Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — On Tuesday night, members of Steamboat Springs Jewish congregation Har Mishpacha will tell the story that’s been told at the start of Passover for thousands of years.

Har Mishpacha — meaning “mountain family” in Hebrew — hosts a traditional Passover Seder and dinner at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Steamboat Grand. The program will follow a traditional Seder service telling the story of Passover, a weeklong commemoration of the liberation of ancient Hebrews from slavery.

Tickets to the Seder are $35 for adults and $15 for children ages 6 to 12 for Har Mishpacha members. Tickets for nonmembers are $50 for adults and $30 for children ages 6 to 12. The event is free for children ages 5 and younger.

Registration for the Seder is required and is due Friday. As of Wednesday morning, close to 100 people had registered for the event, said Susan Handloff, event organizer and Har Mishpacha board member.

The congregation plans to honor Passover as a joyous celebration and a major family event, Har Mishpacha Board President Bert Halberstadt said. Because Passover service falls during ski season this year, the congregation has heard from visitors who plan to attend the Seder, Handloff and Halberstadt said.

“We’re unique in that we’re probably one of the smallest that puts together one of the biggest” Passover Seder events, Halberstadt said.

Har Mishpacha meets most Friday evenings for services at members’ homes, the Steamboat Springs Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or Steam­boat Christian Center.

The congregation held a Shabbat service and open house at the former Yampa Valley Funeral Home location on Curve Court earlier this month, looking at the possibility of making the space a permanent home. That possibility is still on the table, but the congregation still is looking for a permanent home to accommodate its members and services, Halberstadt said.

“It’s a question of a very expanded growth. The programs have expanded exponentially in the past two years,” Halberstadt said. In addition to frequent Friday Shabbat services, Har Mishpacha also offers a youth education program, celebrates events such as marriages and bar or bat mitzvahs and celebrates holidays with programs and services. Rabbi Joseph Goldman, who lives in Denver, visits about once a month, Halberstadt said.

Har Mishpacha board member Paula Salky said the congregation has several young families with children involved in the education program. The group keeps holidays with traditional celebrations and also puts on social events such as a summer picnic, Salky said.

“We’re building a program,” she said. “We’re a really small congregation, and we want to incorporate more social events and family events. So if there’s anybody here in the community who wants to be a part of the Jewish community, we’re looking for people to join.”

For more information about how to join Har Mishpacha, visit the congregation Web site at www.harmishpacha.org and click the “membership” tab on the left side of the page.