Seder Experience in Aggieland

By LEVI MARGOLIN – The Eagle

The Chabad Jewish Student Center in College Station will be open for Passover.

Rabbi Yossi and Manya Lazaroff, co-directors of the center, aim to provide full-service kosher-for-Passover dining at the center beginning with the Passover Seders.

If you are looking for a meaningful Passover Seder experience, there is a seat for you at Chabad. The Seders will feature participation from the guests and will be hosted at 8 p.m. on the first two nights of Passover, March 29 and 30.

“We want all Jewish people to come and feel welcome at Chabad’s Seders” stressed Rabbi Lazaroff. “There is a small fee for the Seders but we always have our ‘no Jew left behind’ policy that guarantees that no one will be turned away from the Seder due to lack of funds.”

Chabad offers a warm, interactive and English friendly Passover Seder. The Seder is not prayer-intensive and welcomes everyone. Gourmet foods and crispy hand-made Shmurah Matzah will highlight the menu, and live skits and spirited songs will accompany the experience. The Seder will be conducted in a manner that everyone will be able to participate in and enjoy.

Vincent Villaverde, a junior industrial engineering major at Texas A&M, attended the Seders at Chabad last year.

“My family’s religious background is precarious at best, so I never had a Seder at home. My first true experience with a Passover Seder was at the Texas A&M Chabad headed by Rabbi Yossi and Manya Lazaroff,” said Villaverde. “There is such a sense of community here at A&M, especially during the holidays. Seeing all these Jewish people either come out of the woodwork of College Station or from out of town really gives a feeling of belonging to a larger but still close knit community.”

At the Seders, the Passover holiday’s flagship Ma Nishtana will be chanted in all the languages spoken by members of the crowd. Last year, that had an effect on Villaverde. “It was really touching when the Ma Nishtana was spoken in Hebrew, English, Spanish, Russian, French and even Hungarian. Here I am listening to all these people from different circumstances and I realize that we are all inexorably linked to a common thread as Jews,” he said.

Villaverde was grateful to Chabad and the Lazaroffs for hosting the Passover Seders and plans to attend again this year. “Regardless of the event, Yossi and Manya manage to make it seem like the Chabad is the home away from home for Jews here at A&M,” he said. “That, for me, was some of what I took from the A&M Chabad Seder and I look forward to attending it this year and the next, and the year after.”

Throughout the holiday, the Chabad center will provide an exclusive 100 percent kosher-for-Passover dining program — the only of its kind in Aggieland. Each day, gourmet meals will be provided for lunch and dinner. All meals are prepared using the finest of ingredients, including fresh fruits and vegetables, and there are no preservatives added.

“We want the Jewish students to celebrate Passover the best they can, and we encourage them to take part in our dining program,” said Manya Lazaroff. “We take pride in the quality, nutritious meals we provide.” The Kosher-for-Passover dining program is going into its third year, and the Lazaroffs predict it will be their biggest yet.

Jason Wise, a junior from Sugar Land, attended the meal program last year and is anticipating this Passover. “It’s not easy to find good kosher for Pesach food in College Station. Having Chabad there all week to provide food when I need it is really helpful,” he said. “It’s so nice to not have to worry about koshering my pots and pans to cook. I just head over to Chabad most of the time.”

Wise, a physics major, also expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the Lazaroffs for providing this service. “They treat us really well and always provide us with delicious food. At the same time, the students love coming by to assist in the kitchen. I go out there and lend a hand so everyone else can enjoy.”