Members of the Kansas University Jewish communities will commemorate Passover with upcoming celebrations open to the public.

“This is one of the most central and widely celebrated holidays because it’s very central to the birth of our nation,” said Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel of the Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Life, which serves the KU and surrounding communities.

The holiday is celebrated with a Seder dinner, a religious celebration that features a variety of different foods designed to remind Jews of the suffering of their people over the generations, Tiechtel said.

“What’s unique about Passover in America is that we’re celebrating our freedoms,” he said.

It’s a family-oriented holiday, Tiechtel said, and the celebrations partially are designed to make sure that students who are far from home have a “family” to celebrate with.

Anyone interested in participating in a Seder dinner can sign up online at hawkseder.com. The center may also be reached at 832-8672.

Seders will be at 8:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the Chabad Jewish Center, 1201 W. 19th St.

Students and children are asked to pay $10 per dinner, and adults are asked to pay $25 per dinner, though no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

The KU Hillel organization will also be sponsoring a Shabbat to commemorate Passover, said Erika Meltzer, vice president of KU Hillel. Sign-up is available online at kuhillel.org (though registration must be completed by today). For the Seder dinner at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Maceli’s, 1031 N.H., the cost is $18 per person.