The Jewish festival of Passover, which commemorates...

The Jewish festival of Passover, which commemorates the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt more than 3,000 years ago, will be celebrated for eight days beginning at sundown Friday, April 14. According to the Council of Jewish Federations, more American Jews--86%--participate in the ritual Passover meal, or Seder, than any other religious ritual.

“On Passover,” says Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis, quoting the 19th-Century British novelist Israel Zangwill, “Jews eat history. And they drink theology.”

“Passover marks the birth of the Jewish people,” said Schulweis, a prominent Jewish theologian and senior rabbi of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino. “The story of the biblical Exodus from slavery in Egypt is as indispensable to the understanding of Judaism as the story of Jesus is to Christianity.”

Schulweis points out that the saga must be discussed around the dinner table. “Every one of the foods at the Seder--unleavened bread, or matzo, wine, bitter herbs, salt water, a green herb, a roasted egg and a lamb shank bone--represents a historical memory,” he said. “The Seder melds spiritual and bodily acts to convey Judaism’s central message.

“The Passover message is freedom from all forms of slavery--not only physical, but also intellectual and spiritual oppression and repression.”

Freedom of inquiry--questioning--is a required part of the ritual and a time-honored Jewish approach to tradition, said Schulweis, whose most recent book, “For Those Who Can’t Believe: Overcoming the Obstacles to Faith,” grapples with modern theological questions of faith.

He said Jewish law requires that if you’re alone on Passover eve and have no one to query, you are obligated to ask yourself, “What is the meaning of going from slavery to autonomy?”

But, he cautioned, the Seder is not simply a recollection or a reliving of an important past event. “The Passover of the future--aspirations for a messianic era, a better society offering freedom for all people on Earth--is constantly referred to,” he said.

The ceremony includes allusions to historic characters or events, such as a cup of wine on the Seder table for the prophet Elijah, who heralds the coming of that messianic era. Another allusion is the search, usually by children, for the afikomen , a piece of matzo symbolically broken off from the whole and hidden during the Seder.

Other Passover customs include inviting strangers and poor people to the Seder table, and giving to charity. The first words spoken at the Seder, he notes, are: “This is the bread of poverty. Let all who are hungry come and share it with us.”

Locally, Jewish Family Service offers Seders open to the community during the eight days of the festival. Participants pay what they are able, or not at all. (The organization also underwrites the cost of Seders each year at agencies that help battered women and their children, immigrant families, recovering addicts, people with AIDS, prisoners, and frail, elderly and isolated people.) Reservations must be made in person at one of several sites in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. To find out where and when to apply, or to make a donation, phone (213) 651-3292.

Many synagogues throughout Southern California hold Seders for the community on the first and second nights of Passover. Advance reservations are required. The Board of Rabbis of Southern California makes referrals to synagogues, which offer some tickets on an ability-to-pay basis. (213) 852-7710.

PASSOVER

* Actor-director Leonard Nimoy will narrate the Passover story and the vocal ensemble Western Wind will perform at Temple Israel of Hollywood at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 2, as part of the series “Chamber Music in Historic Sites,” sponsored by the Da Camera Society of Mount St. Mary’s College in association with the Los Angeles Conservancy and the Southern California Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians. 7300 Hollywood Boulevard. For ticket information, phone (310) 440-1351.

* A variety of Passover-preparation courses--from spirituality to cooking--is offered through the University of Judaism. (310) 476-9777.

* A special Seder for couples that include a non-Jewish partner will be held by Temple Beth David of Orange County at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 2. Reservations are required. (714) 892-6623.

* Two Seders in the area have extended a special invitation to Jewish lesbians and gay men, their families and friends. Congregation Kol Ami in West Hollywood celebrates at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 15. (213) 656-6093. The Long Beach Jewish Community Center’s Lesbian and Gay Havurah gathers at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 16. (310) 426-7601, ext. 31. Both require reservations.

* The Orthodox Union and Hughes markets are sponsoring rabbi-led Kosher-for-Passover Tours of markets throughout Southern California on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, March 28, 29 and 30, and April 3, 4, 5 and 6. A sign-language-interpreted tour will be held Sunday, April 2. For information, phone (310) 777-0225, ext. 3.

* A multiracial interfaith group leaves April 9 for Egypt and Israel to take part in the third annual Festival of Freedom, which celebrates Passover in its historic setting and creates bridges of understanding and peace. A delegate of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights will join the group this year to mark the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. For information, phone (310) 837-2294.

DATES

* The Forshang Sect World Center will sponsor a Supreme Hua Yen Dharma Seminar on Sunday from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Seminar speaker Master Sun Don Lee, the 3rd Patriarch of Forshang Sect, will speak on “Miraculous Causes, Virtuous Wisdom, Cultivation in Tenfold Perfection.” The center is at 670 Monterey Pass Road, Suite 250 in Monterey Park. (818) 458-8637. Admission is free and English translation will be provided.

* Anglican Archbishop Robert Okine of the Province of West Africa will be the guest of honor at a reception at 4 p.m. Sunday at the parish of St. Mary in Palms. Okine’s province includes Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana and a mission in the Cameroon. The public is invited to hear Okine speak about theological education, youth ministry, migration and ecology in that area. 3647 Watseka Avenue. (310) 558-4124.

* San Diego State University will host the founding conference of the Western Jewish Studies Assn. Sunday, April 2, through Tuesday, April 4, with presentations by more than 30 scholars from throughout the region and two guest speakers from Israel. Some sessions are free and open to the public. For information, phone (619) 594-5338.

* Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena hosts a Community Focus Week today through Thursday, featuring the Rev. Ray Bakke, an urban minister from Chicago, and six other speakers. Workshops will deal with such topics as hunger, AIDS, addiction, prisoner outreach and foster parenting. 393 N. Lake Ave. Admission and parking are free. For a complete schedule, phone (818) 795-7221.

* The Campaign for Human Development, sponsored by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, is accepting applications for grants up to $10,000 from self-help projects of poor and low-income groups in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The application deadline is May 1, but prospective recipients must send a representative to a grant workshop before submitting an application. Workshops will be held Tuesday, April 4, and Friday, April 7, in downtown Los Angeles.

The campaign receives its funding from an annual special collection taken up in all Catholic parishes. Among more than 10 local recipient organizations last year were Hope in Youth, Los Angeles Neighborhood Housing Services, and Central American Refugee Center. For information, phone Jeff Bonino-Britsch of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese’s Office of Justice and Peace at (213) 251-3560.

* The Zen Center of Los Angeles and Father Robert Jinsen Kennedy offer a Christian and Buddhist Retreat on Easter weekend, Friday, April 14, through Sunday, April 16, at La Casa de Maria retreat facility in Santa Barbara. The theme will be “Death and Resurrection in Buddhism and Christianity.” Jinsen Kennedy is a Jesuit priest and psychotherapist who teaches theology at St. Peter’s College in New Jersey. For registration information, phone (213) 387-2351.

* The Greater Hollywood Health Partnership--a project of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament and Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center--offers free medical evaluations from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Testing and screening for blood pressure, stroke risk, HIV, body fat, vision and hearing, cervical, breast and prostate cancers will be available.

There will be a charge of $5 for procedures that require laboratory work. Immunization vaccines will be available at no charge. The health fair will be held in the auditorium of the church’s school, 6657 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. (213) 462-6311.

* “Political and Religious Freedom in Vietnam” is the subject of a panel discussion at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 30, at Loyola Marymount University, as part of the school’s three-day free lecture series marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam. Lectures--co-sponsored by the Little Saigon Radio and Television Network and the Nguoi Viet Daily News--will also be held at 7 p.m. Monday and Wednesday evening. For details, phone the university’s Asian Programs Office (310) 338-4538.

* The Monsignor Oscar Arnulfo Romero Unitarian Universalist Latino Congregation will hold a bilingual service from 10 a.m. to noon Sunday to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Romero in El Salvador. Salvadoran food, poetry and music will be featured. 2936 W. Eighth St., Los Angeles. (310) 374-3632.

Southern California File welcomes submissions by fax to (213) 237-4712 or by mail c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. Items must be brief and arrive at least three weeks in advance of the event announced. Please include a phone number, date, time and full address.