Passover 2024 Begins at Sundown on Monday Amid a Difficult Time for Jews and Israel

Passover, the commemoration of the Old Testament story of the deliverance of the ancient Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, begins at sundown on Monday, April 22, 2024.

It is the third of the three major Abrahamic religious holidays to be celebrated this year. Easter Sunday was observed on March 31, and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan ended April 9.

According to the book of Exodus, God brought 10 plagues to the land of Egypt that ultimately persuaded the pharaoh to agree to Moses’ demand: “Let my people go.”

Jews in San Diego will gather Monday evening for a ritual meal called a Seder, which means order. It features six symbolic foods, including matzah, a cracker-like unleavened bread symbolizing the hasty exodus from ancient Egypt when there was not enough time to let the bread rise.

During the Seder, people drink four cups of wine, symbolizing the promises that God made to the Israelites, including deliverance from bondage.

It is the first Passover since the brutal Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that plunged Israel into war. Many families will place an empty seat at the seder table in honor of the hostages held in Gaza.