Tastes of Jewish Tradition: Recipes, Activities & Stories for the Whole Family

By JODY HIRSH, IDY GOODMAN, AGGIE GOLDENHOLZ and SUSAN ROTH

The following page of Passover seder ideas is just one of hundreds of clever and creative Jewish holiday suggestions to be found in this wonderful compendium.

Some Great Ideas for Making this Night Special

Ø      Learn about Passover customs of Jews from all around the world.

o       Create the feeling of living in the desert by making a Bedouin tent in your living room. Drape a few large bed sheets from the ceiling. Use a fan for simulating the blowing desert winds.

o       Have your seder Sephardic-style. Place the seder plate on a low table or coffee table. Participants can then sit on the floor or lay on couches and pillows to feel like they're in the Middle East.

Ø      Collect beautiful Haggadahs and display them for others to appreciate.

Ø      Make homemade matzah from flour and water. Create interesting shapes.

Ø      Because it can be hard for young children to sit through the reading of the Haggadah, place quiet toys under the table on a large tablecloth. Include snacks and figurines they can use to re-enact the story.

Ø      Create gift bags for young children. Scratch and sniff grape stickers can be used for the wine, and apple stickers for Charoset. Include little puppets, bookmarks, and moist towelettes for spills.

Ø      Play Passover trivia. Let each participant bring three questions. For example: What fast food is an integral part of the Seder? Who was the first Israelite to enter the Red Sea?

Ø      Assemble "plague" bags for each participant. See Passover craft section on page 137 for more ideas.

Ø      Play "Guess Who I Am?" Have participants pretend to be one of the characters from the Passover story (Moses, Miriam, Elijah). They can get dressed up and change their voice.

Ø      Make up rhymes, riddles, jokes, and tongue teasers. (What did one matzah say to another? You crack me up. What makes the loudest noise at the Seder? The Ma"Roar." Who's coming to the seder? Afis comin. What is the funniest thing on the Seder table? Ha Ha Roset.)

Ø      Tell stories of heroic women from the Passover story, such as Miriam, Yocheved, Shifrah, Puah, and Batya.

Ø      Name modern plagues of our society, such as AIDS, gun violence, child abuse, etc.

Ø      Invite strangers who would otherwise not participate in a seder.

Ø      Research the life of Elijah. Dress up like him and surprise all the guests. Answer all questions. Tell others at the table the story of your life.

Excerpted from TASTES OF JEWISH TRADITION. Copyright © 2002.
Published by the JCC of Milwaukee. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.