Jewish Community celebrates Passover

The Jewish community in Santa Barbara is celebrating Passover.

Rabbi Steve Cohen of the Congregation B’nai B’rith lead a community seder attended by hundreds of people for the start of Passover.

“This is one of the holiest nights of the Jewish year, the first night of Passover,” Cohen said.

Passover is a Jewish festival celebrating the exodus from Egypt.

The story is told every year during Passover, so it’s never forgotten.

“This is the master narrative of Judiasm,” Cohen said. “Our primary story is the journey from slavery to freedom.”

Cohen said the purpose of the celebration is two-fold; maintaining Jewish identity and passing it along to younger generations and learning about other ways of life.

“We want to be partners with the Santa Barbara community to explain Judiasm to other people and to learn for ourselves about other groups, other ethnicities and other religions,” he said.

Passover lasts for eight days.

To learn more about the Congregation B’nai B’rith click here.