The Toronto Star's food guy Corey Mintz crossed the line in last Saturday's edition with his repulsive column on the meaning of this Jewish Holiday.

He starts by saying that what we're celebrating is the making of Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments and then goes on to leach the holiday of any real substance, suggesting, for example, that the tradition of eating matzo (unleavened bread) is just plain nutty. See what I mean here.

Mintz does explain that the Hebrew slaves fleeing Egypt didn't have time to proof their bread, but the whole piece just reeks of internalized anti-Semitism regardless.

Mintz doesn't just stop there. He goes on to offer his alt-Passover recipes, including this one, for eggs and cornbread, an ingredient forbidden on Passover as well as one that features – wait for it – pork belly.

Why? To be funny maybe, but the article really isn't. It's ignorant, dismissive of tradition and, by the way, doesn't help any of us looking for new recipes to brighten up tired Seder menus.

I myself have always been amused at the way so many Passover dishes look alike. I swear, if you saw a picture of a matzo ball, a piece of gefilte fish and a portion of the breakfast egg dish boubela, you wouldn't be able to distinguish between them. Trust me, they don't taste anything alike.

I can be a stickler for tradition. My charoset – that apple, nut and sweet wine dish that represents the mortar the Hebrews used to build the pyramids – hasn't changed in 30 years. But my family has committed to bringing new ideas to this year's pre-dinner ceremony, which, I must say (since Mintz doesn't), celebrates the human yearning for freedom and the thrill of spring renewal.

To our Seder plate, we're adding an orange, symbolizing sexual diversity, recalling the (apocryphal) story of the man who said that a woman on the bimah (leading the congregation) was like an orange on a Seder plate.

And we're adding to the Four Sons section an element called The Four Children, conceived of by a group of pro-peace rabbis to acknowledge the conflict in the Middle East. 

The angry child asks, "Why should I compromise?" The naive child asks, "Why can't we just love each other?" The frightened child asks, "How can I be safe?" And the wise child asks, "How can we take steps that walk in peace, towards peace."

Passover can be an emotional time – many Jews claim it creates the kind of familial havoc, conflicts and passions experienced by non-Jews at Christmas.

And many of us feel overcome with nostalgia at this time of year, missing those who are no longer with us, yet we look to the future as we listen to the youngest in the family ask the four questions that trigger the telling of our history.

To all who celebrate, have a happy holiday. To those who don't, know that these Jewish traditions have not lost their significance, even if a moronic Star columnist says otherwise.