LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. -- Friday night marked the beginning of Passover and dozens gathered to mark the holiday with a seder at The Jewish Community Center Wyoming Valley in Wilkes-Barre.
The 8-day Jewish holiday celebrates the freedom of Jewish people from slavery and their exodus from Egypt.
"Having all members of different synagogues come together as a community to share in celebration of that, so it's really special that all the different denominations get to get together and tell the story together,” said Jane Messinger of Shavertown.
At the same time of the seder, there was a ‘Living Stations of The Cross’ presentation at Saint Jude Roman Catholic Church in the Mountain Top area of Luzerne County.
The stations depict Jesus Christ's condemnation, crucifixion, and burial.
This was Holy Week for Christians and the beginning of Passover came the same day as Good Friday, the day Christians believe Jesus was crucified.
On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate Christ's resurrection from the dead.
For the first time in years, the Christian and Jewish holidays are at the same time.
"It's hope, it's renewal, it's the rebirth, spring is coming, so both of those holidays celebrate, we celebrate that we have something on the seder plate, we always have green on the plate and Easter is about spring, so yeah, I definitely think there's a lot in common and it's nice to have the two holidays come at the same time,” said Debbie Troy of Forty Fort.
“It's a very unusual year, it's a wonderful, wonderful thing for all these wonderful faiths to be celebrating all this on the same weekend,” said David Schwager of Kingston.
Passover ends next Saturday evening, April 7th.