The Passover Journey: 2a Seder Companion

Offering both an authoritative guide and a well-crafted story, Goldin ( Just Enough Is Plenty ; Cakes and Miracles ) thoughtfully and elegantly explains the traditions of Passover. She sets the stage by recounting Moses and the Israelites' journey out of Egypt, then takes readers step by step through the 14 sections of the seder, the ritual meal that begins the holiday. In an invitingly conversational style, Goldin outlines the historic and symbolic significance of the different rituals and foods, emphasizes the importance of remembrance (she describes the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, which erupted during Passover in 1943, and suggests that Holocaust survivors and Soviet emigres be invited to share their memories) and discusses ways of personalizing the seder. Sidebars highlight related topics, from ancient Baghdad customs to the omission of Moses from the Haggadah, the Passover prayerbook. Waldman's ( The Ty ger ) radiant watercolors underscore the changing moods of the text, with earthy browns and reds dominating the illustrations of the Exodus, and dusky purples and twilight blues suffusing the pages devoted to specific elements of the seder. All ages. (Feb.)