Passover

2024 Passover

Monday Evening, April 22–Tuesday Evening, April 30

Smith Kosher Dining follows strict Kosher dietary laws for Passover. The meat kitchen is kashered under supervision and only food approved for Passover is prepared and served.

Please note: All Kosher lunches and dinners during Passover require reservations. Any student wishing to reserve meals at the Cutter/Ziskind Kosher line MUST fill out the reservation form. It is important to note that making a reservation commits you to a meal, as our chef prepares food based on reservations.

More information can be found in the Passover Letter from Pat Mahar, Dining Manager, and Rabbi Bruce Bromberg Seltzer, Center for Religious and Spiritual Life.

If you find you are unable to attend a meal you have reserved, please give the dining staff at least 24 hours notice by emailing Pat Mahar at pmahar@smith.edu Monday through Friday, or Chef Hilary Mikucki at kosher@smith.edu or ext. 2099.

For further information, please contact one of the references below.

Pat Mahar, pmahar@smith.edu
Cutter/Ziskind Kosher Kitchen, 413-585-2099
kosher@smith.edu
Kosher Co-Op Kitchen, 413-585-5074
Rabbi Bruce Bromberg Seltzer, Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, bbrombergseltzer@smith.edu

Reserve Passover Meals by April 19

Passover Letter

Dear Smith Students and Community Members,

Chodesh Tov! Happy new moon of Nissan.

My name is Rabbi Bruce Bromberg Seltzer, and I am the Jewish Student Advisor sharing some important information about Passover!

The Jewish holiday of Passover is a holiday that celebrates and yearns for personal and collective liberation. This year, Passover will take place from the evening of Monday, April 22 through the evening of Tuesday, April 30. The Smith College Passover Seder will take place at 5:30 p.m. on the evening of Monday, April 22 in the Helen Hills Hills Chapel.

Please read this entire letter so that you can be provided with what you need.

Seder On Campus

On Monday, April 22 at 5:30 p.m., a First Night Seder will be sponsored by the Center for Religious and Spiritual life, and co-led by Rabbi Bruce Bromberg Seltzer along with Smith students at the Helen Hills Hills Chapel. Please reserve a meal, prepared by Smith College Dining Services, on the online reservation form. Gluten-free matzah will be provided. Guests of Smith students are welcome to attend, but must register individually using the online reservation form.

Second Seder (Off Campus)

If you would like to be invited to a Second Seder, please email Rabbi Bruce by Friday, April 19 at 4 p.m. Please make the subject ‘Second Seder’ and list any food allergies, whether you can walk, can drive, or need a ride, as well as include any other information that will be useful (such as pet allergies).

Volunteering at the Seder

Seders are co-created and held by the entire community, and it is a time where we are asserting that we are free people. Therefore, it is important to try and find at least one role to hold so that we are each part of creating the liberation experience. Please sign up for a volunteer position.

Kosher for Passover Meals

Kosher for Passover meals will be available from our Kosher dining line located in Cutter/Ziskind. There will be meat meals and parve alternatives offered to all students who sign up. Meals will be served on disposable dishes, and meal hours are posted on the Passover page. You will find the Passover page by using the link in the highlighted News and Updates paragraph on the Dining Services website, or by using the link below.

Lunch and dinner will be provided only to those who register. Passover food is ordered long in advance and it is not possible to increase food orders once the holiday begins. Please be mindful when you reserve meals to reduce food waste and unnecessary work for the staff. If you are unable to attend a meal that you had reserved, please contact Pat Mahar (pmahar@smith.edu) and Hilary Mikucki (kosher@smith.edu) or 413-585-2099.

The Kosher line in Cutter/Ziskind will provide Kosher for Passover lunch and dinner for the eight days of Passover to all students who reserve meals. Registration for meals can only be done online on the Dining website. Reservations must be made by Friday, April 19 at midnight. Kosher for Passover reakfast will also be served and does not require reservations.

All college dining halls will have matzah and hard boiled eggs available during all meals, and gluten-free matzah will be available at Chase/Duckett and Cutter/Ziskind. Kosher for Passover macaroons will be available for all teas.

Break-Fast from Chametz (bread products)

Break-fast, when people traditionally eat foods that were prohibited during Passover, will take place on Tuesday, April 30 at 8:30 p.m. in the Helen Hills Hills Chapel Sanctuary. Please use the above link to make a reservation for this meal.

Selling Chametz for Passover

Halacha (Jewish law) requires us to get rid of all of our chametz (leavened foods) before Passover. A tradition has developed to sell any chametz we can not dispose of to a non-Jews for all of Passover. If you would like to sell your chametz through Rabbi Bruce, please fill out the online form by 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 20.

Please email bbrombergseltzer@smith.edu with other questions about Passover.

Contacts

Pat Mahar, Dining Manager: pmahar@smith.edu or 413-585-2318
Rabbi Bruce Bromberg Seltzer: bbrombergseltzer@smith.edu
Chef Hilary Mikucki: chef-kosher@smith.edu or 413-585-2099