New-York tribune., 1905-04-24
ALL WADE KO>HER."
East Side House Cleaning Before the
Passover The Feast.


They made kosher" on The East Side on Issy
v 'es4ay- Translated into the tongue % New
rn2lacd to make kosher is simply 20 clean house
But The fury which attacks she loisev-ivce OF NSev
england with back yards 90 beat carpets in ard
sixty days ar more OF spring tinae from which -
e't'se e eats, assumes aDPaNioe aspects wheu
compressed into the narrow plrl~,le OF the lower
East side aud the short space of s-folr hours
CT before the Passover feast. One cannot r,aif
Kosher too long before Passover I5 voaId all be
dirty again II must b. scrubbed ana shining Al
the moment when the feast IS laid climax Of this
festival of household ablutlCa
So. cS.Iy las; "Wednesday morning small moan
tains CT rubbish began to appear along the curbs
cf I4udlow and Hester etf. Esdridge and Rivnelon
sts, Norfolk and Delaney sts.. and there many .oe
them still IepCse, awaiting serere street Cleaning
Department. AS the day grew the hrlocks swersa.-
and passcrs-by lodged year-long accumuIations OK
old clothes and cooking utensils broken shoes aud
coal scUtties. battered hats and tinware .ssUins
with more or less vehemence from front doors o.,
tenement houses. The sound OF the carpet beater
heard in the land. Rugs and mattresses were
dragged roOfward. Bedding was hung TO tie
breeze from fire escapes. The slap OF the scrubb-e
brush and the patter of the whiskbroom sounded
merrily through the tenement houses. IIygiaRic
old souls were those ancient lawgivcrs
A FOREST or CROCKERY -.
II was a weary company Of housewives that ~
sued forth to buy Wednesday Afternoon. j. -
pleasanter task 70 buy than to clean. if one we're
not tired. But, tred or not, 70 must ne d0r4e.
for every dish upon the Passover table. every
utensil in which the feast Is prepared must b.
new unless. indeed, it he resurrected from Sonfs
trunk where il has lain, clean ard carefutIv-
wrapped. since last Passover It was sato ala
OF pots and pans; a street fair OF teapot md
pickle jars: a sacred bargain day OF kitchen are
A forest Of knives and forks overspread the Pls}-
carts; mountains OF blue and white saucepans
swelled beside them, and plains OF crockery ard
glassware.
weary little old dame stopped beside cart
full Of the latter The wig OF the orthodox crowned
her head. the crOtcheted red shawl OF the quarter
draPed her shoulders Under one arm she carried
tin. and in her hand she nrmiy srasped long
basket her other arm stuck the mute. reproach-
ful claws Of chicken, topped by gorgeous bunch
in the spring that the poor Old dame could aforg.
haul the contents Of the cart Pitchers and spoon
holders she passed by, but finally gTasPed the dc-
sired article. horseradish jar with cover. for
This was frequent pushcart purchase on VvedneS-
day Eyerywhere great heaps OF the crude To95s
were piled. and the air permeateO with 80
sSn5 6i9tsr 5ePS P@3 then t6e anoie5 3 5t M dFsets that
feast should be eaten, and hOrseradish is the Ia
vOrite bitter herb OF the East Side.
KOSHER WINE.
Whole pushcarts were loaded with nothing but
wine glasses. two to five cents apiece. The people
OF the quarter are not wine bibbers- AT home they
and in the new country they substitute beer. Bur-
a certain number OF cups of red wine are a reqgf-
site of the feast. and every liquor store of ther
quarter carried a Yfddish sign upon its windows
were iifte stands carrying few bottles OF VINE
each with its Yiddish label telling OF lts kosher
made kosher, in new barrels. IN new utensils
throughout. and without any mixing with any
other wine or adulteraton with any other sub
stance - ,, 49,,
Gentle eve They looked like bread boards but
We're smaller and each had a little vertical fence
TUnninE around the edge They are the salt
boards of the Jewish housewife. Meat 10 oe
in water before cooking Then it is covered Win
salt and left lying :o5 an ~ RVET s on on t oi @ Rev,
salt boards must be had for the Passover meat
New rolling pins. also. long and slim Ike d poliee-
a picturesque old fellow on the corner was laden
with what appeared to be little calico bibs; only
that there was a hole for the head allowing a peL-
S Sn Of 1 '9f 6 CHEST 10 % The WHO
clustered around him. however, wsTe not ou51ag @
the stzas' the four little bunches Of cord one az
bov must wear. The strings should be OF pure
wool but il is very cotJOny Wooi on me I--ceLL
Something the number Of knots means sorneyhaz
elseCit Is all DS I"3 f3l lot Of htte BOYS on NE
lower East Side are wear'hs ne" S'-"S "'''i
their jackets this week
RITUAL OF THE FEAST
throughout the crowd circIed yelling boys selling
bookIets either paper or bound n thin grean
boards containing the ritual OF the feast some or
them were printed both in Jewish and English Bhe
name. Passover" was on the last page o. Tue
cover. The title page was the last page IN Jhe
book and it bewilderrgly from back -
front The nlateC4lS of the 1et,Si and the arrange
Tnen were forth, particularly the arrangement
The meal itself is called "seder. which means ---
rangement." ia
iaylght but the meal should not begin UE atter
niyhtfaU on 4 dish three matzOtG> are placed.
each covered separately The mJtzuths are the u:i-
lesvened bread great stt, thin cakes Ike Jl-n and
tender crackers. reminders OF The time when Lntt
Children OF Israel mixed thin cakes OF Hour ana
water and baked them IN the SUN m Jne WllderIeSs
ON the garbage of the section last WedncS-
fav were lOaves and portions of loaveS strange
sight in this thrifty quarter The housewives were
clearing all leaveued bread Cut of the houses, ~
which for eight days nothing but the matZotn Will
be eaten. They buy the unleaVened bread ~ Ide
kosher groceries fOr six eight cents a pound
Upon the natzoth then. on The Passov ver table are
placed in the egg, the shankooue. tAc chaFp-
seth the bitter herbs. the salt water, aod t2s
parsley: each of which has its own symbolism th-
charOSeth = a little cake or mixture into which g
nuts prunes. cinnamon. apples and other insredi-
ents This is the traditional feast. 70 be eaten in
prescribed order, with certain waSaIngS of hands
saving o. grace and recitation OF ritual AZ pre-
must be drunk. each CuD being OF the capacity %
q .'reviith' which j. to say. egg ard hall
To this menu. however. orthodox JeWTy adds
whatever il chooses for good meal, always pTp-
vidfd an is kosher The Passover lamb. once as
ohIiga tory the bitter herbs has been ahrOsated
i'm he long exile and chicken is the vOrite piece
~ res'etauce. as in every square meal the
East side.