Pesach

MEKHIRAT HAMETZ, SALE OF HAMETZ
Remember to appoint Rabbi Zuckerman as your agent to sell your hametz.
Fill out the online form for the Authorization to Sell Hametz no later than 7:00 am on Wednesday, April 8.

For information on how to make your kitchen ready for Passover and what foods are permitted during the holiday, see the Pesach Guide.

YOUTH PASSOVER RECIPE BOOK
Send your favorite Passover recipe along with an image of your choosing (a drawing, photo of the dish, picture of you at PAS ...) to be featured in the 2020 Youth Passover Recipe Book. Send all submissions to Chloe by Sunday, April 5. 

The Congregational School has some creative ideas to make sure that your seder is engaging and interesting for all ages in their Interactive Seder Suggestions. 

Get some great ideas for keeping children engaged through every part of the seder with helpful suggestions from Rabbi Witkovsky and Congregational School Director Jennifer Stern Granowitz.  

Searching for the Crumbs
BEDIKAT HAMETZ
Tue / Apr 7 / 8:00 pm
Rabbinic Intern Viki Bedo
Look for those last traces of hametz and prepare your home for the coming holiday on the evening before Pesach.
ZOOM

Fast of the Firstborn
SIYYUM ON TRACTATE BERAKHOT
Wed / Apr 8 / 7:15 am
Rabbinical Intern Viktoria Bedo
Did you know the obligation to celebrate the completion of study outweighs the obligation to fast? Following morning services help us finish Talmud Bavli Tractate Berakhot in recognition of Ta’anit Bekhorot, the Fast of the Firstborn.
LIVESTREAM

FAMILY SEDER
Wed / Apr 8 / 5:00 pm
Rabbi Witkovsky, Cantor Brook, and Josh Rosenberg
Join us for song and storytelling as we recount our people’s journey toward freedom. Sign on to social media to #ShareYourSeder.
LIVESTREAM

COMMUNAL SEDERS
Wed / Apr 8 / 6:00 pm / Rabbi Cosgrove and Cantor Schwartz
Thu / Apr 9 / 6:00 pm / Rabbi Zuckerman, Rabbi Philp, and Cantorial Intern Arielle Green
Help us tell the story of redemption as we celebrate Pesah together. Sign on to social media to #ShareYourSeder.

We are honored that Wednesday night's PAS community seder will be highlighted on YouTube. Please join us at “Seder #WithMe”.
LIVESTREAM

VIRTUAL SEDER GUESTS
In addition to our community sedarim, we want to make sure everyone has the chance to observe and celebrate Passover this year. Are you hosting a Seder by Zoom or a similar platform that someone could join? Or are you looking to connect with a Seder? Please contact Rabbi Philp to let us know.

All programs will be held via Zoom.

How is This Night Different?
RUNNING YOUR OWN SEDER (TWO TIME OFFERINGS)
Mon / Mar 30 / 5:00 pm
Thu / Apr 2 / 5:00 pm
Rabbi Philp and Rabbinical Intern Viki Bedo
Learn the basics of hosting your own Seder, from choosing a haggadah to prepping your table. Find out how you can make this night different - and uniquely your own. This class will also be offered on Thursday.
ZOOM

Under the Circumstances / B’dievad
PASSOVER IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Mon / Mar 30 / 6:00 pm
Rabbi Witkovsky
Given the constraints of the current public health crisis, learn how we can observe Passover to the best of our abilities (even if our grocery store has run out of matzah).
ZOOM

From Mah Nishtanah to Afikomen
PRE-PASSOVER LEARNING
Tue / Mar 31 / 7:00 pm
Rabbanit Adena Berkowitz
Explore what biblical and rabbinic sources teach us about the development of the Passover Seder and the haggadah from ancient rituals to today's practices.
ZOOM

From Generation to Generation
HOW TO LEAD A SEDER WITH CHILDREN
Wed / Apr 1 / 8:00 pm
Rabbi Witkovsky and Jennifer Stern Granowitz
Join other Congregational School parents to find out how we can create engaging seder experiences for all our children, whether they are wise, a little naughty, easily bored, or simply don't know what questions to ask.
ZOOM

How is This Night Different?
RUNNING YOUR OWN SEDER (SECOND OFFERING)
Thu / Apr 2 / 5:00 pm
Rabbi Philp and Rabbinical Intern Viki Bedo
ZOOM

Ritual Workshop
KASHERING YOUR KITCHEN FOR PASSOVER
Thu / Apr 2 / 6:00 pm
Rabbi Philp
Learn the ins-and-outs of kashering your kitchen for Passover in a judgment-free environment where no experience is required and all questions are welcome.
ZOOM

And You Shall Tell the Story
THREE RABBIS, THREE TEXTS: PREPARING FOR YOUR SEDER
Thu / Apr 2 / 7:00 pm
UES rabbis from three movements get together to talk Torah. Rabbis Angela Buchdahl (Central Synagogue), Chaim Steinmetz (Congregation Kehillath Jeshurun), and our own Rabbi Cosgrove bring their favorite Passover texts to the table as we prepare to retell the Exodus story.
REGISTER FOR ZOOM LINK

Spring Into Passover
VIRTUAL PRE-PASSOVER PARTY FOR FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN
Sun / Apr 5 / 10:30 am
Zoom

Moses Meets Melton
PASSOVER MELTON LEARNING
Tue / Apr 14 / 12:00 pm
Rabbi Zuckerman’s annual text-based, Melton-style Passover class will take on the subject of our spring Reading Jewish Lives book, the hero who’s absent from the Haggadah. Open to everyone – current, past, and possible future Melton students.
ZOOM

TEEN MATZAH PIZZA CHALLENGE
Make a matzah pizza any day of Pesach and send us a picture of you and your masterpiece!
EMAIL PHOTOS TO NIKI

All programs and services during Pesach will be held via Zoom and Livestream.

WED / APR 8 / 14 NISAN / EREV PESACH, FAST OF THE FIRSTBORN
7:15 am / Shaharit and Siyyum for Ta’anit Bekhorot / Livestream
7:00 am / Last opportunity to submit Mehirat Hametz form
10:47 am / Time to stop eating hametz food
11:52 am / Sale or disposal of hametz must be completed
5:00 pm/ Family Seder / Livestream
5:45 pm / Festival Evening Service –  First Night of Pesach / Livestream
6:00 pm / Communal Seder / Livestream

THU / APR 9 / 15 NISAN / FIRST DAY OF PESACH
9:45 am /  Festival morning service – 1st Day of Pesach / Livestream
The musaf service on the first day of Pesach begins with the cantor's recitation of the hymn Tal, the prayer for dew. Beginning with this service, until the end of Sukkot next fall, we no longer say mashiv ha-ruah u-morid ha-gashem (You cause the wind to blow and the rain to fall) at the start of the Amidah.
11:00 am / A Special Passover Tot Tefillah / Zoom
5:45 pm / Festival Minha and Evening Service – 2nd Night of Pesach / Livestream
Begin counting the omer - the 49 days from Pesach to Shavuot - at the second seder.
6:00 pm / Community Seder / Livestream

FRI / APR 10 / 16 NISAN / SECOND DAY OF PESACH
9:45 am / Festival Service – 2nd Day of Pesach / Livestream
5:45 pm / YFE Passover Party / Zoom
5:45 pm / Festival Minha / Livestream
6:15 pm / Kabbalat Shabbat / Livestream

SAT / APR 11 / 17 NISAN / THIRD DAY OF PESACH, SHABBAT HOL HA-MOED
9:45 am / Shabbat morning service / Livestream
12:30 pm / Minha
8:30 pm Virtual Community Havdalah / Zoom

SUN / APR 12 / 19 NISAN / FOURTH DAY OF PESACH, HOL HA-MOED 
9:00 am / Morning minyan with Hallel, Torah Reading and Musaf / Livestream
5:45 pm / Minha/Ma'ariv / Livestream

NOTE:
  - YFE classes, PASECC, Congregational School, High School, and most adult classes do not meet this week. See below for special Passover classes.

MON / APR 13 / 18 NISAN / FIFTH DAY OF PESACH, HOL HA-MOED 
7:15 am / Morning minyan with Hallel, Torah Reading and Musaf / Livestream
5:45 pm / Minha/Ma'ariv / Livestream

TUE / APR 14 / 20 NISAN / SIXTH DAY OF PESACH, HOL HA-MOED 
7:15 am / Morning minyan with Hallel, Torah Reading and Musaf / Livestream
11:00 am / YFE & Penn Family ECC Passover Pizza Party / Zoom
12:00 pm / Moses Meets Melton: Passover Melton
5:45 pm / Minha and Festival Evening Service / Livestream

WED / APR 15  / 21 NISAN / SEVENTH DAY OF PESACH
9:45 am / Festival Morning Service / Livestream
5:45 pm / Minha and Festival Evening Service / Livestream

THU / APR 16  / 22 NISAN / EIGHTH DAY OF PESACH
9:45 am / Festival Morning Service / Livestream
5:45 pm / Minha (No Ma'ariv) / Livestream
8:19 pm / Pesach ends. OK to purchase and eat hametz!
9:20 pm / OK to eat Hametz sold through PAS

We have provided links to the haggadot for your convenience, but we are not affiliated with or endorsing Amazon. These books should be available through any bookseller you would like to purchase from. 

The Feast of Freedom
Courtesy of the Rabbinical Assembly
We will use this haggadah, available as a PDF, throughout all our Passover programming. Clear instructions and explanations take the reader step by step through the Seder rituals. The text encourages the active participation of everyone at the Seder table.

Dayenu! A Passover Haggadah for Families and Children
Recommended by Jamie Diamond
Created by early childhood educator and award-winning composer Carol Boyd Leon, Dayenu! A Passover Haggadah for Families and Children is a joyous telling of the Passover story the whole family can enjoy.

Graphic Novel Haggadah
Recommended by Allen Paisner
Conceived and written by acclaimed Batman comics creator and Jewish cartoonist Jordan B. Gorf Gorfinkel, and illustrated in gorgeous color by Israeli artist Erez Zadok, this haggadah integrates a brand-new, modern translation into fun, sophisticated sequential art that brings the epic story to life.

Human Rights Haggadah
Recommended by Marga Hirsch
The Passover story touches on every aspect of human rights, from the bitter oppression of slavery to the moral dilemmas that arise when fighting for even a cause as justified as freedom. This haggadah makes Passover relevant to the most pressing political and religious dilemmas we face today.

The Kveller Haggadah: A Seder for Curious Kids (and Their Grownups)
Recommended by Marga Hirsch
The Passover seder shouldn’t feel like a long to-do list — it’s an adventure! From the Jewish parenting site Kveller.com, this haggadah is designed to guide families through an epic journey from slavery to freedom and to promote curiosity, even when there are no easy answers.

New American Haggadah
Recommended by Rabbi Philp
Author Jonathan Safran Foer has orchestrated a new way of experiencing and understanding one of our oldest, most timeless, and most sacred stories. This new translation of the traditional text by Nathan Englander has provocative commentary by major Jewish writers and thinkers Jeffrey Goldberg, Lemony Snicket, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, and Nathaniel Deutsch.

A Night to Remember: The Haggadah of Contemporary Voices
Recommended by Marga Hirsch
A full traditional haggadah with a contemporary Israeli accent, this haggadah has commentaries not only from scholars and rabbis, mostly late 20th century, but also from novelists, poets, political leaders, and others. This book is for the family that wants to enhance their seder by bringing in ideas that will make the evening rich, thought-provoking, and fun for all.

Tablet Magazine’s Passover Haggadah
Recommended by Marga Hirsch
Both proudly traditional and blazingly modern, this haggadah is a perfect blueprint for remembering the past, living in the present, and imagining the future. Here you’ll find the entirety of the Seder text for those who don’t want to miss a thing – including Hebrew, English, and a newly developed transliteration that makes the Hebrew surprisingly accessible.

The (Unofficial) Hogwarts Haggadah
Recommended by Rabbi Savenor
This book is the perfect companion for participants both young and old at the Seder table. Enchant your guests with lessons from the magical realms of Hogwarts and Jewish tradition. Foster conversation with student responses to seder questions and learn the ultimate lesson: Holiness can be found everywhere if you know where to look.

In Every Generation: A PJ Library Haggadah (free download)
Recommended by Josh Rosenberg
Full of beautiful illustrations, songs, and thought-provoking questions, this Haggadah serves as one of the most effective haggadot which children of all ages can access in their own way. With just the right balance of traditional content and modern additions, this haggadah should bring some extra joy of freedom to your seder this year!

Due to Mayor De Blasio’s ban on communal gatherings, along with our concern for the safety of everyone in our community, we have canceled our Passover seders. Please rest assured that you will receive a full refund if you have already registered.

We have collaborated with our panel of caterers to offer alternative menu options for your seder at home. 

• Pride Caterers
• Foremost Caterers
• Michael Scott Events 

Thank you for your patience and understanding in this crisis. The safety of our community remains our top priority. Please contact us with any questions or concerns. We look forward to sitting at the table together for seders in future years.