The OMG Passover birthday

Dear Editor:

Editor’s Note: This article was written and sent to Heritage right after Marcia Hahn read Myrna Ossin’s recipe for a Passover birthday cake (“Birthdays during Passover? No problem when it comes to cake!”, April 4, 2025, issue.) The letter was in a pile with several subscription envelopes and finally made it to the editor’s desk on May 5.) Our apologies.

My daughter, Cathy Hahn, was born April 18, 1963. For this story, it’s the year that matters.

We grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. in the middle-class Midwood neighborhood. All my children went to the local public schools.

When Cathy went to school, the children always had a birthday party at home with a wonderful cake. This year, we had 10 little girls from the fourth grade, and Cathy was so looking forward to it. They all arrived, and we played games and opened the presents. Then it was time to go into the dining room and have cake and ice cream.

One little Jewish girl got up and said, “excuse me, but you forgot we’re still in Passover, and we can’t eat the cake.”

Then a Christian girl got up and said, “We’re still in Lent and we’ve given up sweets for Easter.”

NO ONE ATE ANY OF THE CAKE!

My daughter left the table and cried in her room.

From that fiasco, I always check the calendar for birthday times for Passover.

I was so happy to read Myrna Ossin’s recipe for a Passover cake, because I see you can have your cake and eat it, too!

Marcia Hahn

Altamonte Springs, Fla.