Time to burn the chometz

Many Jewish residents, from the Five Towns and surrounding communities such as Far Rockaway, came to the Woodmere firehouse for the fire department’s 15th annual chometz burning on Monday, the first night of Passover.

Chometz — food items not kosher for Pesach — are thrown away or donated to cleanse the home for the eight-day holiday that celebrates the end of slavery in Egypt for the ancient Hebrews.

Cousins Ari and Azi Well, 8 and 7, respectively burned chometz under the watchful eye of their grandfather, Rabbi Don Well, who runs a daily adult Torah learning program for 30 adults at Young Israel of Woodmere from 10 a.m. to noon.

“We burn the chometz because we are trying to get rid of the impure food,” said Ari, who is visiting from Los Angeles. He added a modern twist to how the unleavened bread known at matzo was originally made by the Hebrews. “A long time ago they didn’t have a lot of time, so they put into their backpacks and it was made into matzo,” Ari said.

Cedarhurst resident Azi said, “God said so,” that’s why the chometz must be burned. He then added, “Because it’s a bad thing to keep at Passover.”

Connecting the education he provides to adults to now teaching Jewish traditions to his grandsons, Rabbi Well said, “it’s where we all started,” as he watched with pride as his grandchildren tossed the chometz into the burning trash cans.