Area Jews begin preparing for Passover observances

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lynda Zimmer’s article about Passover. The article uses a single-item lead, which forces the audience to wonder why Jewish families are getting rid of chometz. It was very timely, since Passover starts next Wednesday. For those readers who do not know what chometz is, Zimmer tells us in the following paragraph. The nut graph comes shortly after, addressing the who, what, when and why.

She then gives us a brief history of Passover, even explaining how it got its name. By doing so, she refuses to alienate her readers. Even an uninformed audience can understands the basics of Passover and why it is important to Judaism. She explains the types of food eaten over Passover and what they symbolize.

Zimmer then switches over to why it is important to the local community: many U of I students will not make it home for the traditionally familial holiday. The following paragraphs let the readers know where they can find special dining areas on campus that follow the “rules” of Passover. She tells the readers the where and when they can find these meals, and even how much they cost. More importantly, any information she did not mention in the article could be found by visiting the listed Web site or calling the given phone number to make reservations.

I think the article’s strongest points involved describing Passover. Zimmer gave us just enough information, but readers were not overwhelmed with a history lesson. The weakest point of the article was the lack of focus. It begins with a specific type of food, continues to the history of the observance, goes back to food and what it symbolizes, and then continues to places on campus, with about half of the article telling readers the price of meals at various places. I think parts of the article were well-written, but more focus would better the article.


This article can be found at: http://www.news-gazette.com/news/religion/2009/04/03/area_jews_begin_preparing_for_passover_observances