The Jewish holiday Passover is arriving, starting on April 12 and lasting until April 20. The University of Connecticut and its student organizations have begun preparing for ways to accommodate the needs of Jewish students during this holiday.
Passover celebrates the Exodus of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt in the 13th century B.C.E. According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, the first night of Passover involves a ceremonial meal known as the seder. For the entirety of the holiday, those who observe uphold dietary laws and special prohibitions.
UConn Dining Services has prepared for Passover by working with Jewish student organization, UConn Hillel, and with NOSH Kosher Kitchen to ensure Jewish students have access to the food they need to celebrate, according to their website.
Students celebrating Passover can eat meals prepared by NOSH Kosher Kitchen either at Hillel House or at Gelfenbien Dining Commons. However, students and any guests must sign up beforehand using a meal form available on the UConn Dining Services website. Sign-ups close on Wednesday, April 9.
Students with a meal plan can pay for their Passover meals using meal swipes, flex passes or points. Students can also use traditional payment methods such as check or credit card. They can also choose to apply the charge to their fee bill.
UConn Hillel will also be hosting an event specifically for seder on April 12 at 6:30 p.m. The event was advertised on the organization’s Instagram account, which included a link to RSVP for seder.
UConn’s preparation for Passover is in line with the university’s Religious Accommodation Policy from the Office of University Compliance.
“The University of Connecticut is committed to providing welcoming and inclusive learning and workplace environments,” the policy said. “As part of this commitment, the University will make good faith efforts to provide reasonable religious accommodations to faculty, staff and students whose sincerely held religious practices or beliefs conflict with a University policy, procedure, or other academic or employment requirement, unless such an accommodation would create an undue hardship.”
The Office of the Provost has further information on what students can expect should they require special accommodation in keeping with their religion. This includes excuses from class and faculty responsibilities regarding students’ religion.
Correction: This article was updated on April 3, 2025 to fix an incorrect date.