FREEDOM: The Jewish festival of Passover starts...

FREEDOM: The Jewish festival of Passover starts tonight at sundown with a ritual feast called a Seder. Children across the Valley have been preparing all week with practice Seders such as the one at Valley Beth Shalom Day School, attended by Hely Bardo, 7, above. . . . Passover commemorates the liberation of the Hebrews from slavery in ancient Egypt.

TOGETHERNESS: According to tradition, no Jew should eat alone on Passover. That’s why everyone from close relatives to new acquaintances is invited to share the Seder meal. . . . Many Seder foods symbolize the struggle to escape from bondage. Horseradish is eaten as a reminder of the bitterness of slavery. Unleavened bread, called matzo, symbolizes the Jews’ hasty getaway: They left so quickly, there was no time for bread dough to rise.

COMMUNITY: The local valleys are home to an estimated 217,000 Jews, or 43% of the Jewish population of the Greater Los Angeles area. The San Fernando Valley Alliance guide to the Jewish community of the San Fernando and adjacent valleys lists 49 synagogues.

ENVELOPE PLEASE: In what way is the San Fernando Valley second only to Wichita, Kan.? . . . It’s the quality of our mail service. So says a Price Waterhouse survey. See why our Postal Service rates so high that only Wichita has more special delivery (B1).

ALL AMERICAN: Van Nuys lingerie manufacturer Parisa by Amir is making the world’s biggest brassiere. How big? Try eight feet around hooked. It will be on display--behind plexiglass--at a trade show at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas from April 15 to 17. Company owner Amir Moghadam said the larger-than-life garment is his way of promoting apparel that’s Made in the USA.