Passover Resources

Getting ready for the holiday takes time, preparation and involves a number of different processes to prepare your home for Passover.  These resources help to explain why we do these things to welcome in the holiday, and serve as a tutorial if needed! 

• • Kashering | Part of the preparation process for Passover is kashering your kitchen.  Here is a great series of videos from the Rabbinic Assembly to cover all of your bases. If you prefer to read, we got you covered there too. 
  • Seder Plate | Have you ever wondered how to set your Seder plate and what each piece represents? We got you covered! 
  • Chametz | On Passover we clean our house of all chametz and the process can be labor intensive, but understanding why we do this makes it worthwhile. Exploring Judaism from USCJ put together this master guide. They also have an extensive Passover section to their site with lots of great resources! 

Here are some great recipes that provide a nice twist on traditional Passover Seder menus.  We all can agree the food is at the top of our lists when it comes to Passover! (*note: some recipes include kitniyot*)

• • Mizrahi and Sephardic recipes from JIMENA, an organization supporting Jewish refugees from North Africa and the Middle East.  
  • MorocMama shares some of her favorite Moroccan Passover recipes.   
  • The Nosher by My Jewish Learning has pages upon pages of great recipes for you to explore all of the ways to transform your typical Passover meals (more recipes here).
  • A 3-for-1 from Bon Appetit, a compilation of recipes from their staff, 73 recipes “Everyone Will Love” and, a personal go-to matzoh ball soup recipe by Molly Baz for fans of lots of dill. 
  • Jamie Geller, the Queen of Kosher, has put together delicious alternatives for our Vegan friends! 
  • Michael Solomonov, one of the best chefs in the world, shares his 5 favorite Passover recipes.  
  • Head to the Jewish Food Society and search Passover to find some amazing recipes from Jewish cultures past and present. 
  • Have a Mimouna celebration, a traditional North African Jewish celebration that marks the end of Passover and a return to eating chametz.
    

Are you looking for something to do with children, your family, students, or friends? Check out some of these ideas we found to add some fun to your Passover! 

• • For little ones, PJ Library has lots of great interactive ideas to keep them entertained, including MadLibs, a kids Haggadah and a card game! 
  • The Jewish Education Project has compiled a list of interactive educational resources for all ages, including a Haggadah scavenger hunt and a breakout box activity. 
  • Have you heard of Seder plate stories? A great way to use your cooking scraps to create fun art! 
  • Do you need an Afikoman holder? These sites have you covered: Kveller, PJ Library, and Our Happy Tribe. 
  • Wanting to add some interactive elements to your Seder experience? How about a game of ten plagues charades? Or what about acting out parts of the Seder as an improv game? 
  • Looking to enhance the conversation at your Seder? Here are table topics from Jewish Boston for your guests to discuss.
  • Go on a Passover hike, take in nature and discuss the welcoming of spring, renewal and nature in the Exodus story.
  • Saturday Night Seder has some great activities and music to add some celebrity-filled Passover magic to your holiday. 
  • How about some delicious Ten Plagues Passover Cookies?

The Haggadah is the text that guides our Passover Seders.  While we are all familiar with the Maxwell House Haggadah, there are an infinite number of alternatives you can choose from to guide your Seder. Here are some we found, as well as some great Passover themed resources, that we think you’ll enjoy. 

• • A Night to Remember is a Haggadah with a contemporary and Israeli accent. Commentaries from scholars and rabbis, but also from novelists, poets, political leaders, and more.
  • Avodah has compiled dozens of alternative Haggadot and resources with an eye towards social justice work and Jewish values.
  • Ma Nishtana is a Haggadah by Keshet who envisions a world in which all LGBTQ Jews and their families can live with full equality, justice, and dignity.
  • Here is an article by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2015) on Passover.
  • Who doesn’t love a Sefaria resource? They put this Seder resource guide together to support all of your inquisitive needs.  Looking for a Haggadah? Well they also have you covered with this DIY guide. 
  • The Unorthodox podcast tackles Passover in A Passover to Remember (2022) and Bonus: Passover Melodies (2022). 
  • Have you checked out Haggadot.com? They have a bunch of free Haggadot for you to download and use, including themes like the Golden Girls, Passover Meditation Guide, Heroes and Schitt’s Creek! 
  • Do you have a Seder with a youngest individual who is wondering WHY they still are reading the four questions year after year? To go beyond the questions, share this explanation behind the questions from Tablet. 

While there are not many Passover themed movies, music and TV shows, the ones we have are all certified classics! 

• • A Rugrats Passover tells the story of our favorite babies, and Angelic, living out their own Exodus fantasy.  Available to stream on Paramount Plus.
  • The Prince of Egypt, featuring an all-star voice cast and memorable song-after-song, is an animated retelling of the Exodus story.  Available to stream on Peacock.
  • The Ten Commandments is the original Passover epic film, the GOAT.  Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner and Anne Baxter star in this timeless (1956) adaptation of the Exodus story.  If you’re like me, this is an essential part of your Passover experience. Available to rent on Amazon Prime (and usually on TV throughout the holiday).
  • Saturday Night Seder was a celebrity filled Seder experience from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.  It’s a great example of the power of community as we were all seeking for some much needed joy.  Check it out on YouTube! 
  • Looking for some Passover music to get you through the holiday? Check out these tunes that you can listen to for way longer than 8 days!
    • Jack Black Chad Gadya
    • The Maccabeats Dayenu
    • Six13 A Lion King Passover, Must See Passover TV Parodies, The Red Sea Shanty: A Pirate Passover  
    • Y-Studs A Cappella The Greatest Passover, La La Passover, Seder
    • Zusha Eliyahu, The Seder Song