Message from Rob Whitten, President of JGS Lifecare

Dear Residents and Families,

As Passover is soon approaching, we wanted to touch base with you regarding this special holiday and the unique traditions that accompany it.  Due to our traditional observance of Passover at JGS Lifecare, we also have a few requests.

This year, the Passover holiday will be celebrated from Wednesday evening, April 5 to Thursday evening, April 13. There are many traditions and customs that are observed during this important Jewish festival. Most commonly, families gather for the Seder, the “ordered feast” when the story of Passover is told, along with special foods and festive songs.

There are a significant number of food restrictions during this eight-day festival. Specifically, anything containing chametz (leavening) is forbidden. In addition, Ashkenazi Jews refrain from eating beans, peas, lentils, rice, corn, and legumes. Our preparation for Passover, therefore, is quite extensive. Observant Jews traditionally engage in a kind of “spring cleaning.” paying special attention to cleaning and removing all chametz from the household (e.g. cereal and crackers, leftover bits of doughnuts and bagels, pizzas and pretzels.) To be certain that all Passover products are free of chametz, we at JGS, like many other Jewish communities, buy and serve only those foods that are marked “Kosher for Passover.” Across the campus, we will be in Passover “mode” from Sunday, April 2 to Thursday evening, April 13.

If you have any questions regarding the upcoming Passover holiday, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself of our Rabbi Devorah Jacobson.

Thank you,

Rob