IF you know what a Matza is, have ever eaten maror or recited hallel, then chances are you've spent the last few months also preparing for the Seder in honour of Pesach. For those who don't belong to the Jewish faith, Matza is an unleaven bread eaten dur-ing the Jewish holiday Pesach, or Passover, where consuming bitter herbs (ma-ror) and reciting psalms (Hallel) are among the many traditions perforMed at the Seder, a "lengthy meal which is mandated to finish in the wee hours of the morning". Rabbi Dov Oliver said Pesach was the first of the three major Jewish holidays and commemorated the Jews' exodus from Egypt af-ter years of slavery. "It is an eight-day festival which starts tonight and ends next Thursday night," he said. " No matter how religious you are as a Jew, this is one of the three times a year when every Jew follows customs. "It basically celebrates the miracle of our freedom, when God took the people out of Egypt by parting the Red Sea and led us from op-pression into freedom." Rabbi Oliver, his wife She-vy and Joseph Elulian have been flown in from Mel-bourne and America to help run this year's Seder in con-junction with the Sunshine Coast Jewish Community. Rabbi Oliver said he expected "about 60" of the lOcal Jewish community to attend, as well as Jewish backpackers and travellers in the area looking for a place to celebrate the holiday. But Rabbi Oliver said teaching children about their faith was the most important reason for the Seder. "The whole reason we have this big Seder is for the children," Rabbi Oliver said. "The reason we have so many customs is so the chil-dren ask questions and learn about their faith. " And we remember that the theme of Passover is that in order to be free, we must embrace our identity." Anyone interested in at-tending the Seder can call Rabbi Oliver on 0425 730 412.