Passover Begins

(AP) – Passover, a major Jewish holiday, began Wednesday night and is celebrated over the course of a week each spring. It commemorates the Exodus of ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt, as recounted in the Bible. The central ritual of Passover is the Seder meal. It is celebrated around family dinner tables and at communal banquets, where the dramatic story of liberation is retold. As in recent years, this year’s celebrations occur amid a sober backdrop. There are anxieties over the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, widespread antisemitism marked by recent synagogue attacks, divisions within the Jewish community over Israeli policies and the raw aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war.