PREPARING THE SYMBOLIC SEDER PASSOVER TIME FOR FAMILY, REFLECTION.

Byline: SUE DOYLE Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Rabbi Steve Conn and his family have been cooking nonstop, preparing for two days of feasting with friends and relatives that started at sundown Wednesday - the beginning of Passover.

The eight-day observance celebrates the freedom of Jews from slavery in Egypt more than 3,000 years ago and provides a time to recognize others in the world who are in need.

"This is a holiday where we look at issues of slavery and freedom in contemporary society, too," Conn said. "It's not just looking at the past."

Conn and others at Congregation Beth Shalom in Santa Clarita are focusing this year on conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan and ways to prevent violence. Nearly 2 million people in Darfur have been displaced from their homes and thousands have died from starvation and disease since the conflict began in February 2003.

The first two days of the holiday are recognized with seders, where the story of Passover is retold during a meal that contains some foods symbolic of the flight from Egypt. Matzos, flatbread, represent freedom. Bitter herbs, such as horseradish, embody the harshness of slavery.

Around town, traditional Jews have stocked up on these foods and other kosher products to serve at seders, which are usually celebrated at home.

In the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys, many find these foods at local grocery stores, which have portions of aisles packed with jars of gelfite fish, cherry wine and kosher cookies.

But for meats, fish and dairy products, Rabbi Choni Marozov of Chabad of Santa Clarita and others head to specialty stores in North Hollywood and Tarzana.

The rabbi has been busy in the kitchen for the last three days preparing potato kugel, chicken, steaks and different kinds of salads. Meanwhile, relatives from New York are flying into town to celebrate.

Marozov said Passover provides a time to reflect and to be better people.

"We all set limitations on ourselves. On a daily basis, we have to go beyond those limitations to be kinder and more spiritual," he said. "On Passover, we celebrate that, and we liberate ourselves to be a better people."

Congregations also play host to seders and can draw in hundreds of followers for the evening. As the population of Jews grows in the region, the small number of temples are finding themselves packed with families during Passover.

Jews make up about 3 percent of the state's population, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. There are no data to show how many have moved into northern Los Angeles County, but temples have reported that their congregations have grown strongly in the last 10 years as more families move into the region.

In fact, one Antelope Valley man who was the past president of Beth Knesset Bamidbar was squeezed out of a seat at the temple for seder because 125 families had already made reservations there. There was no room left.

So Eli Colvin will go to his brother's house instead.

"What I like best about it personally is getting together with friends and family and just the atmosphere of knowing that we as a people have been a group for more than 5,000 years, and we're still enjoying each other's company," he said.

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3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Rabbi Steve Conn of Congregation Beth Shalom begins cooking a special Passover meal in his kitchen. Everything is kosher.

(2 -- color) Rabbi Steve Conn of Congregation Beth Shalom holds a bottle of Coke specially prepared for Passover and marked with a yellow cap.

(3 -- color) Especially prepared cream cheese is one of the foods that Rabbi Steve Conn of Beth Shalom will use in his Passover meal.

David Crane/Staff Photographer