When Aaron Pieri enters Putnam's this week, he has no options for a meal other than an egg and cheese omelet. Because of this, Pieri has purposely modified the way he walks around campus to avoid the temptation of campus food.
He needs to make sure he keeps kosher.
Pieri, a junior political science major - along with many Jewish students on campus - has been observing Passover, which runs from March 25 until April 2.
Passover is a holiday in which Jewish people celebrate their exodus from Egyptian slavery in biblical times. According to Pieri, to commemorate their ancestors forced exodus from Egypt before their bread was able to rise, modern Jews eat unleavened bread for eight days.
This is known as keeping kosher for Passover.
Keeping kosher means not eating foods with yeast, corn syrup, oats or rye. Traditionally, this means observers can't eat any type of bread, corn or rice. Kosher for Passover food - also known as "chametz" - is usually blessed by a rabbi, according to myjewishlearning.com.
For the time being, Pieri must avoid pizza, burgers and sandwiches on campus, and instead, he must choose items like matzah. Matzah is made from dough without flour or yeast and is similar to a flat cracker, Pieri said.
He does not mind the brief adjustment.
"I do it for the meaning of it," Pieri said. "The fact that we were slaves in Egypt and now we are free. It's a wonderful thing to remember and the matzah helps us remember it."
Rachel Bernzweig, a freshman legal studies major, feels guilty for not keeping kosher during Passover, she said as she finished her afternoon Tim Horton's bagel.
Bernzweig "would not have a choice" but to follow the guidelines of Passover if she was home. But away at school, she is missing the support of her parents for the first time.
Heading home for the holiday is difficult for Bernzweig, especially with its timing this year. She lives eight hours away on Long Island. For her, spending Passover on UB's campus is a far cry from making matzah pizza with her family, which is a yearly tradition.
Bernzweig is just one of many Jewish students at UB who were not able to be home for Seder. Seder, according to chabad.org, is a ritual feast that occurs on the first night and marks the beginning of Passover. During Seder, the Jewish community recounts "the Jewish people's descent into Egypt and recall their suffering and persecution."
However, many Jewish students found an alternative for these festivities by flocking to the Chabad House of Buffalo, located minutes from UB's North Campus.
The Chabad House is a Jewish Student Center, founded in 1971 "to serve the religious, educational, and social needs of the large Jewish population at the University of Buffalo," according to its website.
Alexandra Caspi, a sophomore accounting major, is spending her first Passover in Buffalo. Caspi was used to singing songs in Hebrew with her close-knit family during Seder but found a family away from home on Monday night.
She was able to sing with fellow students at the Chabad House.
Sarah Brodsky, a sophomore undecided major and another Seder attendee, was prepared for the relaxation and ease of her Seders at home, but was surprised to find 50 to 100 students gathered at the Chabad House on Monday night.
Brodsky may not be able to replicate the comfort of her family Seders, but she has found people to celebrate with while in Buffalo.
Pieri, a Buffalo native, gets to spend his Passover at his own home yearly. He believes there is nothing like spending it with your family and friends.
Pieri even incorporates one of his non-Jewish friends into the holiday.
"[My friend] wanted to know what it was like freshman year," Pieri said. "He has come to my house ever since. It's gotten to the point where he's like, 'Oh, I'm coming over to your house for Passover, right?'"
Pieri leads his Seder, which begins with a retelling of the Jewish exodus.
His mother cooks certain foods that are representative of the Egyptian bondage.
"We eat parsley dipped in salt water to remind us of the tears of the slaves," Pieri said. "We eat something called the bitter herbs to remind us how bitter of times these used to be."
Pieri is grateful to be able to get a home-cooked meal for Passover without being constantly tempted by bread everywhere on campus.
When on campus, he eats in the Hillel Lounge, located on the second floor of The Commons. They provide kosher-for-Passover food and matzah to students during the duration of the holiday, according to Pieri.
However, Pieri wishes Campus Dining and Shops would do a little more for Jewish students.
He recalls Passover during his freshman year.
"When I lived in the dorms, they had pretty much matzah and a bowl of parsley... for us. What are you going to do with that?" Pieri said.
NY Deli and Diner, the kosher deli on campus is closed during Passover because their owners are observing the holiday themselves, according to Pieri.
Pieri hopes in the future during Passover the campus facilities include a matzah option.
Pieri said there are no consequences for breaking Passover guidelines except "people giving you dirty looks."
"Nowadays, if you don't keep kosher for Passover, I mean it's your choice but... still respect others for their opinions, for their decisions." Pieri said.
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