Council President Young, Baltimore Jewish Communities Partner to Combine Food Drive With Traditional Passover Ritual

BALTIMORE, MD –City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young today will join Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc. (CHAI), Park Heights Renaissance and members of Baltimore's Jewish community to begin the Passover holiday with a traditional chometz burning and by collecting nonperishable items for a local food pantry.

Chometz is the Hebrew word for leavened foods that are forbidden during the Jewish holiday of Passover, which this year begins after sundown today and continues through April 2. On the night before Passover, Jewish families collect all the chometz in their houses and burn it the following morning in a formal ceremony.

Council President Young said that he saw an opportunity to help needy Baltimoreans while observing the important Jewish ritual.

“Today's event is a wonderful way to pay respect to the Jewish traditions surrounding Passover and also to help the local communities in need,” Council President Young said. “Families can come burn some of their food products and donate some to those who are less fortunate. This is about two communities coming together to help one another and forging lasting relationships.”

The chometz burning will take place in the Pimlico Race Course Clubhouse parking lot (5201 Park Heights Avenue) from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Council President Young will join the ceremony at approximately 10 a.m. A squadron from the Baltimore City Fire Department will be present to oversee the burning.

CHAI Executive Director Mitchell Posner also praised the partnership and aim of today's event.

“At the opening of the Passover Seder we declare, ‘Whoever is hungry - let him come and eat!’” Posner said. “What better way for the Jewish community of Baltimore to approach the holiday than by sharing of our bountiful food resources with our neighbors in need? CHAI is proud to play a role in facilitating this collaborative 'mitzvah' project."

The donated food will be given to the newly created Towanda Community Center's food pantry. The pantry was formed through a partnership between the Office of the City Council President, Park Heights Renaissance and CHAI.

Julius Colón, President and CEO of Park Heights Renaissance, said, “It’s great that two cultures can come together for a common cause to help those in need. This food drive will fulfill the needs for members of the Park Heights community who are in search of support during these difficult economic times.”

WHAT: Chometz burning and food drive

WHO: City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young, CHAI Executive Director Mitchell Posner, Park Heights Renaissance President & CEO Julius Colon, and members of local Jewish communities

WHEN: Monday, March 25 from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

WHERE: Pimlico Race Course Clubhouse parking lot, 5201 Park Heights Avenue