Israeli Jewish Holiday (Passover) Wine Cup

This Israeli Jewish cup is used in the celebration of the holiday Passover, called "Pesach" in Hebrew. Pesach means pass over, referring to the escape of the Jews from slavery in ancient Egypt some 3000 years ago.

Jews around the world participate in a special home ceremony on the first night of Passover, called the "seder," designed to inform any children in the family about the deliverance of the Jews from Egypt. The Seder is observed on each of the first two nights of the holiday.

A book called the "Haggadah" sets out the order for the Seder, a fifteen-step family-oriented tradition and ritual-packed feast. During the ceremony, celebrants drink four cups of wine. Seder cups hold the wine to drink.

Additionally, celebrants eat matzah, made of flour and water, to represent unleavened bread, showing how quickly the Jews had to flee. They eat bitter herbs to commemorate the bitter slavery endured by the Israelites.

Judaism is a religion in which people believe that there is one god (monotheism), the same god the Christians and Muslims worship, who created the universe and has a personal relationship with humans. The religion was founded in Israel about 4,000 years ago by Abraham, who entered into a covenant with God to follow the laws of God. Moses received the Jewish holy book from God. Scholars disagree about whether there is an afterlife. Jews are waiting for the Messiah who may bring about an afterlife.

Source:
Source Citation (MLA 7th Edition) Jacobs, Louis, et al. "Passover." Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Vol. 15. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 678-683. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. Document URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE|CX2587515458&v=2.1&u=lapl&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w http://www.jewfaq.org/holidaya.htm http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/Jewish-Holiday-Passover-Pesach.htm http://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/871715/jewish/What-Is-Passover.htm