Congregations Plan Passover Activities

Jewish congregations in Ventura County are preparing for the Passover holiday with special meals and events.

Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks will celebrate the morning of the first day of Passover on Tuesday with a special service for children.

The event will include Passover songs, stories and a Passover puppet show. It will begin at 10 a.m. to coincide with a service for adults in the main sanctuary, officials said.

A kosher reception will follow both the adults’ and children’s events.

The temple is at 1080 Janss Road. For information, call the temple office at 497-6891.

Children of Congregation B’nai Emet in Simi Valley got a jump on Passover celebrations Sunday with a special day of holiday-related activities.

Children made craft items such as Seder plates, played a treasure hunt game and baked their own matzo, congregation member Meredith Patera said.

“Passover is historically and religiously one of the most important holidays of the year,” Patera said, “because it was really the beginning of Judaism as an organized religion.”

Chabad Jewish Community Center, 1259 Callens Road, Ventura, has scheduled a community Seder from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. today, Rabbi Yakov Latowicz said. The cost of the meal is $35 for adults and $20 for children; reservations are required. To reserve a place, call 658-7441.