Passover food costs take toll

By Janelle Frost - jfrost@thesunnews.com

Janet Blackmon Morgan/The Sun News

Levi Naparstek finds solitude for reading in the family's Myrtle Beach home on Friday. The men in the kitchen are Meier Chazanow of New York (from left), his grandson Shmuel Naparstek and Shmuel's father, Rabbi Joseph Naparstek.

The Grand Strand's Jewish community has noticed a need to help some people celebrate the Passover and area synagogues are responding.

At least one local synagogue said that this year, for the first time, it has a more-established fund to help Jewish families get the items they need for Passover.

The fund is intended to help families who might struggle to provide the ingredients needed for the traditional Seder - a meal that is held on the first two nights of Passover.

Preparation of the meal for the Jewish holiday requires buying kosher items, including matzo - unleavened bread - gefilte fish and kosher wine or grape juice.

Local Jewish leaders say the fund is needed because of the increased prices of some of those items during the current slow economy.

And officials of the Chabad Lubavitch Jewish Center say they want the fund to continue for the next holiday and throughout the year.

"There is a need more than before," said Rabbi Joseph Naparstek of the Chabad Lubavitch Jewish Center in Myrtle Beach.

"[Passover items] are more expensive at the groceries than previous years. We feel everyone should celebrate with their children for the holiday and not put anything on credit," he said.

Several families are being helped through the fund, Rabbi Naparstek said, but he is keeping their names anonymous.

His wife, Chanie Naparstek, said, "It shouldn't be an extra burden on them. Holidays are a burden in general."

Officials at other synagogues along the Grand Strand said they also would help anyone in need as they have seen a definite increase in the cost of items this year.

"We all are feeling it in our pockets," said Clark Gottlieb, president of Temple Beth Elohim in Georgetown.

Naparstek says items are costing more because of the special processing for the holiday and to be able to ship them.

For example, he said, he's seen a 15 percent increase this year for matzo - at $17 a pound - compared to last year.

Cooking oil is $10 a bottle compared to $7 or $8 a bottle last year, and the gefilte fish is $10.99 a loaf compared to $7.99 a loaf last year, Naparstek said.

Rabbi Avi Perets of Temple Emanu-El in Myrtle Beach said that with more than 1,000 Jewish families along the Grand Strand, Passover is about hospitality and inviting people to the Seder.

During the eight-day Passover observance that begins at sundown today, Jews will eat foods their ancestors ate and thank God for commanding death to pass over their ancestors' homes and for leading them safely out of Egypt.

"We want every Jew to be able to participate in the Passover Seder," Perets said.

"If anyone can't afford it, they can come to me. We have a special fund for that. We don't want anyone to stay home because they don't have food or can't afford it."

Contact JANELLE FROST at 443-2404.