Ukrainian Jews displaced by war find Passover especially poignant this year

A traditional Passover seder plate on the first night of Passover.

Dr. Scott M. Lieberman / Dr. Scott M. Lieberman

The decision to leave home is not an easy one. Olena Khalina was in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv when the war started. Russian planes dropped bombs right outside her home.

“The sound is something …” Khalina trails off. “I even cannot find the word. Because it’s like super low, and super noisy, and your house is just trembling.”

In the Passover story, the Hebrew people leave Egypt with almost no notice. The unleavened matzo symbolizes the fact that bread didn’t even have time to rise. Khalina found out about a bus out of town two days before it was leaving. But still, she says, it’s impossible to prepare.