Prepping for 2014 Passover Members of the Jewish community hosting events around the city to say “chag kasher v’same’ach” By JEREMY MATTHEWS begin on April 14, and those want- ing to participate have many op- tions around Vancouver. During Passover Jews celebate the anniversary of the Israelites escaping Egyptian slavery by reciting literature and eating food evocative of past strug- gles. The tradition begins with a ritual meal called the Seder, a term which means order. Rotem Tal is a member of Hillel BC, a group that organizes events for the Jewish community on post-secondary campuses including Langara. He described the beginning of the ceremony, where the group reads and sings songs remembering the suffering of Israelites under Egyptian rule. Roi Nahum, a member of the Langa- ra Jewish Association, said that Pass- over is important for the younger gen- erations. “Tt’s a good lesson for them.” Tal said there are also foods eaten that represent parts of Jewish history. “There’s bitter herb we’re supposed to eat to remind us of our suffering,” he said. It is also meant to echo the current suffering still ongoing in the world. The ceremony includes the reading of the four questions, which are central to the holiday. Seders are held twice in order to compensate for time zone differences, so all Seders are held in the same time- frame. “Usually people spend the first night with family, second night with friends,” said Tal. Nahum said that to him, Passover means “time off with the family (and) good food.” Jewish student Ben Edelstein said Passover was different from the rest of the year for him. “It’s more so taking a break from the busyness of your life.” While many hold their meals at home, some Jewish groups are holding larger versions open to the public. On Oak Street and 41st Avenue, the Chabad synagogue will host a Seder, which will cost $36 per person and will include the traditional food and drinks. Chabad Downtown will be hosting a similar Seder downtown at the Holiday Inn’s Capilano Ballroom, though regis- tration for this event ends Monday. This event won’t turn away those without money for registration, which is traditional for communal Seder events. Hillel BC will also be holding a Seder at their location on the UBC campus. Te: Jewish holiday Passover will > = << . Chert61/stockfreeimages.com photo Matzo, or unleavened bread, is traditionally eaten during Passover L AIR CANADA.COM photo Rouge flight attendant uniforms include scarves and ties by the Canadian Marie C Design and sweaters by Cobmex Apparel in Ontario. Leisure airline set to take off Air Canada will launch Rouge airplanes in Vancouver this spring Caribbean. cruise said what Air Canada has to of- By EDRICK DUDANG neouver _—_‘ frequent flyers looking for more luxury and style when they _ travel might be in luck. Air Canada announced that its Rouge flight service will expand to flights from Western Canada this srp- ing. Rouge is intended to give airline passengers a smoother experience. It offers more legroom and more carry-on baggage storage. Air Canada Rouge began in July 2013. It has services in North Air Canada Chief Com- mercial Officer Benjamin Smith said in a press release that it’s important for Rouge to expand into western Can- ada because Vancouver and Calgary are popular desti- nations. He added that western Canada customers would benefit from this expansion as customers living in the region can now fly Rouge to popular U.S. cities. “California and the U.S. Southwest are favourite va- cation destinations for our western Canada customers, and Anchorage is an impor- tant port of call offered with packages,” Smith. The airline also an- nounced that with the re- cent expansion, Air Canada would add an additional 54 routes to European cities such as Dublin and Rome this summer. Another feature of Rouge is the flight attendants’ unique uniforms, including fedoras. Their scarves and ties are by Canada’s Marie C De- sign. Their sweaters and car- digans are designed by Cob- mex Apparel in Ontario. Langara business student Laura McNaught said that fer. She said that the price of the flight is more important to her travel decisions than what flight attendants have on their heads. “Tt won’t make much of a difference,” McNaught said. Langara philosophy stu- dent Abigail Pelaez is trav- elling to Europe this sum- mer. She said she turned down Air Canada because she found a cheaper flight tick- et. Pelaez said she “would rather do a 10-hour [lay- over]” than pay more for ad- ditional features on a single America, Europe and the Air Canada Vacations she’s not impressed with flight. Rouge features HE More leg room on seats in-flight entertainment App HI siPad rentals available for $10 Hs Complimentary food ME Priority check-in and boarding HE More carry-on baggage storage Source: aircanada.com/rouge Hello Kitty goes sexy and sporty with a side of egg Japanese company Sanrio announces two new parterships and introduces a new food-based character By CHRIS SLATER friend — including an egg, a ma- jor sports power and an adult en- tertinment brand. Sanrio, the company that owns the iconic Japanese cat, recently an- nounced partnerships with Major League Baseball and Playboy. They also cracked open the identity of their newest character — an egg named Gudetama. Hello Kitty is worth approximately $5 billion a year internationally, and continues to sell a lot of products to consumers young and old around the world and in Canada. “A lot of customers collect them,” said Himeji Hara of OK Gift Shop on West Pender Street in Vancouver. The store offers a plethora of Hello Kitty items, including stationery, key chains, stuffed animals and jewelry. Hara said Hello Kitty is the most popular in Asia, and the brand is hard- er to find in Canada. Their store sells a high volume of Hello Kitty products, primarily to people of Asian descent. “In Canada more Chinese people buy it than anyone else. Since if is harder to find in Canada, it means the price is more,” she said. “A lot of kids like Hello Kitty, but it’s not cheap, it’s a little bit expensive [in H: Kitty has made some new SHOP.MLB.COM/HIGHSNOBIETY.COM/@GUDETAMA_SANRIO photos Hello Kitty is now found on a Dodgers charm, Playboy dice and with an egg named Gudetama. Canada]. Many adults have been col- lecting for years. That’s why more adults buy it, because they have more money.” Lydia Gan works at Piggy Bank Place in Metrotown. She said consum- ers remember Hello Kitty from their childhood and either collect them for themselves or purchase them for their children. “A lot of the moms go, ‘Oh, I had this one before’ and they get it for their daughter,” said Gan. Langara psychology student Aidan Royea believes Hello Kitty is much like any other collectable item: people buy it because it holds a certain degree of nostalgia for= them. “T think it’s like a Simpson-esque icon, but for an Asian female. As a ste- reotype, that’s what [Hello Kitty] is as- sociated with,” he said. 66 Many adults have been collecting for years Himeji Hara