The first post-liberation Passover to be observed here, and the first free celebration since 1938, was marked by communal seders in Jewish communities and institutions throughout the country and family gatherings.
One large seder was held in the Jewish orphanage on Belgian Street here, where a kosher kitchen was established for the first time. Two hundred persons whose families were murdered by the Nazis attended an orthodox seder at a kosher restaurant, presided over by Rabbi Victor Vorhand of the Vaad Hatzala of the United States.
In Slovakia the celebration had more of a pre-war atmosphere since more orthodox Jews survived in that part of the country, and supplies of Passover foods were more available despite the fact that there are thousands of impoverished Jews in Slovakia.
Because of the great demand for matzohs and the many who could not pay for their rations, the price of matzohs in Slovakia was about 60 crowns ($1.20) per kilogram, as compared to 25 crowns (.50) in Bohemia and Moravia, and wine was also more expensive. The Vaad Hatzala distributed free supplies of matzohs, eggs and other foods to many of the needy.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
