Rabbinical Students Educate Telluride on Passover

Telluride, CO — Two Chabad-Lubavitch rabbinical students came to Telluride from Colorado Springs this week to educate locals on the Jewish holiday Passover, which began last night (Monday) at sundown.

With just a few contacts, Laibel Kesselman and Berel Zaklikofsky came into Telluride Tuesday.

Kesselman said the town has been very receptive to the visit, and also curious.

“Jews and non-Jews alike have been very interested of what we’re doing here,” he said.

“People ask us, what’s Passover all about?” said Kesselman. He explained that it is about spreading the message that “every person in life should have their true freedom. It shouldn’t just be something that should be ancient history.”

The holiday involves the telling of the story of the Egyptians enslaving of Israelites, and the gaining of freedom by the Israelites.

Passover, he added is about being able “to live and let live.”

Kesselman and Zaklikofsky met with Telluride Rabbi Michael Saftler, a meeting that lead to other appointments, which in turn led to even more appointments. They were busy meeting with people up to when they left Telluride, on Friday, to go to other communities around Colorado.

In addition to its message of freedom, Passover is known for great food and drinks, including Manischewitz wine and grape juice and Matzoh, or unleavened cracker-like bread, which Kesselman and Zaklikofsky have been handing out to people they’ve met. Both from Michigan, they said that, when they are educating people about Passover, they usually don’t go into what food is Kosher for Passover and what isn’t unless people ask them about it.

The Chabad-Lubavitch branch of Judaism has sent out about 300 groups around the world to help different communities – many of them small, like Telluride – celebrate Passover. The groups reach out to communities across the world, with rabbinical students visiting Canada, China, Sweden, Bolivia, Lithuania, Australia, and many other countries.

Zaklikofsky came to Telluride last summer with Rabbi Moshe Liberow and Liberow’s family to check out the Jewish community. Liberow, who is also based in Colorado Springs, was in town in December to help celebrate and spread knowledge on the Jewish holiday Chanukah. Zaklikofsky said he loved Telluride and its people last year and did not hesitate to come back. He also spent two weeks last summer visiting Jewish people in 50 prisons, mostly in Colorado and also in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas – about 8,000 miles of driving – implementing the “No Jew Left Behind” policy that Chabad-Lubavitch followers adhere to.

Zaklikofsky reflected his motivation for the prison visits, saying, “Even though [prisoners] did a sin, they can still cover that darkness.”

“We don’t label Jews,” he added. “Every person has an opportunity to help someone else.”

Last Passover, Kesselman was in Colorado Springs, traveling to nearby areas with Rabbi Liberow.

Zaklikofsky stressed that the holiday is also “all about the children.”

There was a local Passover service, or Seder, last night, and Passover lasts until sundown on Tuesday, April 10.

To find out more about Passover and learn different ways to direct the Passover Seder, go to Passover.net. There’s a “Seder Wizard” section on the site that gives a concise, easy-to-follow writeup of all aspects of the Passover Seder.