Saturday, May 24, 2025
The rain couldn’t stop the Woodmere Fire Department from the annual Five Towns community-wide chometz burning.
Chometz, items prohibited for Passover, the eight-day Jewish holiday that commemorates the ancient Hebrews escape from bondage in Egypt, was tossed into the trash cans and the appropriate prayers were recited.
The fire department is made up of roughly 60 members who respond to nearly 1,000 calls (fire and medical emergencies) each year as part of Nassau County’s 3rd Battalion, which includes Hewlett, Inwood, Lawrence-Cedarhurst, Meadowmere Park and Valley Stream fire departments.
Jay Goldmark, emergency medical services lieutenant, has been with the fire department 33 years and helped what has become a civic tradition.
“The reason that we started this is because the year before we started a rabbi who did it at his house not in our neighborhood caused a fire and he spent the holiday in the hospital because he burned himself,” Goldmark said. “To do this fire safety wise, we do it here under the supervision of trained firefighters and to keep everybody safe.”
For 22 years, volunteer firefighters have been safely burning chometz from the residents and making sure everyone stays safe while doing so.
“As a service to the community, we bring thousands of people here every year opposed to people doing it at their house and potentially risking injury or damage,” Goldmark said. “The chief’s office, Board of Fire Commissioners, politicians, everybody’s been very supportive of our efforts and indispensible.”
This year Nassau County Legislator Presiding Officer Howard Kopel, and Town of Hempstead Councilwoman Melissa “Missy” Miller, who both represent the Five Towns, Town Clerk Kate Murray and County Legislator John Ferretti, attended. Ferretti is the Republican candidate for town supervisor.
“I’m thrilled that the firehouse is able and willing to do this and that we can help with that,” Miller said. “We don’t want people doing it in their yard or where it’s unsafe especially in a windy day, so we’re very happy that the fire department is such a good community host and we get a lot of people.”
On April 11, residents had from 6:30 to 11 a.m. to bring any and all chometz that they still had possession of to the parking lot at 20 Irving Place. Chometz products include — barley, oat, rye, wheat and other grains.
It’s tradition that all chometz is burned or sold to non-Jews within the first hours of Passover and only kosher for Passover products are consumed during the holiday. This year Passover is from April 12 to 20.
Jud Berman, a chaplain and critical care EMT has been with the fire department 18 years and explained how they start the fires.
“We get some newspaper, lighter fluid, whatever people bring hopefully paper products and we get a lighter and start it,” Berman said. “Tinfoil doesn’t burn and we suggest people don’t throw plastic because it’s toxic.”
Chief of Department Ross Rieman has served with the fire department 16 years and expressed that the fire department is a community-based organization that hosts different events during the year.
“We appreciate the community and their support for us so we are happy that they stay safe by joining us for this event as opposed to doing it at home,” Rieman said.
Every year, they have between a few hundred and few thousand come out to safely burn their chometz.
“Every year our attendance for the event increases which is a testament of the success of the event and we appreciate the community supporting us in events like this,” he added.
