On the final day of Pesach, thanks to the support of the Dnipro Jewish Community, traditional “Moshiach Seudos” took place in many Jewish institutions, marking the conclusion of the week-long holiday. The main event was the community’s grand seudah, held in the main banquet hall of the world’s largest Jewish center “Menorah” – the Menorah Grand Hall, where over six hundred members of the Dnipro Jewish Community gathered, along with numerous guests who had traveled to Dnipro to celebrate Pesach.
The custom of holding a special meal on the final day of Pesach was instituted by the founder of the Chassidic movement, Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov. He called it the “Moshiach Seudah,” because, according to Chassidic tradition, on this day the world is filled with the special light of Moshiach. Several generations later, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom Dovber, added additional elements to this seudah, likening it to the Seder. It is customary to begin after the afternoon prayer, and during the seudah itself, four cups of wine are drunk – as a reminder of the four cups of consolation with which, according to the prophets, the Almighty will comfort the people of Israel after the final and complete Redemption – the Geulah.
This seudah was not only a beautiful conclusion to the holiday of Pesach but also an expression of the unique atmosphere of unity, mutual support, and spiritual uplift that characterizes the life of the unified and cohesive Dnipro Jewish Community under the leadership of the Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.
The photographs were taken after the conclusion of the Yom Tov – after Pesach ended.
