Passover meets Holi: Pittsburgh event brings Jewish and Hindu neighbors together

Pittsburgh’s Jewish and Hindu communities will welcome spring together at an interfaith event in Monroeville on Sunday, March 15.

Several synagogues, Hindu temples and cultural organizations will fete the traditions of both Passover and Holi with food, music, dance, storytelling and crafting at Chinmaya Sanjeevani mission from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The free, family-friendly gathering was made possible by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to the nonprofit pro-Israel advocacy group StandWithUs.

“It’s about two wonderful communities coming together in a joyful way,” said Beth Vander Stoep, assistant director of Federation’s community relations council. “A celebration of diversity and multiculturalism.”

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A similar event held at the Hindu Jain Temple of Monroeville last summer drew about 170 people and “kicked a longtime friendship into high gear,” Vander Stoep said. “It was packed, and it was so joyful we said, ‘Let’s do more of this.’”

That led to the formation of a 22-member Jewish-Hindu cohort, Om-Shalom, that included representatives from Federation, the Hindu American Foundation, StandWithUS and the Anti-Defamation League to explore additional opportunities to further understanding and strengthen bonds.

A six-week series of activities ranged from cooking together to technology exchanges to discussions about combating prejudice.

The March 15 event will help advance the consort’s mission, with a focus on the holidays.

“The intent is for there to be a shared cultural experience with Hindu families giving a sense to Jews what exactly Holi is about, and for Jews to give a sense to Indians what Passover is about,” said Congregation Beth Shalom Rabbi Seth Adelson. “The goal isn’t to convert each other to our respective traditions but to build bridges and friendships.”

Holi fell on March 4 this year, and Passover will begin April 1. Although the holidays differ in their respective origins — with Holi celebrating the victory of good over evil through devotion to a deity, and Passover commemorating the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt — they share elements of rebirth and renewal associated with spring.

“Passover is of a more serious nature in that it is intimately tied to the creation of the Jewish people as we emerged from slavery,” Adelson said. “But it has joyous elements as well. Families gather and have great food and tell stories.”

“If we happen to get a little colored paint on us, that will add to our joyous experience,” he said, referring to rangoli, the ancient Indian art of creating intricate patterns with brightly hued powders or sand to symbolize auspiciousness and prosperity.

It will be part of the March 15 festivities, said Bhavini Patel, a civic leader and entrepreneur who is helping organize the event. “We’ll be going outside and ‘throwing’ colors.”

The day also will feature Israeli and Indian folk dancing, crafting for kids and a child-friendly telling of the story of Exodus. Udipi Café will prepare a vegetarian buffet of Indian and Jewish dishes, including matzah, grape juice, saltwater and macaroons. Kosher food is available on request.

Julie Paris, Mid-Atlantic regional director of StandWithUs, said commonalities between Hindus and Jews run deep and include global diaspora, religious pluralism, and ties dating back thousands of years to their respective ancestral lands.

“We share the same values and challenges,” Paris said, noting that both groups have experienced hate, with Hindu-phobia and antisemitism on the rise.

After the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, she said, “the local Hindu community was one of the first groups to reach out to us, and it did the same after Oct. 7.”

While March 15 is designed to be festive, it reflects a more serious mission, said Patel, who helped lead the Om-Shalom cohort. “It’s setting a strong example of what it means to show up for one another, to lift one another up and show cultural solidarity.”

“During times when things feel chaotic and confusing, it is one way we can inspire.”

Geetika Tandon, director of philanthropy, Midwest & Northeast, at the Hindu American Foundation, is also helping plan the event, which she sees as part of a continuum encompassing ongoing educational programming, cultural exchanges and shared celebrations — “perhaps even a joint Diwali and Sukkot gathering.”

“Together these festivals remind us that light overcomes darkness and that freedom is precious and must be protected,” she said.

“Communities truly grow stronger when they stand together.”

Registration for the event closed March 6, with limited wait-listing offered. For more, visit bethshalompgh.org/holi-passover-celebration. PJC

Deborah Weisberg is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.