On all other nights...

April 7, 2020 7:07 AM

Why is This Passover More Anxiety-Ridden Than All Other Passovers?. Tomorrow night Passover begins, and boy is it different from all other nights. Here's Everything You Need to Celebrate Passover During Coronavirus. If you can't be with your family this year and want to go virtual, then here's Passover Under Quarantine - Everything you need to know about hosting a Virtual Seder.

Don't want to host one yourself?
Here are some options:

USA
Eastern Time Zone
Central Time Zone
Pacific Time Zone (scroll down)
Bonus: NYC All-Star Seder

UK
Traditional
Non-religious Seder

Australia
Multiple options

All of the above are Liberal, Reform or Conservative - for Orthodox Jews, opinions are mixed as to whether hosting a virtual seder is permitted - consensus seems to be that they are, but only in the case where isolation would present a greater danger to the participant. But here's A Different Pesach: Ideas for the Solo Seder [PDF]

Need a Haggadah?

Here are a ton of resources and clips to roll your own.

Or just get one off the rack:

Traditional

More or less traditional

And if you’re a purist, there’s always the Maxwell House Haggadah online [PDF]
(Wonder why Maxwell House Makes Haggadot?)

And then there's the food.
Here are our best Passover recipes [NYT]

- - -
Okay and my own family would never forgive me if I didn't include this.
(Where to watch The Prince of Egypt online)

posted by Mchelly (26 comments total)

only in the case where isolation would present a greater danger to the participant.

This seems backwards?
posted by zamboni at 7:21 AM on April 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

Thanks for taking the time to put this together. I'm doing a totally unkosher video Seder with some friends - we're getting separate catering orders from a restaurant run by friends of mine who are basically shut down other than this pop-up catering. Strange days. But l'dor vador, we shall persist.
posted by wellred at 7:21 AM on April 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

This year it’s all about the hand washing. And the door stays closed, Elijah is not coming in. Also eleven plagues. And we all have only One Question. When will it end?
posted by Jode at 7:23 AM on April 7, 2020 [5 favorites]

This passover will be setting age records on who asks the four questions. Some seniors might get to have a go.
posted by Your Childhood Pet Rock at 7:28 AM on April 7, 2020 [9 favorites]

I’ve been reading up on the some things for a maybe possibly sort of passover related thing I’d like to write (though I have no idea where to submit such a thing for any sort of publishing) focused on the four sons and their questions. And I came across a modern addition, the fifth child, which maybe was something that I’d never heard of (though I haven’t attended a Seder since my teens). According to Wikipedia:

The fifth child can represent the children of the Shoah who did not survive to ask a question...

...tradition is to say that for that child we ask "Why?" and, like the simple child, we have no answer.

It’s been a long time since something hit me that hard.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:45 AM on April 7, 2020 [12 favorites]

relevant
posted by Jacqueline at 7:52 AM on April 7, 2020 [8 favorites]

Passover falling in the middle of the week is a cluster in the best of times; this happening while we're attempting to work from home with a toddler is...not ideal. But, I managed to make matzah balls this morning with some "help" from said toddler alongside getting her down for a nap and getting some stuff ready for my online courses. Later today/this evening, we'll get the kugel and brisket set up for tomorrow, so all we'll need to do it pop it in the oven/slow cooker. The making of a dessert and a salad will happen...sometime. We'll make it work, somehow.
posted by damayanti at 7:55 AM on April 7, 2020 [4 favorites]

The annual Punk Rock Pesach I married into (now on its 25th year, incredibly) is talking about a virtual meeting - whatever happens, I doubt we'll be avoiding COVID references when talking about the plagues going forward.
posted by ryanshepard at 8:02 AM on April 7, 2020

Over the last few years, our seder has been a kind of go-to for singletons and couples who, like my SO and I, don't have practicing Jewish family in town. It's been growing and for the last two years it's been too large for us to host at our house (or any of the participants'), so we had borrow a larger house from family who don't practice. I like being the place where lots of disparate people can come together and feel like chosen family. In other years, most of us have been invited to other seders by friendly families in big houses - but it's different being at a seder as one of several little families (and developing your own traditions) versus being a guest at someone's large family seder with the people they've known for decades.

This year, we can't - of course - be physically together. The zoom seder will be even bigger, as friends from out of town can join - but I couldn't help but sigh in relief. It's a strange silver lining to a very dark cloud - but I don't have to coordinate the potluck buffet for 20+ people this year. My SO has the difficult job of wrangling zoom and leading the actual rituals, but the cooking and logistics (my usual job) are way easier - and I still get to see all my people.

And fortunately, my small family owns 4+ webcams (including a couple from the the early 2000s), so we're well stocked. We're going to point one at our seder plate, so it can attend the meeting as its own person.
posted by jb at 9:19 AM on April 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

And as seen on twitter (and everywhere else), we mustn't forget that the correct order for the seder this year is

Kadesh
Urechatz
Karpas
Urechatz
Yachatz
Urechatz
Maggid
Urechatz
Rachtzah
Urechatz (you know, just in case)
Motzi
etc.
posted by jb at 9:23 AM on April 7, 2020 [8 favorites]

I guess we're calling these "Zeders" (Zoom Seders)?

I just finished putting together a Google Slides Haggadah for mine. I've asked people to volunteer for the various parts to keep it more interactive.

I'm actually really looking forward to this. As jb said, there's some relief at not having to do all physical organizing, and I'm excited about bringing geographically disparate folks together. I have a non-Jewish friend who moved away years ago who always checks in with me at this time of year to tell me how much she misses Passover. She was the first person to sign up for this year!
posted by natabat at 9:47 AM on April 7, 2020 [4 favorites]

Years ago my grad school housemate and I held a Seder, and since we had a household largely barren of gear for hosting a big party it was a "bring your own chair, plate, and fork" evening. Here we are again, just without the need for anyone to carry a chair through the streets.
posted by PhineasGage at 10:18 AM on April 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

It's a bummer that we have to talk about this, but somebody has to say it: there is going to be an immense amount of antisemetic zoombombing on Wednesday night. Please, if you're going to zoom your seder, take some simple steps to prevent disruptions.
posted by phooky at 10:22 AM on April 7, 2020 [4 favorites]

Or, if the stress and anxiety of living through a pandemic has got you overwhelmed, you can just give yourself permission to have a shvach seder.
posted by brookeb at 10:27 AM on April 7, 2020 [6 favorites]

*marks door with Purell so Plague of Coronavirus passes over*
posted by leotrotsky at 10:38 AM on April 7, 2020 [16 favorites]

If you're in the UK or Ireland then you can get an emergency Seder kit delivered to your house by Deliveroo, in partnership with Chabad Lubavitch UK.
posted by biffa at 11:44 AM on April 7, 2020 [2 favorites]

leotrotsky, at first glance i read Plague of Conservatives (as in politicians not Jews)
so, them too
posted by kokaku at 11:58 AM on April 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

only in the case where isolation would present a greater danger to the participant.

This seems backwards?

Nope. Social distancing should still be in effect, but also use of technology on Passover would generally be a no-no.

"...where isolation would present a greater danger..." is effectively allowing it for those who might be suicidal or otherwise have difficulty spending Passover by themselves. In those cases, practicality wins over, and use technology.
posted by explosion at 12:10 PM on April 7, 2020 [4 favorites]

how can i be sure elijah is wearing a mask
posted by poffin boffin at 12:20 PM on April 7, 2020 [5 favorites]

also once again i will be putting all the chametz in the hallway in an amazon box marked SHANDE
posted by poffin boffin at 12:22 PM on April 7, 2020 [10 favorites]

We're doing a zeder! For the afikomen hunt, my partner has been commissioned to design a collage a la puppy or bagel. Except of course it will be matzo or giraffe.
posted by prewar lemonade at 1:15 PM on April 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

for those who might be suicidal or otherwise have difficulty spending Passover by themselves.

Ah, so it’s referring to social Isolation, not the physical isolation of social distancing.
posted by zamboni at 2:45 PM on April 7, 2020

I don't do a lot, but I usually have at least some matzah for Pesach. Alas, none was available when I ventured out shopping today, so...maybe wheat thins will do this year? And urechatz. All the urechatz!
posted by blurker at 3:42 PM on April 7, 2020

blurker: if you call your local Chabad, they would likely have a little to give you, if only for the Seder. Or if you're in Toronto, we have some to spare.

Or maybe make your own? I've been wondering if one could make kosher matzah from oats - which would be gluten-free, but potentially suitable for the seder, unlike the potato-chip-delicious gluten-free matzah that's on the market now.
posted by jb at 4:54 PM on April 7, 2020

Allrecpies: Matzah
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:41 PM on April 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

Seder 2020
posted by dorey_oh at 9:48 PM on April 9, 2020