Region : Passover Rites for Public

The Jewish festival of Passover starts Friday night. The eight-day holiday, which commemorates the exodus of Hebrew slaves from ancient Egypt, is marked by festive Seder dinners, generally at home with all the extended family.

Many Westside Jews are far from the family hearth, however. Temple B’nai David Judea, at 8906 Pico Blvd., is sponsoring a “learning Seder” on Saturday night in an effort to reach them.

Designed for people who may not have the Hebrew-language skills to read the haggadah, the booklet that retells the Passover story in Hebrew and Aramaic, the program will be largely devoted to English-language discussions, said Rabbi Les Fried.

“That way people can ask their own questions, not just the Four Questions,” Fried said. The Four Questions, which come at the beginning of the haggadah, deal with the meaning of Passover symbols and practices.

Reservations for the $25 event can be made by telephone at 276-9269.

Rabbi Shlomo Schwartz, formerly affiliated with the Chabad organization of Hasidic Jews, is staging a public Seder of his own on Friday night, hoping to bring in “any Jew that moves.”

Designed as a singles event, the event at a synagogue in the Fairfax District, features a “happy hour” at 6 p.m., followed by the Seder at 7 p.m. and dinner at 8 p.m., at a cost of $39.

Reservations may be made at 391-7995.