in turn,
anthems by the choir. interspersed with
prayer. combined to make the service i'm
pressve and inspiring. With few excep-
tons the hymns were those that have been
used for hundreds of years.
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