Passover 2024: Ground, Heal, Renew

Passover Seders, Classes, Resources, and more!

Each year at the Passover Seder we ask, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” This year, as we approach Passover in a post-October 7th world, during a time of devastating war and while hostages remain in captivity, we ask, “Why is this year different from all other years?” As we move into Passover we bring new and profound questions as we navigate themes of brokenness, healing, and renewal around our Seder tables.

The festival of Passover can offer us a much-needed opportunity to ground, heal, and renew as we seek to cultivate a deeper sense of belonging and connection - to ourselves, our loved ones, and our community.

See below for details about Passover Seders, classes, and relevant resources to integrate into your Seder experience during this challenging time in Jewish history.

Chag Kasher v’Sameach - Wishes for a happy Passover. May we know healing and peace very soon.

Passover begins on Monday night, April 22nd and ends on Tuesday night, April 30th

Check out our upcoming year-round classes and gatherings.

Pre-Passover Classes + Gatherings:

Ground + Renew: Mindfulness + Meditation Circle

Thursday, April 11 • 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Jewish wisdom, guided meditation, and mindfulness skill-building will help us ground, reduce anxiety, and become more present in our lives. In preparation for Passover, we will explore spiritual renewal from within. No experience necessary. Dress is comfortable and please bring a yoga mat or towel. Sign up by 4/9.

16th Annual National Rainbow Seder

Sunday, April 14 • 6:00pm - 8:30pm

Join GLOE (the LBGTQ+ community at the EDCJCC) with support and sponsorship from the Den and other DMV organizations for this annual event to celebrate Passover through an LGBTQ+ lens. Sign up by 4/10/24 @ noon

Passover Prep Rally: Jewish Practices,Custom, and Law (virtual)

Monday, April 15 • 7:45pm - 9:15pm

Join Rabbi Aderet for a night of learning and lively discussion as we explore the intersection of law, practice, and custom when it comes to Passover preparations and observance. You’ll walk away with a tangible understanding of the why, how, and what, as you prepare to enter the Festival of Passover. No experience necessary, everyone welcome. This will be a virtual gathering. Sign up here for zoom link.

the Den’s Community-Led Passover Seders

Celebrate Passover in Community w/ the Den:

First Night Seder: Monday, April 22nd + Second Night Seder: Tuesday, April 23rd

• Want to Join a Seder?*

  *Thank you to our hosts at the Den for opening up their homes to our community members. We just received word that seats at their tables have reached capacity. If you are still seeking a Passover Seder to join, we recommend checking out Seders on OneTable. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions!

Passover Resources

Why Is This Year Different From All Other Years?

• Passover Prep Manual, c/o The Rabbinical Assembly: Wondering how to prepare your home and kitchen? Which foods to buy before Passover and which you can buy throughout the holiday? Check out this guide and of course, reach out to us with any questions!

• Kosher for Passover Questions? Check out Exploring Judaism’s Passover Kashrut/Kosher Questions and Answers.

• How do we approach Seder this year? Many of us come to the table holding grief, anguish, and fear. And for many, the Seder table will situate us in proximity to people we love, but whose perspectives may have created an emotional distance over the past six months. Grateful to our friends at IKAR in LA for preparing this supplement to help guide us through these brave and loving conversations this Passover.

• If you’re worried about painfully charged conversations with family this year about Israel and Gaza, you are not alone. Rabbi Amy Eilberg provides a helpful framework to approach the topic in healthy ways and manage disagreement in a way that strengthens, rather than strains, relationships. You can view Rabbi Eilberg’s handout here.

• Passover Guide from Mechon Hadar: Wondering about how to prepare your home and kitchen? How to prepare all of your dishes so they’re ready for Passover use? Check out this guide in addition to the one above!

• Soupergirl’s Passover Menu Is Back! The Soupergirl menu includes some classics (charoset, tsimmes, and more), along with a full list of delicious soups and desserts. Everything is 100% plant-based (parve). Order by April 12 @ 9am. Questions? Email:  passover@thesoupergirl.com

• Blue Dove Foundation Seder Resources: The Blue Dove Foundation addresses mental illness + addiction in the Jewish community and beyond. Take advantage of the Passover season to bring more mental wellness to your community by purchasing mental health kippot, educational resources or the new Mental Health Passover Seder Companion.

• AJWS Global Justice Haggadah: Download the brand-new edition of the AJWS Global Justice Haggadah—with new readings, rituals and freedom stories from around the world. You can also use AJWS’s holiday resources to enrich your celebration of Passover by touching on relevant social justice issues.

• 7 Ways to Address Oct. 7 at Your Family Seder: Many of us are still reeling from the October 7 attack in Israel and the ongoing war. And while a seder brings the opportunity to lean on tradition, you may also want to acknowledge this unprecedented time in a way that feels right for your gathering. This guide offers an opportunity to reflect, mourn and celebrate as a family and community this Passover.

• Pardes’ Passover Companion: This year, the questions of Passover feel bigger. Discover a collection of thought-provoking essays by Pardes faculty members, offering fresh insights into the Passover narrative against the backdrop of a post-October 7th world. Explore the intersection of tradition and contemporary events as we reflect on these pivotal moments in Jewish history.

• In Every Generation: Shalom Hartman Institute’s Haggadah Supplement for 5784/2024. Includes a diversity of voices, rich storytelling, and discussion questions for each of the sections. 

• ://www.hartman.org.il/program/in-every-generation/?mc_cid=fe70cdae83&mc_eid=4ce99c9e58

• Online Haggadot: Leading your first Seder? Your fifteenth? Check out these cool online Haggadah options from our friends at Haggadot.com.

• NCJW’s Feminist Supplement to the Haggadah: From our friends over at the National Council of Jewish women, a new seder supplement with short readings honoring each of the 5 women of the Exodus story (Shifra, Puah, Yocheved, Batya/Bat Pharaoh, and Miriam) to be added for each cup of wine.

• Avodah Passover Resources: Avodah has collected Haggadot + Passover resources from partners and allies in their social justice work. You can use these materials to help foster dialogue, lead prayers, and build community during this holiday of liberation.

• HIAS Passover Resources: Connect the Jewish experience of flight from persecution toward safety to the journeys of today’s refugees and asylum seekers with HIAS’ Seder Plate resource, Haggadah, and video.

• Kosher for Passover Fair Trade Chocolate: Equal Exchange is now selling eight flavors of fair trade, Kosher for Passover chocolate.

• IKAR's How to Prepare Your Seder Table: Check out this great guide on how to prepare your seder table from our friends @ IKAR-LA. Includes great tips such as: if you don’t happen to have a shank bone lying around, a beet will do.

• Counting of the Omer: The 49 days between the exodus from Egypt (Festival of Passover) and the receiving of the Torah (Festival of Shavuot), known as Sephirat HaOmer, or the counting of the omer, a time for spiritual exploration and introspection. We begin counting on the second night of Passover.

• Moon Messages: At the Well seeks to to enhance women’s well-being through ancient Jewish practices. The Hebrew calendar has always been tied to the cycles of the moon. In fact, marking time by the moon was the first commandment given after liberation from slavery in Egypt. Each month — even each day! — brings its own spiritual energy, and we’ll help you connect to that essence.

• The Friendseder Haggadah: Check out this cool Haggadah from our friends over at The Well, based out of Detroit.

Pre-Passover Rituals + Candle Lighting Times:

Pre-Passover Ritual Prep:

• Learn about the 3 Steps for Ritually Cleansing Your Home from Leaven (Chametz), here:

1. Search for Leaven (Bedikat Chametz): Sunday, April 21st after sundown

2. Sell the Leaven (Mechirat Chametz): Grateful to our friends at Ohr Kodesh Congregation for graciously sharing in this ritual experience with us. Please complete this form before Monday, April 22nd @ 11:50am

3. Burn the Leaven (Biyyur Chametz): by Monday, April 22nd @11:58am

• Enjoy your final bites of leaven (that have been set aside) by: Monday, April 22nd @ 10:50am

• Maot Chittim: “Wheat Money,” this centuries-old Passover custom encourages food access to those in need. Jews collected wheat in order to provide matzah for the poor. Today, some communities hold food-drives or donate to food-related charities, like Mazon, as a way of honoring the tradition.

Candle Lighting Times + Blessings:

• Candle Lighting - 1st Night Passover Seder: Mon., Apr. 22nd @ 7:35pm

• Candle Lighting - 2nd Night Passover Seder: Tues., April 23rd @ 8:36pm

  The final two days of the week of Passover are also observed festival days. Candle lighting times are:

• Candle Lighting - 6th Night: Sunday, April 28th @ 7:40pm

• Candle Lighting - 7th Night: Monday, April 29th @ 8:42pm

Want In? Have Questions?