Jewish Nursery School Students Learn About The History Of Passover

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Jewish communities in the New York area and around the world have been preparing to celebrate one of the holiest times of the year; Passover.

On Wednesday, young students in New York got a sense and a taste of the history behind the sacred festival.

As CBS2's Vanessa Murdock reported, it was one of the most exciting days of the school year at Beth El Nursery School in New Rochelle where kids were learning about Pesach or Passover.

"It's a really special night," 4-year-old Melanie explained.

Passover starts Friday at sundown. On Wednesday, students aged 2, 3, and 4-years-old practiced with a model seder.

They read from the hurghada and told the story of when the Jewish people were enslaved in Egypt and freed by God.

Educational Director Ronnie Becher said the students focused more on using their senses to get a sense of what Passover is all about.

They witnessed the 'burning of the breads.'

"We don't have bread on Pesach," a student explained.

Instead, it's tradition to eat unleavened bread or Matzoh, because Jews fleeing Egypt had no time to let their bread rise.

Students prepared the table, cooked matzoh ball soup, candles were lit, songs were sung, and students munched on parsley to remind them that it's spring.

There were apples, raisins, cinnamon and honey, hardboiled eggs, and a nontraditional cream cheese.

Shai said his favorite part of Passover is a game that involves finding the matzoh known as the Afikomen.

Perhaps the most important lesson learned by these students was that the most important thing at the Passover table are the people.

Passover lasts for 8 days.