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"Pesach in Eretz Israel" By Hyman S. Wolf
April 24, 1940—Hyman S. Wolf, "Pesach in Eretz Israel," San Diego Jewish Press, page 2.  Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days and there shall no leavened bread be seen, with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee, in all thy borders. exodus, XIII 7. In the metropolis of Palestine, Tel Aviv, the only 100 percent Jewish city in the world, you meet your long lost friend from Warsaw, Moscow, Vilna, Kovno, Suvalk, Shaki, Rome, Florence, London, Budapest, Wien, Shanghai, Tokyo, New York or Oshkosh. Some who are there just visiting others that are settled there and became full fledged citizens of Palestine, owning real estate, businesses or are farmers working on their land or in their orchards, raising the finest oranges in the country, still others who are tourist, who came to look around and celebrate Pesach in the homeland, most of them are Americans. A month before Pesach, or right after the feast of Purim, if you are in Tel Aviiv, you know and feel that the festival of Pesach is nearing. It is in the air. Spring cleaning, or rather make everything Kosher for Pesach use, as the dishes and all cooking utensils also the tableware have to be cleansed, or replaced with new ones. First you read in the daily newspapers and you see large display posters on the city owned billboards advertising in—Ivrith of course—where you can buy Matzoth, Charoseth and Bitter Herbs. You can get Matzoth from America, Lithuania, Poland, Jerusalem, Safed, Haifa or Tel aviv, as a matter of fact of all nationalities, at reasonable prices, also all kinds of Hagadoth, nearly in all the 70 living languages. In the house, you are always in the way, whether you sit down, or stand up, the furniture is covered with sheets of paper, or with cloth, the walls are whitewashed or painted, as great care is taken in inspecting and cleaning every nook and corner that no leaven (chometz) is overlooked, and found during the festival, it would be a great calamity in the orthodox home.  Poultry are brought in from Poland, Lithuania and Rumania which are supplying most of the meat the year around consumed in Palestine. The Yemenite Jews are the poorest, they are a curious type, they look, act and speak Arabic, like the Arabs, they are the most wretched class. They do the hard labor, and are employed in the sanitary and street cleaning departments, they are also the porters (sabolim) carrying the heavy loads on their heads and backs, on a sort of suspender, made out of ropes. Pesach is their busy season, and a prosperous time, not only do they do the cleaning, but they are also carrying the large Matzoh packages and all other merchandise, they are the express delivery, the beasts of burden. It is no uncommon sight, to watch a mountainous load carried tied with ropes, in front and back, and a pair of feet staggering under a mountain of Matzoth and shouting in Arabic, you have to make room for him, or you are shoved off of the sidewalk if you are not quick enough. In the book stores, you find very large assortment of Hagadoth, with ancient or modern illustrations. Ivrith of course, but you can also get imported Hagadoth, translated in any language you understand best. But the children who have to ask the "four questions," and steal the Afikomen, to them Ivrith is their mother tongue. It is their land, they were born and raised in Eretz Israel, nobody calls them Jew, they are proud of being Jews in their own land, speaking the Hebrew language and displaying the white and blue flag with the Star of David (Mogen David) in the middle. Wherever you go, to the Kvuzath, Moshevath colonies or Town, you feel with the settlers, that you are a free man. It is hard to describe to an American, how the Palestinian Jews, who came over from the oppressed countries how they feel when they are free to breathe the free air of Eretz Israel. Nobody throws stone at them; they don't have to get off the sidewalk to make room for somebody approaching wearing a uniform, nobody calls them Jews. To them when they celebrate the festival of Pesach in Eretz Israwel is a real "Time of Our Freedom." (Z'man Chereitenu.) In Palestine they observe Pesach seven days only as it is said in the Bible. At the end of the Hagadah they say: "Next year in Jerusalem rebuilt--next year a free people everywhere." Alewai.