WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. — Passover starts this Saturday. Jewish friends and families across the world will gather to tell the story of gaining freedom from slavery in ancient Egypt.

It’s a story that hits home for the thousands of Holocaust survivors still with us, including those in Western New York.

“All Jewish festivals [are] centered around family. What brings family together is food,” explained Armand Morrison, the president of the Holocaust Education Resource Organization (HERO) leadership council, which is powered by the Buffalo Jewish Federation.

Telling stories around the dinner table in and of itself is a tradition, but the Passover meal comes with a bit more history. 

“There are certain things that are very, very similar every year,” Morrison said. “There's a food called haroset [...] which uses ground dates and figs to resemble the mortar that was used between the bricks that built structures. There's fresh vegetables that we dip into salt water to remind us of the tears that Jews shed during this time of year.”

As the Morrison house preps for their own gathering, they’ll soon do the same for another group, too.

“There's about 30 Holocaust survivors that still live in Western New York,” Morrison said.

HERO, in conjunction with the Jewish Community Center in Buffalo and the Jewish Family Services of Western New York, prepare and deliver kosher meals for the holidays to Holocaust survivors to let them know the community is still there for them. 

“They look forward to it and they welcome us with open arms," said Morrison. "They're genuinely, really appreciative.”

It touches a soft spot in Morrison’s heart, as the horrors of the Holocaust hit home.

“My grandfather on my mother's side, his entire family grew up in a small town in Hungary, Szeged," he said. "Most of their family perished in the Holocaust, who were transported from Szeged to Auschwitz.”

The survivors made their way to the U.S., and planted a seed of Jewish tradition that continues to grow, all while not forgetting their roots. 

“There's a line that we read in the Haggadah, which is the book that we read every Passover during the Seder, that in every generation there are people that see the Jews differently and want to oppress the Jewish spirit," said Morrison. "It's important for the Jews to remember that perseverance is important for our survival.”

As they gather for Passover, breaking matzah and telling stories, they will have an eye to the past, but also to the future.

“It’s each of our obligations to stand up against things that we see happening around us that we know [are] wrong,” said Morrison “It all starts with food.”

Local groups also deliver meals and hold events with Holocaust survivors on a regular basis. To get involved, click here.