El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-04-23

tiilS CIV W III DS6AAl
~ the 18th day OF the month Nissan,
OF the Jewish year 5670, which
VIII be celebrated by Jews all over the
world as the Feast of the Passover
This is the first and most important
or the three festivals when the Jews
were wont 10 present themselves before
the Lord in Jerusalem, the others being
Pentecost and the Feast OF Tabernacles.
The Passover was the great spring
feast of the Jews and was celebrated to
commemorate the escape from bondage
in Egypt, when Jehovah smote all the
first born in the land of Egypt, except
those of the chosen people who had
sprinkled the blood OF a lamb on the
Intel and the side posts OF their doors.
Jehovah passed over the houses so
designated, sparing the lives OF the
rst-born. and the children of Israel
departed from Egypt.
This feast has been observed re-
ligiously by the Jews ever since the
time OF Moses, and 1t is remarkable that
not even the Dispersion, and the con-
sequent division of the Jewish people
into sects has affected materially the
ceremonies and the ritual of this great
feast day The day also is of peculiar
significance to Christians, for the In
sutution Of the Lords supper was on
the occasion of the celebration of the
Passover by Jesus and his disciples.
Feast OF Unleayened Bread.
The seven days following the Pass
over proper are observed as the Feast
Of Unleavened Bread, and during these
eight days the orthodox Jew will eat
no leavened bread Many Jews keep
this festival who no longer follow the
orthodox mode of Jewish life at other
seasons of the year. The unleavened
bread is made from flour, salt and
water. without any other seasoning or
leaven- 1t is made in thin waters, and
Is known as matzo. In the United
states many Jews have this bread made
In their own homes, according TO the an
Client recipe, but the greater number
buy the natzo as prepared in the great
bakeries IN Philadelphia. which make
q speciality of baking this bread.
The Unity OF the Jews.
The essential unity of the Jewish
people is strikingly illustrated by the
manner Of observance Of the Passover
and the Feast OF Unleavened Bread
The Jews of the world are divided into
three sects. and these, in turn, are sub
divided according to habitation and
minor ritualistic differences. The two
great sects are the Sefardim. and the
Ashkenazim, while the third large sub
division is composed of the Jews of
Yemen, or southern Arabia. The Sc
fardim are those Jews who observe the
Spanish and Portuguese rite. They are
the inheritors of the language OF Judea
and Of the Jewish schools which flour
iShed in Babylonia after the Dispersion
The Jews Of Turkey, northern Africa,
the southern European countries and
most OF those in Palestine follow this
rite.
The Ashkenazim are the German
Jews. who take their religious rites
and their language from the Jews Of
Galilee. A large colony of Jews was
removed from Tiberias in Galilee TO
Germany by the Roman emperor Ha-
drian- These Jews became the found
ers Of the great Jewish race Of the
north, which spread over all of Ger
many, Poland, Hungary and Russia
The Jews of Yemen.
The Jews of Yemen are few in num-
Der, but they represent the purely ORR
entail sect Of Jews. The Jewish COL
onies in India and China are of the
Yemen sect When the Jews were ex-
peeled from Spain in 1892, the SefardiIn
were the wealthiest and most influen-
tial people in the world, controlling
as they did, the larger part Of the com
merce of the Mediterranean. which
world. For the last four centuries they
have diminished steadily in numbers
and in influence. while the Ashkenazim
have increased until now they outnum-
Der the other sect in the ratio of IL to
l. The greater number Of the Jews
In the United States follow the Ash
kenazim rite. The divisions known
popularity as Orthodox and Reformed
are Subdivisions of this sect, and are
unknown except in Germany and the
United States. In this article reference
is had only to Orthodox Jews.
In each of the three great sects the
observance of the Passover is substan-
TALLY the same, except that in the Ash
kenazim rite the Interpolation of Eu
ropean music and a system of poetfcal
allegories has been accepted generally
The observance of this feast is sfpsu-
larly free from ritualistic additions 10
the ancient liturgy as practiced in bible
times.
The Sedar Service.
In every Jewish home tonight the
table will be covered with a clean cloth
and upon 1T will be set the Sedar serv-
Ice The head of the household sits
in a cushioned chair, and takes charge
of the ceremonies. The program Ia aI-
act, and is divided into 16 separata ec+s
each one being known by a single He
brew word. in the nature OF rubric. In
a napkin is folded three square cakes
Of unleavened bread. On top of the
napkin Is a roasted bone to represent
the Paschal Lamb
On the table there is an egg boiled
hard, horseradish in two forms. green
tops and roots. a bunch of parsley. .
saucer filled with salt water and a cun
containing a mixture of annIes and
nuts. There is wine in abundance for