Chabad Holds Worldwide Sedorim

The Chabad Movement held its traditional Passover Seder meals in its centers worldwide, but this year all eyes were on Japan and New Zealand, which suffered devastating earthquake damage.

Chabad centers in Tokyo and Christchurch were expecting massive attendance by Israelis traveling in the area Monday, stressing that no location was too remote for them to reach in the name of a kosher Passover.

Rabbi Binyamin Edery of the Tokyo Chabad Center, told Ynet that the Hasidic movement will even hold a Seder in the vicinity of battered Sendai, which suffered devastating tsunami damage.

Chabad has set up a relief center in the city, to help the locals deal with the aftermath of the disaster. “We deliver water, clothes, some food and surprises, if we can, every day. When times are tough you have to help everyone,” he said.

The Sendai Seder – though more frugal than usual – will be attended by the organization’s 10 emissaries, as well as some local Jewish residents, Rabbi Edery said.

Meanwhile, Chabad’s Tokyo Seder is expected to host some 200 people – a record number, according to the rabbi. The majority of Passover supplies were flown in, he added.

Chabad centers across New Zealand are also readying for the Seder. In Christchurch, whose Chabad Center was razed in the devastating earthquake with rattled the area in February, the Seder will be held in the movement’s temporary new location.

Shmulik Friedman, who survived the earthquake told Ynet that the situation in the city was still dire: “The city is virtually closed. We don’t expect a large Seder here, but we have 30 Jews here and we want to make sure they have a Seder.”

The Chabad centers in Queenstown, Nelson and Dunedin expect some 200 Israelis for Seder each.

“We’ve had most of the supplies flown in from Australia,” said Friedman, adding that the meet supplied to Chabad centers in New Zealand was shipped from Christchurch.

Chabad centers in India are also expecting hundreds of Israeli travelers tonight. In Mumbai, where the local Chabad Center was the scene of a murderous terror attack two and half years ago, Chabad will hold two Seder services.