Passover is far more than just a holiday to Swaynnee Waller.
It is a constant reminder of her liberty and her past, the political science senior said of the eight-day Jewish celebration.
"It is a time where we thank G-d [sic] and retell the story that delivered us freedom, redemption and salvation," she wrote in an e-mail.
Jews focus on their past, present and future during Passover, said Rabbi Barton Lee of Hillel Jewish Student Center.
Lee's most vivid childhood memory of Passover is his grandfather's spirited singing, he said.
"He sang with a considerable gusto," Lee said, reminiscing about the holiday, which began Monday at sundown.
Jews across the globe have spent the past week preparing their homes for the celebration of their ancestors' flight out of Egypt.
They began with the labor-intensive process of cleaning their homes for Passover - a chore needed to rid their houses of anything that has come into contact with leaven, Lee said.
Leaven is any substance that causes dough to rise.
Jewish people don't eat anything containing oat, wheat, barley, spelt or rye during Passover, he said.
This is to remember the ancient Israelites, who didn't have time to let their bread rise before fleeing Egypt, he said.
No breadcrumbs can remain in the house, meaning ovens and refrigerators have to be cleaned out, he said.
Dr. Miriam Elman, a political science professor, spent most of last week exchanging all of her dishes, pots and silverware for special Passover replacements, she said.
"Usually about the middle of the week I think, 'I can't believe I'm doing this!'" she said. "Next year we'll just have matzah."
Matzah is a flat, brittle cracker that Jews substitute for bread during the week of Passover.
"Some would say it tastes like sawdust," Lee said. "I, on the other hand, love it."
It's especially good with butter and chicken fat, he said.
Matzah crackers are one example of the symbolic food that is eaten during Seder meals.
The Passover traditionally begins with a Seder consisting of songs, prayers, stories and poems, Lee said.
"[The Seder] starts with a situation of degradation and ends up with a situation of praise," he said.
The underlying meaning of Passover is the understanding that there is one God who is the supreme power of the universe, he said.
Jews also discuss Passover's relevance in today's culture and politics, Lee said.
Because Jews know what it's like to be enslaved, they have a responsibility to stand up for the oppressed, Lee said.
"Exodus is a key example of what redemption was in history," he said.
Waller said Passover is an important reminder to Jews not to take the past for granted.
"We should never forget where we came from and who we are, for only then do we know where we are headed," she said.
During Passover, Elman's family honors the six million Jews that died in the Holocaust, she said.
"It's a holiday with a universal plea for tolerance, liberty and freedom," Elman said.
This year she hosted a Seder in her home for 12 people who didn't have a place to celebrate one, she said.
Elman said she was letting her graduate class out early on Monday to prepare for it.
She wanted to give her Jewish students an opportunity to help out with their own Seders, she said.
Elman remembers her grandmother's flourless cakes, which she got to rise without using yeast, Elman said.
"Ours are usually pretty flat," she said. "She had some knack."
Reach the reporter at: aimee.tucker@asu.edu.
