President’s Pesach
Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin has been preparing for Peach…with the help of his grandson.
President Rivlin is helped by grandson Shai in the search for chometz Photo: Amos Ben Gershom (GPO)
President Reuven and First Lady Nechama Rivlin have completed their preparations for their first Passover in the President’s Residence. They have invited their children and grandchildren to join them at the Seder, along with three lone soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces and Border Police, who are far from their families over the festival.
Yesterday, Rabbi Yehuda Yabrov was invited to the President’s Residence to meet with President Rivlin and the Director General of the President’s Office, Harel Tubi, for the customary selling of the ‘Chametz’, (unleavened bread and products) of which Jewish law forbids ownership during the course of Passover. The President, together with his grandson Shai, 6, carried out the traditional search for ‘Chametz’ by candlelight, with a feather to sweep up any crumbs, or pieces of bread which are symbolically left for the purpose of the search.
Tonight the President and his family will be joined by three lone soldiers of the IDF and Border Police, without their families for the festival; Hodaya Levi, Shai Daniel Shalom, and Noah Schwarz who has immigrated to Israel from the USA in order to serve in the IDF. The President will lead the Seder, his first in the President’s Residence, and the participants will join in reading the Hagadah, which recounts the story of the Jewish People’s slavery in Egypt and their redemption through the miraculous ten plagues and the splitting of the Red Sea. The honor of asking the ‘Four Questions’ will be left to Maya, 5, and Shai, 6, two of the President and First Lady’s younger grandchildren.
