Passover events don’t end with the seders on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Community seders continue over the next week, along with other kid-friendly fun and adult-oriented activities — some even past the official end of the holiday. Chag Pesach Sameach!

Friday | April 3
Tot Shabbat: Passover — Music, crafts, snacks for families with children up to age 5. At Congregation Beth Am, 26790 Arastradero Road, Los Altos Hills. Free, registration required.

Saturday | April 4
“Belonging in Bloom” — Asian-Jewish Passover brunch with fusion foods, origami crafts and blessings. Presented by the Lunar Collective. Oakland address provided with RSVP. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free-$36.

Tawonga Family Passover — Outdoor celebration for families with kids ages 4-10 (siblings welcome) with activities. Location in Berkeley provided with registration. 3:15-5:30 p.m. $36-$108.

Shabbat and Passover Meditation Retreat — Day of meditation in mostly silence led by Adam Berman, founder of Urban Adamah. Bring a lunch. Light snacks and tea provided. At Urban Adamah, 1151 Sixth St., Berkeley. 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. $50.

Temple Israel of Alameda — Seder. At 3183 McCartney Road, Alameda. 5 p.m. $60 members, $70 nonmembers, $30 children; free for children under 10.

Tri-Valley Cultural Jews — Secular humanist Passover seder with potluck dinner. Location in Livermore provided with registration. 5 p.m. Free for members, $25 suggested for nonmembers. RSVP: CulturalJews@gmail.com or 925-399-8029.

Temple Beth Hillel — Seder. (Vegan option available.) Bring a kosher dessert to share. At 801 Park Central, Richmond. 5:30 p.m. $15-$75.

Beyt Tikkun — Seder led by Rabbi Cat Zavis and musical director Ami Goodman. Catered Sephardic-inspired vegetarian dinner. (Gluten-free and nut-free options available.) At First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St., Oakland, plus online option. 4 p.m. $18-$95.

Sunday | April 5
Family Passover Seder — Chochmat HaLev invites families to celebrate with separate experiences for ages 12 and under and for 12 and up, followed by catered dinner. At 2215 Prince St., Berkeley. 2-5 p.m. $36-$90.

Tuesday | April 7
USF Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice — Seder focusing on social justice, global climate change and environmental justice, in partnership with Dayenu, a Jewish nonprofit confronting the climate crisis. At USF, McLaren Complex, 2130 Fulton St., S.F. 6:30-8 p.m. Free.

Saturday | April 11
Mimouna: A Moroccan Jewish Celebration — Celebrate the end of Passover with Moroccan treats, a live DJ and a dance performance. Presented by JCCSF and JIMENA. At JCCSF, 3200 California St., S.F. 7-10 p.m. $36.

Sunday | April 12
“Blooming Into Freedom” — Passover yoga class, all levels welcome. At Osher Marin JCC, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael. 1:30-3 p.m. Free, registration required.

Saturday | April 18
Passover Fun Night — Kids’ celebration with hands-on creative activity, dinner and movie. At Peninsula JCC, 800 Foster City Blvd., Foster City. 5-9 p.m. $45-85.

(JTA) — TEL AVIV — The day before Yael Ben Cnaan was set to take over ownership of Bishvil Flowers, a corner flower shop located in the upscale Lev Hair neighborhood, an Iranian cluster munition landed on the street outside.

The March 9 impact shattered the store’s windows and left shrapnel holes in the walls. The flowers inside, which Ben Cnaan was unable to access due to police closure of the street, were left to wilt. “In the meantime, the shop was not operating. There was no income, but the expenses continue: rent, payments and commitments I already took on when entering the business,” Ben Cnaan said.

All of this took place in the lead-up to the Passover holiday, which, according to Ben Cnaan, is the most important time of year for flower shops like hers.

“We depend on the revenue during these weeks to keep us alive,” she said in an interview at her shop.

Ben Cnaan was seemingly undeterred by the strike and wasted no time setting up a crowdfunding campaign and posting on Instagram that she would soon reopen with a limited number of orders available for pickup ahead of the holiday. “I don’t have a choice. If I don’t manage to sell bouquets, we would have to close.”

An online fundraiser has raised 45,000 shekels (about $14,000), according to Ben Cnaan, allowing her to cover repair costs in the short term. But the long-term survival of the shop, which has become a community staple over its 17 years, remains uncertain.

In the Instagram post announcing the limited resumption of sales, she urged community members to consider purchasing bouquets or making donations to help sustain the business. “It will likely not be enough,” Ben Cnaan added.

Nearly four weeks into Israel’s war with Iran, which has quickly escalated into a regional conflict, stories like Ben Cnaan’s are commonplace. Businesses are struggling due to widespread closures and damage from Iranian missiles, which have killed at least 18 Israelis since the start of the war on Feb. 28.

Now, Israelis are starting the Passover holiday under wartime, with the conflict casting a somber shadow on the celebrations. Iran launched the largest missile salvo since the start of the war as families sat down to their seders on Wednesday night.

Earlier in the morning, as Iran launched another barrage of missiles toward central Israel, one man was killed, and at least 11 others were injured.

The missiles punctured efforts to approximate normality in the hours leading into the holiday. Early Wednesday morning, Orthodox families gathered to burn chametz, or leavened grains prohibited during the holiday, before the deadline to sell or discard it, while more secular families walked their dogs just hours after multiple sirens sounded due to incoming missile attacks. Throughout the day, Israelis preparing their meals had to pause cooking and cleaning to run to their shelters multiple times.

With a ban on large public gatherings still in place, major public seders, such as those typically hosted by synagogues in Tel Aviv, had waiting lists hundreds of people long.

And hotels hosting Passover retreats saw widespread cancellations as travelers from abroad were unable to get to Israel, and as families changed their plans to stay closer to home.

The war has also prompted new reflections on the meaning of the holiday. “We know there were Passover celebrations in all kinds of surreal circumstances. My grandmother told stories about celebrating Passover during the Holocaust,” said Avital Rosenberger, head of the emergency unit at the Israeli branch of the Joint Distribution Committee. “It’s still our mission to remember, to maintain routine and to ask what freedom really means.”

The JDC has been on the front lines of assisting Israelis affected by the war, including residents of Beit Shemesh, Arad, and Dimona whose homes were destroyed by ballistic missile strikes.

Those involved in relief efforts fear the full scale of the damage will only become clear after the war ends.

“We are so deep in it, and I’m not sure we’re seeing the whole picture,” said Rosenberger. “Some of the damage, especially the mental and emotional toll, will only emerge at the end. We already understand what’s coming.”

The growing human toll is one dimension of the damage. Ben Cnaan’s example underscores the financial toll of the ongoing war, as well.

On the morning of Passover, while many other stores on Lincoln Street remained closed, Ben Cnaan was still at work taking orders and assembling bouquets for last-minute shoppers.

A concept and tattoo artist who lives in Tel Aviv, she has worked on films including “Beirut,” starring Jon Hamm, Ben Cnaan worked in the flower shop for years before taking ownership. Because her business sustained physical damage due to the war, she is eligible for state compensation to offset losses and fund limited repairs. But she still fears that she will need to close down if business does not pick up soon.

According to estimates from Israel’s Finance Ministry, the economy is losing at least 4.3 billion shekels per week due to the fighting. As gas prices continue to rise following disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, civilians, whether affected directly by missile strikes or rising costs, are bearing the burden of the war.

For Johnny, who is spending a year volunteering with the JDC on Kibbutz Rosh Hanikra in the north, the toll of the war ahead of the holiday is becoming increasingly stark.

“They’re exhausted. They’re absolutely exhausted. And the thought of several more months like this could really break their spirit,” she said.

Johnny, who is Israeli but has lived most of her life in the United States, returned before the current round of fighting. She said it has been reassuring to be closer to her mother in the Galilee while volunteering on the kibbutz.

“At the same time, the community is incredibly supportive and empowering,” Johnny added. “I know they’ll be OK.”

She said she knows her seder plans with a host family in Rosh Hanikra may be interrupted by incoming missiles from Lebanon but remains in good spirits.

“We may have to head to the shelter,” she said. “But it’s certainly not the worst conditions for a seder our people have had to endure.”

(JTA) — At Temple Israel in suburban Detroit, where congregants are still reeling from last month’s attack in which a man drove a vehicle filled with explosives into the building, a new Passover tradition is taking shape.

“This Passover, we’re adding something new to our Seder plates: a single Lego block,” Temple Israel wrote in a post on Facebook.

The attack on Temple Israel, a Reform congregation and the country’s largest synagogue, took place as 104 preschoolers were inside the building. The assailant, Ayman Ghazali, was the only person to die in the ramming attack, which severely damaged the synagogue building and left one of its security guards injured.

While all the children were evacuated, their presence has shaped the synagogue’s call to add the children’s toy to seder plates as a symbol of both vulnerability and rebuilding.

“A Lego is a child’s toy — it represents the innocence that was threatened, and the lives that were protected. It represents our creativity, our strength, and the sacred work of putting the pieces back together again,” the post continued. “Place a Lego on your Seder plate this year. For our kids and our teachers. For our community. For the future we are building together.”

In the comments of the post, dozens of people pledged to include Legos in their Passover seders this year.

“I love this meaningful idea representing resilience and strength. I will put legos on our Seder plate in Santa Monica. Wishing all of the clergy and my Temple Israel family a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful Passover!” wrote one user.

Temple Israel is not the only victim of an antisemitic attack to be marking Passover for the first time since. Next week, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is slated to host a seder with interfaith leaders to commemorate one year since an arsonist attacked his official residence hours after he and his family hosted a Passover seder there. The seder will be held in the same room that was burned during the attack.

And in Minneapolis, Shir Tikvah, a Reform congregation, is calling on others to include a “steaming cup of tea in a travel mug” in the Passover seder to honor the community’s response to the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies in the area.

“After you open the door for Elijah and before you pour the fourth cup of wine, we invite you to pour tea for everyone at your table from your shared cup,” the congregation wrote in a post on Facebook. “As you enjoy your tea, take a moment to share how you hope to show up in your communities this year.”

Temple Israel’s symbolic addition to the holiday this year is also not the first time Jews have modified the seder plate’s traditional components to reflect the dangers that Jews increasingly face.

During the Israel-Hamas war, some families included mirrors, yellow ribbons and pomegranates on their plates to honor the hostages still held at the time in Hamas captivity. This is the first Passover since the last living hostages were freed in October.

“There’s something comforting about what we know, but what if, alongside those familiar traditions, we also made room for something new and unexpected,” Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said in a Facebook video posted Tuesday. “Rather than simply going through the motions, we might lean into the surge of Jewish pride we’re seeing all around us, even amid the current epidemic of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hatred.”

So much happens in our community every day that it can be hard to sift through all of the events. We’re highlighting a few here, in every corner of the Jewish Bay Area, to get you started. You can find many more in J.’s online calendar. If you have a community event you’d like to share, go to J.’s “submit a calendar event” page.

SAN FRANCISCO

Thursday | April 9
Roya Hakakian: The Battle for Iran — The Iranian American writer will speak about life under authoritarian rule in a talk subtitled “Inside a Nation’s Struggle for Freedom.” At Congregation Emanu-El, 2 Lake St. 7-8:30 p.m. $8. 

Saturday | April 11
Mimouna: A Moroccan Jewish Celebration — Celebrate the end of Passover with Moroccan treats, a live DJ and dance performance. Presented by JCC of San Francisco and JIMENA. At JCCSF, 3200 California St. 7-10 p.m. $36. 

NORTH BAY

Sunday | April 12
“The Road Between Us” — Documentary about retired Israeli general Noam Tibon’s actions to save his family and others on Oct. 7, 2023. At Congregation Beth David, 19700 Prospect Road, Saratoga. 2-4 p.m. Free. 

“Blooming Into Freedom” — Passover yoga class, all levels welcome. At Osher Marin JCC, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael. 1:30-3 p.m. Free; registration required. 

EAST BAY

Saturday | April 4
“Belonging in Bloom” — Asian Jewish Passover brunch with fusion foods, origami crafts and blessings. Presented by the Lunar Collective. Oakland address provided with RSVP. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free-$36. 

Sunday | April 5
“Lost in Yonkers” — Award-winning play about a family struggling to make ends meet in 1940s New York. Through April 19. Post-performance discussion with cast on April 8, and pre-performance Pride mixer at 6:30 p.m. April 15. At Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. $31-$95. 

PENINSULA/SOUTH BAY

Saturday | April 11
“On Being Jewish Now” — The Braid Theatre presents American Jewish stories in a post-Oct. 7 world. Stage adaptation of Zibby Owens’ book “On Being Jewish Now.” At Congregation Etz Chayim, 4161 Alma St., Palo Alto. 7:30 p.m. Also April 12 at 2 p.m. at Congregation Shir Hadash, 20 Cherry Blossom Lane, Los Gatos. $23-$64. 

Sunday | April 12
“Isaac Mizrahi: Hooray!” — The designer and entertainer will perform a “cultural whiplash” of songs from classics to modern pop. At Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 7-8:30 p.m. $90; $75 students/seniors.

Food coverage is supported by a generous donation from Susan and Moses Libitzky.

“I’m obsessed with cabbage,” Bay Area chef Aliza Grayevsky Somekh said at a recent cooking workshop. She isn’t the only one.

The New York Times pronounced the cruciferous staple the darling of restaurant menus back in 2024. The cabbage craze has continued rolling along, like kale and Brussels sprouts trends did before it. 

Of course, for Ashkenazi Jews, cabbage has long been a staple. Many of us grew up on our bubbe’s decidedly not-trendy stuffed cabbage, often bathed in sweet-and-sour tomato sauce.

I remember when I visited Jules, the San Francisco pizza restaurant opened last summer by chef Max Blachman-Gentile, the charred cabbage appetizer was one of the most memorable dishes on the menu.

Somekh, an Oakland resident first covered in this column in 2019, is a Jerusalem born-and-raised chef and caterer whose Bay Area business is called BishulimSF. She professed her love of cabbage in a pre-Passover workshop put on by the JCC East Bay. This class took place at a private home in the El Cerrito hills, but when the new JCC campus opens this summer in the Rockridge District of Oakland, it will offer plenty of food and cooking programs like this one in the new on-site kitchen.

Somekh specializes in dishes from around the Jewish diaspora. The purpose of her workshop was not so much to provide inspiration for the Passover seder, but to suggest dishes that fall within the dietary restrictions of the holiday and can be eaten throughout the eight-day festival and beyond.

For Passover, “people have their own food traditions that go back generations,” she said, and she had no intention of interfering with those nostalgic holiday memories. The dishes she presented “can be an enhancement, or something extra,” she said. For Somekh, the Passover feast isn’t complete unless there’s chopped liver. 

Like many chefs, Somekh is a visual eater, so she favors dishes that are “very beautiful and inviting” to the eye. For example, roasting whole heads of cauliflower, as the Israeli chef Eyal Shani does, always elicits oohs and ahs, she said.

All of the dishes made that night were delicious — the group especially loved Somekh’s suggestion to put matzah balls in a creamy soup, as opposed to the more traditional chicken broth — but the cabbage cake was a standout, both in looks and taste.

“When you want to tell someone you love them, making stuffed vegetables is one way to do it, as it takes a long time,” she said, adding that she teaches a whole class entirely on stuffed vegetables. Knowing the group would be making a number of dishes in a short amount of time, she instead came up with this idea to make a “cake” with ground meat surrounded by cabbage leaves.

“I wanted to make something that takes all the flavors of stuffed cabbage without a lot of work,” she said. “This is not a traditional dish from anywhere, nor does it come from my family.” But it’s in the spirit of stuffed cabbage, and is perfect for Passover week.  

When asked the next morning where Passover falls among her favorite holidays, Somekh admitted that it’s at the bottom.

“I don’t like when people tell me what I can’t eat,” she said. “I don’t like restrictions on what I can or can’t make.”

The menu she put together for the workshop suggested otherwise, in that restrictions were barely noticeable. The menu was vegetable-forward, with produce in a riot of color. Even the cabbage dish, which could have remained a pale light green, had a layer of cooked tomato slices on top, giving it a rosy hue.

Somekh’s abundant menu included three types of haroset (Ashkenazi, Iraqi and Yemenite); Jerusalem Artichoke and Leek Soup with Matzah Ball; Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Moroccan Dressing; Whole Roasted Cauliflower; Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges; Herb Salad with Apples, Dates, Nuts and Pomegranate Vinaigrette; Savory Cabbage Layer Cake with Meat; and gluten-free Tarta de Santiago (Spanish Almond Cake).

She chose to use dates and apples in several dishes because they are symbolic foods for Passover. Dates are also a key ingredient in most Sephardic haroset recipes.

Amazingly, nearly all of these dishes were made and tasted in the span of a three-hour workshop. Somekh washed most of the vegetables and did other prep before our arrival, and then each dish was put together by a team of two. Yes, we did run over the allotted time, but that was because we were chatting so much. 

Participants came away with inspiration. Jen Friedman of Piedmont said the Middle Eastern spice blend baharat, made up of warm spices like cardamom, clove and cinnamon, was new to her, and she was going to seek it out.

Also, maybe just as important, she said, “I was reminded of how much fun it was to cook with friends.”

Savory Cabbage Layer “Cake” with Meat

Serves 8

For the cabbage:

• 1 large cabbage
• Water and salt (for boiling)

For the meat filling:

• 1 lb. ground beef or beef/lamb mix
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. cinnamon (optional)
• 2 Tbs. tomato paste
• ½ cup water or stock
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Handful of chopped parsely

For the base:

• 2-3 ripe tomatoes, sliced (for the bottom layer)

Soften the cabbage

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Core the cabbage and place it whole in the water. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the leaves soften and can be separated easily. Remove, cool slightly, and gently peel off whole leaves.

Prepare the meat filling

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and lightly golden. Add garlic, then the ground meat, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook until meat is fully browned. Stir in paprika, cumin, cinnamon if using, tomato paste and water/stock. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is moist but not liquidy. Finish with parsley and adjust seasoning. 

Assemble the cabbage cake

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a medium baking dish or pan. Arrange a layer of sliced tomatoes on the bottom. Cover with a layer of cabbage leaves, also lining the sides. Add a layer of meat filling. Continue layering: cabbage, meat, cabbage, meat. Finish with a top layer of cabbage, folding any overhanging leaves inward to seal. Brush with olive oil. 

Cover with parchment and foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Serve in wedges or squares, like a savory cake or lasagna. 

Notes and variations:

• Add 1 cup of rice to the meat for a more traditional stuffed-cabbage feel.
• Include pine nuts or almonds for texture.
• This dish improves after resting and is excellent made a day ahead.
• For a more refined presentation, invert onto a serving platter before slicing, so tomato slices are on top.

Food coverage is supported by a generous donation from Susan and Moses Libitzky.

There are lots of recipes out there for what to serve for the Passover seder, but how about for the rest of the holiday? That’s when this Chicken Baked on Matzah really shines.

First, it’s a meal-in-one, with chicken and sides in one dish. Second, the dish (or parts of it) can be made in advance. Third, it tastes amazing. The matzah becomes almost kugel-like, with layers of sautéed mushrooms and onions infused with the juices of the baking chicken.

See the recipe for make-ahead directions. Have the chicken and sautéed vegetables ready before beginning assembly. If you have trouble finding Passover-certified ingredients, I’ve offered some alternatives; see notes at the end.

Chicken on Matzah Bake

Serves 4-6

• 2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions (recipe below)
• 4 squares matzah, broken into 2- to 3-inch pieces
• ¼ cup warm vegetable or chicken broth  
• 2 cups thinly sliced tomato
• Marinated Chicken Thighs (recipe below)
• ½ tsp. paprika
• 3 Tbs. chopped parsley

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush inside of a baking dish with 1 Tbs. oil. (Dish can be 7-by-12 or 7-by-11 inches). Place the pan on a rimmed baking tray to catch drips.

Divide into thirds the prepared sautéed mushrooms and onions (recipe follows). Spread ⅓ across bottom of pan. Scatter half the matzah over the sautéed vegetables. Spread another ⅓ of the vegetables on top, followed by the remaining matzah. Spoon broth over matzah, then top with remaining ⅓ sautéed vegetables. Top with a single layer of tomato slices. 

Remove the chicken from the marinade. Place thighs skin side up on top of tomatoes and pour remaining marinade over chicken. 

Bake for 20 minutes, then baste chicken with ½ Tbs. oil and bake for another 20 minutes. Baste again with ½ Tbs. oil, sprinkle with paprika, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes (total 50-55 minutes), until chicken is browned and registers 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, or its juices run clear when cut. Let rest for 10-20 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley.

To make ahead: Wrap airtight and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature and bake at 350 degrees covered in foil for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until warmed through, another 10-15 minutes.

Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 3 cups chopped onions
• 1 Tbs. finely chopped garlic
• ¾ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. dried oregano leaves
• ¼ tsp. paprika
• 2 cups fennel or celery, chopped in ¼-inch pieces 
• 3 cups thinly sliced mushrooms

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onions until wilted and beginning to color, about 5-7 minutes. Sauté garlic 1-2 minutes until golden. Stir in all of the spices. Sauté fennel or celery for 3 minutes, adding oil as needed, then add mushrooms. Sauté until tender, about 10 minutes, adding oil if needed. May be made up to 2 days ahead, stored airtight in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.

Marinated Chicken Thighs

• 6 medium skin-on chicken thighs on the bone (2 to 2¼ lbs.)
• 6 Tbs. olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 Tbs. finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
• ½ tsp. paprika

In a gallon zip-style plastic storage bag, combine olive oil with lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and paprika. Seal bag and shake well. Add chicken thighs, seal bag and shake. Marinate for 30 minutes, shaking often, or marinate up to a day ahead in the refrigerator, shaking occasionally. Use at room temperature. Shake well before using. 

Notes

Alternatives if you have trouble finding Passover-certified ingredients:

Black pepper: Reduce by ¼ if using finely ground.

Oregano: If only finely ground oregano is available, reduce by ¼.  Use three times as much if substituting fresh, minced oregano leaves. 

Paprika: Omit if not available. Add chopped, seeded fresh chili to taste in marinade and mushrooms if desired.

Broth: If not available, use hot water with ⅛ tsp. salt.

Every year, a raft of new haggadahs promise to enliven your Passover seder. And every year, I select a range of them for this little roundup of new haggadahs.

In this year’s crop, I spotted a theme running through several of them: What does it mean to believe in the text of the haggadah, in a modern context? Can one believe in its meaning without believing in its literal truth? Is it dishonest to use a haggadah that assumes the truth of the Exodus story if you don’t yourself believe in its literal truth? Answers, direct and indirect, follow.

“Echoes of Egypt: A Haggada” by Joshua Berman

If you accept the literal truth of the Passover story — that 3,500 years ago around 1400 BCE, hundreds of thousands of Hebrew slaves escaped Egypt after 400 years of bondage via the splitting of the Red Sea — then the premise of “Echoes of Egypt” makes perfect sense. This haggadah, by Bar-Ilan University professor Joshua Berman, supposes that we can better understand the story by placing it in an ancient Egyptian cultural context via archaeology.

This new haggadah is indeed replete with fascinating tidbits about ancient Egypt. Unfortunately, two centuries of academic consensus, from archaeology to linguistics, have shown us that the Book of Exodus was not drafted when and where it was supposedly written, but rather it was produced over centuries and was codified into its final form around the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, and not in Egypt. It is properly understood not as true history, but as meaningful myth. To understand the story in its proper context, we need to understand the time and place it was written — 5th and 4th century BCE Israel, not Egypt 1,000 years earlier.

“Echoes of Egypt” is full of non sequiturs and faulty, grandiose assumptions. In the introduction, there is a promise to deal with “questions at the very heart of Torah’s encounter with Egypt,” one of which is “Why did the Egyptians find no meaning in the unfolding of history?” I can’t make sense of the question, let alone take it seriously. There are plenty more like that throughout.

Some of Berman’s assumptions rest on the most tenuous of connections between ancient Egypt and the Exodus text. At one point, he tells us that the Biblical character Korach, whose name means “bald,” must have been an Egyptian priest because “during the period when Israel sojourned in Egypt… the lowest level of priests, the wab priests, were known above all by one distinctive feature — their shaved heads.” That’s a little too tidy and hardly proof of anything.

There is some truth to this next bit from Berman’s introduction: The haggadah “was a voice — indeed, a protest — against the great empires or the ancient world, and most of all against Egypt.” Yes, the haggadah is a protest against empire and oppression. But we need not take the story literally to see it that way.

“The Liberated Haggadah: A Passover Celebration for Cultural, Secular and Humanistic Jews” by Rabbi Peter H. Schweitzer

Taking the exact opposite approach, “The Liberated Haggadah” takes great pains to let readers know that it doesn’t take this story or any of its associated theology literally.

It is a reissue of a classic among the Jewish Secular Humanist denomination by the late Rabbi Peter H. Schweitzer, who was the rabbi of the City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism in New York. The Secular Humanist movement takes it as a settled matter that the entire Torah is nothing more than myth and that God is, at most, metaphorical.

The introduction asks, “If, in the face of modern scholarship, we no longer accept the Exodus narrative as historical, but as legend, why do we continue to tell the story? And if we do re-enact the story, how do we maintain our intellectual honesty?” The first question is a good one, while the second one is where Secular Humanism always loses me. Why can’t we enact Jewish ritual while also treating much (or even all) of it as metaphorical? That’s not intellectual dishonesty to me. That’s simply another mode of religious behavior. 

But if that contradiction does bother you, “Liberated” is the haggadah for you. Throughout, it goes out of its way to let you know that nothing here is literally true. Earnest attempts are made, as Secular Humanism is wont to do, to rewrite prayers and blessings so that they remain ritual formulas without appealing to a higher power. For example, rather than the standard blessing over the candles, this haggadah offers “Baruch ha’or ba’olam. Baruch ha’or ba’adam. Baruch ha’or bayom tov,” meaning “Radiant is the light of the world. Radiant is the light within each person. Radiant is the light of the festival.”

My favorite thing about this haggadah are the photos of myriad tchotchkes, knicknacks and ephemera from Schweitzer’s extensive personal collection of Jewish Americana, including everything from brochures for Catskills resorts to a Hebrew National promotional clock.

“The Pintele Haggadah: A Jewish Celebration of Liberation” written and illustrated by Noah Diamond.

Personally, I’m not looking for ambivalence and cute jokes in my seder, but if you are, consider “The Pintele Haggadah,” which takes a middle path between “Echoes” and “Liberated.”

“I stopped celebrating Passover many years ago,” writes Noah Diamond in his introduction. “I had always assumed that there was a sound historical basis for the general idea that the ancient Hebrews were slaves in Egypt, and it broke my heart to learn that there wasn’t…. Working on ‘Pintele’ [also the name of his podcast] helped me realize that … at its heart, Passover is a celebration of liberation. It provides the poetic and philosophical framework for the Jewish imperative to oppose tyrants and be allies of the oppressed.” Here, remarkably, even this self-described “nonreligious nonbeliever” agrees with Berman’s overall take in “Echoes of Egypt,” even if Diamond fundamentally disagrees on the historicity of the Passover story.

Where he loses me is his insistence on pointing out what “our ancestors” did, removing himself and his audience from the equation of what we all do on the seder night. In the opening pages of the haggadah, Diamond has the leader read out: “When our ancestors lit candles, they would say a prayer in Hebrew.” He places the practice in the past, but then he writes out the blessing for lighting Passover candles anyway. Why not just print that blessing on its own, without implying that it’s a silly thing from the past? People can choose to say it or not, object or not. 

I find the ambivalence about the proceedings odd in a haggadah. But for many seder attendees, I think this will work, as it gives people explicit permission to participate or not according to their own will.

Diamond structures the entire thing as a responsive reading, with chunks to be read by the leader and chunks to be read by the entire group. There is a jokiness to some of these sections. For example: “Leader: This is matzo, the bread of affliction. Group: This is matzo, the bread of affliction. Leader: I just said that. Group: I just said that. Leader: Now cut that out! Group: Now cut that out!” Moments later, he has the group inform the leader: “You know, they also have chocolate-covered matzo. It’s available wherever matzo is sold.”

“Haggadah for Believers and Heretics” by Moyshe Altshuler, translated and edited by Noah Leininger

This one is less a rejection of the literal truth of Passover than a rejection of the holiday itself. The “Haggadah for Believers and Heretics” is my favorite type of “new” haggadah — a republication of an old, obscure haggadah that illuminates the lives and beliefs of Jews in far-removed times and places. This one is a new translation of a Communist Yiddish haggadah published in the Soviet Union in 1927. (This new edition actually came out in 2025, but I didn’t get my hands on it in time to review last year.)

Its overall ethos is summed up nicely on the page for Yachatz, the breaking of the middle matzah, which includes simply an illustration and these words: “Humankind is divided into two camps: workers and parasites.”

This haggadah is both a political reimagining of the seder and a rejection of the seder itself. Its commentary on the famous line “this is the bread of our affliction” reads: “For poor bread, every capitalist has bought our sweat and blood.… Our Jewish masters, respectable bosses and rabbis, taught us to be patient…. They have turned their holidays into a means for binding and enslaving the people.… instead of actual history, they have taught us the Haggadah and Books of Moses.”

Despite its deep engagement with religious texts, it is resolutely anti-religious in classically Communist way, proclaiming at one point that the haggadah is a “tale of freedom, so as to hold you longer in slavery” and a “condemnation of humanity’s own initiative and struggle for freedom.” Opiate of the masses indeed.

My sense is that this volume is intended more as a primary source for understanding communist Jews of its time and place than for use at your seder. That said, of the new haggadahs I reviewed this year, it’s the only one formatted well for use around a seder table crowded with plates, glasses and ritual foods — i.e., it’s small enough that it won’t take up half the table, even if everyone has their own copy.

“Haggadah Shel Erev Rav: The Mixed Multitude Haggadah” edited by Rabbi Sarah Berman with art by Siona Benjamin

Finally, one of the most significant new American haggadahs this year is not particularly concerned with the debate over Biblical literalism, perhaps because it is produced by the Reform movement, which long ago decided that these stories aren’t literally true.

“The Mixed Multitude Haggadah” is produced to mark the 20th year of Rabbi Angela Buchdahl’s service to Central Synagogue in Manhattan. Buchdahl is one of the leading voices of the contemporary Reform movement and is well known as the first Asian American rabbi. The commentary is by her and other Central Synagogue clergy. 

The English translations are written by Rabbi Janet Marder, rabbi emerita of Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, and her husband, Rabbi Sheldon Marder, who served as rabbi of the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living before retirement. 

The real draw here, however, is a wealth of new artwork by Siona Benjamin, an Indian American Jew, who grew up in India’s Bene Israel Jewish community. Her heritage is evident in her painterly work, in which mandalas, blue-skinned figures and her use of color recall the artistic milieu of India. My favorite pieces are her multi-page treatment of the 10 plagues, each represented by an abstract mandala, colored and detailed to represent each plague; the one for frogs is green, and two little frog legs protrude from it.

Noting the byzantine complexity of the Magid (storytelling) section of the seder, “Mixed Multitude” offers four relatively brief approaches to it that seder leaders can choose from: “Magid for All Ages,” which is especially appropriate for children; “With a Mighty Hand and an Outstretched Arm,” which focuses on God’s role in the story, the most traditional approach; “Go Down, Moses,” which focuses on liberation, “not just for the Israelites, but for all people in all times”; and “Miriam’s Song,” which tells the story of the Exodus from Miriam’s perspective.

That mixed approach is reflected in the name. In her introduction to the volume, Buchdahl writes of the many ways Jews celebrate Passover. 

“That multiplicity is not a modern invention — it has been with us since the Exodus itself,” she writes. “The Torah tells us that when we fled Egypt, we did so as an erev rav, a ‘mixed multitude’ — a diverse assembly of Israelites and fellow travelers, all swept us in a shared yearning for freedom.”

And with that, let me wish you and your mixed multitude a meaningful seder this year, no matter which new, old or cobbled together family haggadah you use.

Also new this year

There are two other haggadahs of note this year that I could not get my hands on in time for this review:

“A Living Tapestry” by Leon Fenster

Fenster is a British artist whose explosively vibrant, graphic-design-influenced art appears to leap off of every page of his new haggadah. I really wish I had a copy in hand!

“The Az Nashir Haggadah: On the Path to Redemption”

This haggadah comes from the Matan Institute for Women’s Torah Studies in Israel. It features a range of contemporary art, prayers and commentary from Israeli Orthodox women scholars.

One more thing

Sometimes I’m asked, after all these years of writing about new haggadahs, which one do I use? The answer is the “The Yedid Nefesh Haggadah” by Rabbi Joshua Cahan. It is lightweight, straightforward and features a solid commentary meant to elucidate the text of the haggadah. It also comes in a spiral-bound edition that folds over and lays flat so as not to take up too much space on the table. I recommend it to just about anyone.

One of the consistent challenges at Passover is bringing new perspectives to the texts and rituals that can too easily become rote. With the festival approaching, Steven Weitzman’s new book, “Disasters of Biblical Proportions: The Ten Plagues Then, Now, and at the End of the World,” is particularly welcome.

Our customary recitation of the 10 plagues at the seder table is notable for its minimalism. The lack of detail in the presentation of the plagues in the Book of Exodus makes them ripe for expansion and exploration.

Weitzman, who directs the Katz Center of Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, takes an unconventional approach. Rather than simply offering a close reading of the Biblical text and its rabbinic interpretation, he ventures widely and explores how the plagues have been understood by Jews, Christians and Muslims over the centuries.

The book, published in February, devotes a chapter to each plague, with Weitzman selecting something “odd or puzzling” in the text to examine.

For the fourth plague, he focuses not on the disastrous invasion of flies but on the fact that the Israelites are protected by where they live: Goshen. This region in Egypt appears in Exodus only in connection with the plagues: “I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, where my people are stationed, so that no swarm of flies will be there…”

Weitzman examines how Goshen is at once a land populated by slaves and a haven of sorts from the plague. “If Egypt is a symbol of oppression and brutality, and Canaan of freedom and independence,” he writes. “Goshen represented something in between, a realm situated within the heart of an oppressive landscape that nonetheless offered room to act with a measure of autonomy.”

I was particularly moved by his consideration of how African Americans regarded Goshen. Weitzman finds that while Egypt and Canaan carried enormous symbolic power in African American thought and expression, the idea of Goshen as a haven within the world of enslavement did not gain traction at first — perhaps because no corresponding haven existed for Black people in the United States during slavery. In 1900, however, Black essayist Kelly Miller wrote “The Modern Land of Goshen,” calling for Black people to work toward economic self-dependence.

Dozens of self-governed Black towns emerged in the U.S. in the aftermath of the Civil War, offering some degree of insulation from the surrounding racism. One such place was Eatonville, Florida, where author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston was raised. Her book “Moses: Man of the Mountain,” which fictionalizes the Exodus story, offers a vision of Goshen as a sort of prison camp. But it was one where, as Weitzman puts it, “the oppressed find ways to evade the notice of their taskmasters and express themselves freely.”

The author approaches the fifth plague of cattle disease by asking whether attention was paid to the suffering of the animals themselves.

He finds that early Jewish and Christian interpreters appeared unbothered by the afflicted cattle, viewed as “mere implements” of God’s designs. Christian sermons from the 17th century onward, however, showed increased concern about animal welfare, and real-world recurrences of widespread cattle disease kept it in public consciousness.

Weitzman traces a line from this emerging empathy to new language in some contemporary haggadahs, in which “God‘s killing of animals during the exodus began to be experienced as a moral embarrassment by Jewish animal rights activists, vegetarians, and vegans.“

In discussing the sixth plague, Weitzman focuses not on the boils, but on the “shift that Exodus registers from a pharaoh who hardens his own heart to a pharaoh whose heart is hardened by God.” This is familiar territory to those who have studied Jewish commentary on Exodus, but I particularly appreciated Weitzman’s discussion of Christian thought.

Paul the apostle, writing in the Epistle to the Romans, took a deterministic approach, asserting that God created Pharaoh to be hardhearted. This view met resistance early on, with the third-century scholar Origen arguing that God endowed people with free will and that human beings always have choices concerning their behavior.

Tracing a path through Augustine, Erasmus, Luther and other thinkers, Weitzman notes that “Christians will turn again and again to the story of Pharaoh’s hardened heart to try to work out whether humans have self-determining power in a world controlled by an all-powerful and all-knowing God.“ 

The book’s afterword reveals that it was inspired by the feelings Weitzman experienced at the first seder during the pandemic lockdown, with the plagues taking on a sudden immediacy. Other chapters convey the sense that the plagues remain relevant today, in a world marked by war, disease and environmental catastrophe. 

For those interested in the Bible’s enduring influence or seeking fresh insight before this year’s seder, the book offers a challenging and satisfying journey.

“Disasters of Biblical Proportions: The Ten Plagues Then, Now, and at the End of the World” by Steven Weitzman (Princeton University Press, 328 pages)

So much happens in our community every day that it can be hard to sift through all of the events. We’re highlighting a few here, in every corner of the Jewish Bay Area, to get you started. You can find many more in J.’s online calendar. If you have a community event you’d like to share, go to J.’s “submit a calendar event” page.

For anyone looking for a community seder, check out our roundup of more than 30 of them across the Bay Area. And here is our roundup of kid-friendly events tied to Passover.

SAN FRANCISCO

Saturday | March 28
“Our Class” — Opening night of an award-winning play about a wartime massacre of Jews by their neighbors in a small Polish village. At Z Space, 450 Florida St., 7:30 p.m. Recommended for ages 16 and up. Through April 5. $68 and up. 

Monday | March 30
Dayenu concert with Taste of Talent — Passover concert with Yiddish and Sephardic music led by pianist Ronny Michael Greenberg, Sherith Israel cantorial soloist Simon Barrad and soprano Caroline Corrales. At JCCSF, 3200 California St. 1:15-2:15 p.m. Free. 

NORTH BAY

Thursday | March 26
“Friendship in the Age of Loneliness” — Author Adam “Smiley” Poswolsky discusses his new book. Part of Congregation Rodef Sholom’s REAL Mental Health Initiative spring speakers series, in partnership with Book Passage. At Rodef Sholom, 170 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael. 7-9 p.m. Free. 

Sunday | March 29
“You Know the Heart of the Stranger” — Hands-on art collage workshop for Passover with artist-facilitators Sheridan Gold and Sally Churgel. At Congregation Ner Shalom, 85 La Plaza, Cotati. Noon-3 p.m. $11-$21. 

EAST BAY

Sunday | March 29
Passover Family Festival — Urban Adamah and PJ Library present an outdoor, hands-on celebration with activities, crafts and treats. At Urban Adamah, 1151 Sixth St., Berkeley. 4-5:30 p.m. $9-$36, sliding scale. 

Saturday | April 4
“Belonging in Bloom” — Asian Jewish Passover brunch with fusion foods, origami crafts and blessings. Presented by the Lunar Collective. Oakland address provided with RSVP. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free-$36. 

PENINSULA/SOUTH BAY

Sunday | March 29
“Spin Me a Shadow, Tell Me a Folk Tale” — Daniel Barash of Firelight Shadow Theater performs folktales with shadow puppets. At Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 4 p.m. $18. 

Monday | March 30
“The Boundaries That Free Us” — Rabbi Zoe McCoon of domestic-violence-prevention nonprofit Shalom Bayit discusses healthy and intentional relationships in this talk subtitled “Unlock the Seder of Your Relationships.” Presented by Jewish Silicon Valley and Shalom Bayit. At Addison-Penzak JCC, 14855 Oka Road, Los Gatos. 7-8:30 p.m. $10.

Restaurants, bakeries and grocers offer goods for Passover, from seder plate kits to prepared meals and desserts to kosher wine and matzah. Whatever you might need for your Passover table, you can find it in the many speciality offerings in the Bay Area. Place your order or reservation early.

Grocers, Bakeries, Retailers

Afikomen Judaica offers a variety of Passover goods, including shmurah matzah, local and Israeli wines, red and white horseradish, organic grape juice and locally made treats. The store also carries haggadahs, seder plates, matzah covers and holiday-themed toys. 3042 Claremont Ave., Berkeley.

Andronico’s Community Markets offers Passover staples such as matzah, Manischewitz tam tam crackers, Passover marble cake, macaroons, gluten-free matzah, matzah meal, gluten-free onion matzah, Manischewitz wine, Manischewitz gefilte fish, matzah farfel, fruit slices candy, shmura matzah, dark chocolate seder plates and egg-dipped matzah. Berkeley, S.F., San Anselmo.

As Kneaded Bakery offers flourless chocolate cake and mandelhornchen, an almond-based chocolate-dipped cookie. Available in store April 1-5. 585 Victoria Court, San Leandro.

Bay Kosher offers grocery stock including matzah, matzah farfel, chocolate-covered matzah, matzah meal, gluten-free matzah, matzah ball mix, gefilte fish, Manischewitz haroset, lamb shank, brisket, macaroons and fruit slices candy. Delivery available. Chabad of Lamorinda, 3477 Golden Gate Way, Lafayette.

Draeger’s Market has prepared foods for Passover, including braised brisket, plank salmon, latkes, potatoes gratin, stuffed baked potatoes, matzah ball soup, grilled asparagus, kale salad and gefilte fish. On offer for dessert is fruit tart, chocolate decadence cake, chocolate pecan sponge cake and almond sponge cake. The stores also have a wide selection of Manischewitz foods and Passover wines. Menlo Park and Los Altos. 

Jane the Bakery has baked treats including flourless “fallen angel” torte chocolate souffle, chocolate decadence torte, ruby sponge cake, apple walnut cake, chocolate chews, matzah star cookies and “cherry bomb” meringue cookies with cherries. Preorder for pickup March 31-April 5 at S.F. or Tiburon locations.

Market Hall Foods offers Passover favorites including matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, braised chicken with spring vegetables, slow-cooked brisket, schmaltzy potatoes, mushroom matzah kugel, chopped liver and haroset. The “Everything for the Plate” includes haroset, horseradish, roasted lamb bone, long-cooked egg, parsley and a box of matzah. Desserts include pavlova, coconut macaroons and orange almond cake. Available March 31–April 4. 5655 College Ave, Oakland.

Mollie Stone’s Markets offers a year-round kosher selection but goes the extra mile for Passover. Grocery items include an assortment of matzah products, such as Israeli matzah, matzah farfel, matzah cake meal, chocolate-covered matzah and matzah ball soup mix, as well as honey, preserves, Osem cakes, pickles, rendered chicken fat, jarred horseradish, babaganoush, kosher cheeses, candies and more. Catered meals include a choice of flame-roasted chicken or brisket, plus mashed or roasted potatoes, matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, buttermilk-and-thyme-roasted root vegetables, latkes with applesauce and sour cream and “atomic” horseradish sauce. A la carte items are also available including apple-walnut haroset, chopped liver, gefilte fish, latkes, matzah ball soup, sweet kugel and more. Desserts include fresh fruit tarts and flourless chocolate decadence cake. The store also has an extensive kosher wine selection. Multiple Bay Area locations. 

Nugget Market has complete Passover meals including brisket, potato kugel, caramelized broccoli with roasted garlic, haroset and matzah ball soup. Items are also available a la carte. Orders require 72 hours notice. Available until April 2. Multiple locations throughout Greater Bay Area.

Oakland Kosher Foods offers catered meals including seder plate, matzah ball soup, roasted chicken with vegetables, candied yams and Israeli cake, or substitute brisket with roasted potatoes and carrots. Customers can also purchase items a la carte. 3419 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland.

Piedmont Grocery has Passover pantry items, including Manischewitz, Streit’s and Yehuda products such as matzah, matzah meal, matzah ball soup mix, gefilte fish, matzah farfel and horseradish, as well as prepared foods from the deli such as brisket, matzah ball soup and whitefish salad. 4038 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. 

Scotty’s Market in San Rafael and Lucky Supermarkets across the Bay Area offer holiday essentials such as matzah, gefilte fish, macaroons, matzah meal, matzah ball soup mix, grape juice and Manischewitz wine.

Toasted in Napa offers three flavors of matzah brittle: original dark chocolate with almond, milk chocolate pistachio and white chocolate raspberry, as well as coconut macaroons. Available starting March 31 for delivery or pickup; preorder recommended.

Fill your four cups of wine from kosher vintners Hagafen Cellars in Napa Valley and Covenant Wines in Berkeley. Covenant Wines offers a “Double-Edged Sword” brandy for those looking for a stronger drink. Holiday gifts, food and wine will be offered at a Covenant Passover Market on March 29, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Kleinlerer Wines of Richmond offers some kosher wines with grapes grown in California. 

Restaurants

Bubbala’s Neighborhood Eatery in the North Bay offers a “Seder Made Easy” for four, including a seder plate kit, braised brisket or chicken, chopped liver (or vegetarian mushroom “mock” liver), matzah ball soup, tsimmes or potato kugel, grilled asparagus and macaroons or chocolate toffee matzah. The seder plate is available on its own, as well as mains, sides and desserts a la carte. Available for pickup April 1-8. Bubbala’s, 906 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo, or the Kaiser Cafeteria, 99 Montecillo Road, San Rafael.

Buttercup Diner’s Walnut Creek location offers matzah ball soup, matzah brie, brisket and flourless chocolate cake. Available April 1-9. 660 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek.

Canela Bistro Bar offers a Passover dinner with matzah ball soup, grilled chicken kebab, chocolate cheesecake mousse, and optional course of bavette steak. Vegetarian options and wine and cocktail pairings available. Available for dine-in and pickup April 1-9. 2272 Market St., S.F. 

Che Fico and Bubbelah Passover meals include brisket with roasted potatoes and braised cabbage or vegetarian stuffed pepper as the main course, accompanied by matzah ball soup, chicory salad with honey and apple vinaigrette, shredded carrots with walnuts and date vinaigrette, matzah crackers and a choice of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. Items are also available a la carte. Pickup and delivery March 31. Pickup at Che Fico, 834 Divisadero St., S.F., or Bubbelah, 1300-A El Camino Real, Menlo Park. Delivery to S.F., Oakland and South Bay for $15.

Comal offers its annual Mexican-inspired Passover dinners on April 6-7. Comal follows Sephardic traditions for Passover, including kitniyot (rice and legumes). The menu includes rock cod “gefilte” fish cakes with chipotle aioli, lamb barbacoa quesadillas, caldo de pollo with jalapeno matzah balls, beef brisket in adobo and a Cara-Cara orange-rose raspado with tequila whipped crema for dessert. Reserve tickets early as they usually sell out. 2020 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley.

Drewish Deli’s Passover menu includes a meal for four with gefilte fish, matzah ball soup, brisket, potato kugel, tsimmes and flourless chocolate cake. 11 Mitchell Lane, Healdsburg.

Grossman’s Noshery and Bar in Santa Rosa offers brisket and lamb shank plates with potato-leek latkes, sweet and sour tomatoes and horseradish, smoked and pickled fish board, sabich board, smoked meats board, sides a la carte such as chopped liver and onions, latkes with sour cream and applesauce, matzah ball soup, pomegranate molasses roasted carrots, spinach salad and chocolate macaroons. Available April 1-9 for pickup. 308 Wilson St., Santa Rosa. 

Iggy’s Place offers a to-go dinner package including matzah ball soup, latkes, brisket, arugula beet salad and roasted carrots over hummus. Order by March 29. Pickup April 1-3. 3519 Balboa St., S.F. 

Perbacco in San Francisco offers a pre-fixe Passover meal including antipasti with chicken liver, horseradish aioli, chopped egg and matzah, matzah ball soup, main courses including braised lamb shank, roast chicken or halibut with tomato and olives, plus braised fennel or Roman-style artichoke with mint and garlic, and dessert of hazelnut sponge cake or strawberries with zabaglione. Available for dine-in April 1-4. 230 California St., S.F.

Delfina’s Stoll family matzah ball soup is back, available frozen by the quart from March 27 until sold out. Italian-inspired Passover favorites will be added to the daily-changing menu, including matzah, lamb osso bucco, haroset, picolo bolito misto with tongue, brisket, capon with salsa verde and mostarda, capunti and lamb ragu, wild nettle farfalle with kasha and mushroom, and cabbage involtini alla nonna. Available for dine-in or takeout April 1-9. 3621 18th St., S.F.

Saul’s Delicatessen in Berkeley brings Passover to its dine-in menu and offers catering to-go. Seder plates are on offer, plus a la carte items such as chicken soup, matzah balls, gefilte fish, Manischewitz kosher wine, chicken liver and faux vegan “liver,”  brisket tsimmes, Moroccan braised lamb, rockfish Moroc, chicken dukkah, veggie cabbage rolls and mujaddara. Desserts include citrus almond cake, flourless chocolate cake, sweet matzah kugel, macaroons, and candies such as chocolate marshmallows, fruit slices and chocolate jelly rings. Available March 31-April 9 for pickup. 1475 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley.

Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen offers “family dinner for six”  with brisket or chicken, a seder plate kit, haroset, matzah ball soup, potato kugel, roasted asparagus, coconut macaroons and a box of matzah. Or buy Passover basics individually, including chrain, seder plate kits, chopped chicken liver, brisket and herb roasted chicken. For dessert, there are macaroons and chocolate-caramel matzah. Order by 9 a.m. the day before. Available April 1-3 for delivery or pickup at five locations in S.F. and Oakland.

Food coverage is supported by a generous donation from Susan and Moses Libitzky.

Passover is nearly here, and for many, it is a stressful week of cooking and hosting. As a holiday defined by restrictions, adding more can feel overwhelming as you prepare for the seder. You may also be navigating different Passover practices, especially if there’s a mix of Ashkenazi and Sephardic guests at your table (as there are in my blended family).

Luckily, I find my creativity thrives within the holiday’s constraints. It often sparks new ideas for recipes and meals, and my table becomes a place where everyone can feel comfortable digging in.

Without fail, in the week leading up to Passover, my inbox fills up with requests for seder dishes everyone can eat, whether gluten-free, vegan or dairy-free. Many traditional seder recipes don’t fit the range of dietary preferences and allergies we encounter today, leaving hosts unsure of how to accommodate their guests. My most common piece of advice: if you serve substantial side dishes that everyone can enjoy, you don’t need to worry about the one vegetarian at your table.

My most satisfying meals (during Passover or otherwise), rely on hearty vegetables. Between hard-boiled eggs and matzah balls, a “main protein” is often the last thing on my mind. For gluten-free guests, my default strategy is to make nearly everything gluten-free (besides matzah balls, of course), making it easier for them to navigate what’s safe.

With that in mind, I’m sharing two vegetarian and gluten-free-friendly recipes for Passover: Celery Root “Steak” with Horseradish and Parsley Chimichurri, and a Berry Pavlova with Manischewitz Compote. They are dishes everyone can enjoy.

The celery root “steak” highlights one of my favorite vegetables, the humble celery root, or celeriac. Often overlooked in the produce aisle because of its knobby exterior, it transforms when roasted. The flavor is mild, sweet, with buttery and earthy notes and a hint of celery. I even use it as the base of my vegan “pastrami” recipe because it holds its shape and stays “juicy” when cooked. I like to sear it to bring out the natural sweetness, then roast it before topping it with a zesty, tangy and herby chimichurri. Served at room temperature, it’s an easy make-ahead dish for your seder.

For dessert, I’m saying goodbye to the dry, lifeless sponge cake that my grandmother used to make and instead serving a pavlova that is free of both gluten and kitniyot (grains and legumes). For dairy-free guests, I use a nondairy whipped topping or coconut cream. The real star is the blueberry and Manischewitz compote, the perfect way to use up some of that sweet kosher wine. Its high sugar content helps it reduce beautifully and lets the blueberry flavor shine. The pavlova egg-white “shell” can be made up to two days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. I like to make mine the night before and let it cool and dry out overnight in the oven.

My seder table is typically vegetarian and largely gluten-free — often dairy or nut-free as well  — but it’s always anchored by make-ahead dishes that everyone can enjoy, no matter their dietary requirements. 

Celery Root “Steak” with Horseradish and Parsley Chimichurri

Serves 4

For celery root:

• 1 large celery root
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, divided  
• 1 Tbs. horseradish
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 tsp. lemon zest

For chimichurri:

• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. lemon zest
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 Tbs. horseradish
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• ¼ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ cup fresh chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Trim top and bottom root end of celery root and cut off any “hairy” bits. Scrub the vegetable and rinse under running water. No need to peel. Just be sure to scrub well.

Cut celery root into ¾-inch slabs, and use a paring knife to score shallow lines with a cross-hatch pattern on both sides of the “steak.” Salt liberally and set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine 2 Tbsp. of olive oil with horseradish, garlic and lemon zest in medium bowl.

Heat a large cast-iron pan over medium high heat. Add remaining oil. Add as many of the celery root “steaks” as you can without crowding the pan, working in batches, if necessary.

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until deep golden brown.

Transfer steaks to a large sheet pan, and brush with horseradish mixture. Bake until fork-tender, about 15 minutes.

While the celery root is cooking, make the chimichurri.

In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, horseradish, garlic and oregano. Stir in parsley.

Serve celery root steaks with chimichurri.

Berry Pavlova with Manischewitz Compote

Serves 8 to 10

For pavlova:

• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (kosher for Passover)
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. potato starch

For compote:

• 2 cups frozen blueberries, thawed
• ⅓ cup + 2 Tbs. sweet kosher wine, such as Manischewitz, divided
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 tsp. potato starch

For whipped cream: 

• 1 cup cold heavy-whipping cream or nondairy alternative
• 1 Tbs. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (kosher for Passover)

For serving:

• Fresh blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
• Fresh mint

Make the pavlova:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In food processor or blender, pulse the sugar until super fine. Set aside.

With a stand mixer or handheld mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium-high until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. When you lift the whisk, egg whites should gently curl over and droop, holding their shape for a few seconds. 

Add sugar in two batches, whipping the first batch about 1 minute before adding the second batch. Once the sugar is added, increase the speed to high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Add vanilla extract and lemon juice, beating for 1 minute, until very stiff.

Use a rubber spatula to fold in potato starch. 

Transfer to piping bag, or use an offset spatula to spread the pavlova mixture into a 9-inch circle, making decorative peaks if desired. Make sure the edges of the pavlova are relatively tall with an indentation in the center.

Place pavlova in oven and immediately reduce heat to 200 degrees. Bake until firm and dry, about 90 minutes. Rotate sheetpan if any spots begin to brown excessively. Try to limit the number of times that you open oven. 

Turn off oven and let pavlova cool in oven. 

Once cooled, serve immediately or store the pavlova egg-white shell in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.

Make the compote:

Combine the frozen blueberries, ⅓ cup of the wine, lemon juice and salt in medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Decrease heat to medium-low and simmer until blueberries start to break down, 12 to 15 minutes. Use a fork or potato masher to slightly mash blueberries.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, use a fork to whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of wine and potato starch to make a slurry. Add slurry to saucepan and stir vigorously until thickened.

Serve immediately or transfer to a heat-safe container. The compote will thicken slightly as it cools.

Make the whipped cream:

In a large bowl, combine heavy cream, honey and vanilla extract. Use a handheld mixer to beat until stiff peaks form, starting on low speed and increasing gradually to high for 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside. 

Assemble:

Spread whipped cream in the cavity of the cooled, dried pavlova. Top with compote and berries. Garnish with mint.

Passover begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 1, and many synagogues and organizations in the Bay Area are hosting public seders before and during the holiday. Most of the events listed here require advance registration, and many note that no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

If your organization is hosting a public seder not listed here, please send event details to events@jweekly.com by March 25 to be added to our online list. 

SAN FRANCISCO

Wednesday | April 1
JCC of San Francisco — Seder led by Rabbi Batshir Torchio and song leader Jonathan Bayer. Dinner catered by Mangia Nosh includes vegetarian matzah ball soup, choice of kosher-style meat, fish or vegetarian entree, plus dessert. Gluten-free options available. At 3200 California St., S.F. 6-9:30 p.m. $60-$200.

Congregation Chevra Thilim—Seder with dinner and children’s program. Register by March 25. At 751 25th Ave., S.F. 7:30 p.m. $60, $30 children.

Chabad of Noe Valley — Seder. At 3771 Cesar Chavez St., S.F. 7:15 p.m. $54, $25 children. Second-night seder April 2, 7:30 p.m.

Richmond Torah Center Chabad — Seder. Register by March 29. At Chabad, 423 10th Ave., S.F. 8 p.m. $50, $25 children. Second-night seder April 2, 8 p.m.

Thursday | April 2
Congregation Sherith Israel — Seder led by Rabbi Jessica Zimmerman Graf and Rabbi George Altshuler. Fundraiser for Chicken Soupers and HaMotzi programs that feed people in need. Register by 5 p.m. March 27. At 2266 California St., S.F. 6-8:30 p.m. $60 members, $75 nonmembers, $25 member children ages 5-12, $30 nonmember children ages 5-12; free for children under 5.

Congregation Sha’ar Zahav — Seder led by Rabbi Mychal Copeland and Britta Pomrantz. Dinner catered by Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen. Register by March 23. At 290 Dolores St., S.F. Virtual option available. 6 p.m. $72 members, $108 nonmembers; $36 youth ages 5-18; free for children under 5.

Congregation Ner Tamid — Seder led by Rabbi Shana Chandler Leon and Cantor Rudy Hassid. Dinner by Dina’s Kosher Catering with chicken or vegetarian options. Register by March 25. At 1250 Quintara St., S.F. 6 p.m. $35-$85; children under 5 free.

Congregation Emanu-El — Seder for young adults. Vegetarian meal available. At 2 Lake St., S.F. 6-8:30 p.m. $76.

SF Hillel — Seder for college students and community members. Kosher meal available. Location provided with RSVP. 5-8:30 p.m. $5-$54.

Friday | April 3
Or Shalom Jewish Community — Seder. Bring a kosher-for-Passover pescatarian dish serving 8-10 people for potluck dinner, plus wine or grape juice for your household and reusable dishware. Registration closes March 31 or when full. At Unitarian Universalist Center, 1187 Franklin St., S.F. 5-8:30 p.m. Free.

Tuesday | April 7
USF Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice — Seder focusing on social justice, global climate change and environmental justice, in partnership with Dayenu, a Jewish nonprofit confronting the climate crisis. At USF, McLaren Complex, 2130 Fulton St., S.F. 6:30-8 p.m. Free.

EAST BAY

Wednesday | April 1
Chabad of Solano County — Seder. Register by April 1. At Chabad, 770 E. Main St., Vacaville. 7:30 p.m. Second-night seder April 2. $50; $25 children.

Chabad of the Tri-Valley — Seder. At Chabad, 3370 Hopyard Road, Pleasanton. 7:15 p.m. Second-night seder April 2 at 8:30 p.m. $50; $35 children.

Thursday | April 2
Temple Beth Torah — Seder led by Rabbi Sarah Weissman. Deaf interpreter available. Register by April 1. At 42000 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont. 6 p.m. $30 early price before March 24; $36, $15 children 12 and under.

Congregation B’nai Tikvah — Seder. Bring flowers for your table. Register by March 25. At 25 Hillcroft Way, Walnut Creek. 6 p.m. $85 members, $100 guests; $45 member children, $50 guest children.

Congregation B’nai Shalom — Seder led by Rabbi Daniel Stein and Hazzan Sandy Bernstein. Dinner catered by Oakland Kosher Foods; give advance notice of vegan or vegetarian requests by March 27. Register by March 28. At 74 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek. 6-8 p.m. $20-$72, free for children under 6.

Saturday | April 4
Temple Israel of Alameda — Seder. Register by March 27. At 3183 McCartney Road, Alameda. 5 p.m. $60 members, $70 nonmembers, $30 children; free for children under 10.

Tri-Valley Cultural Jews — Secular humanist Passover seder with potluck dinner. Register by March 27. Location in Livermore provided with registration. 5 p.m. Free for members, $25 suggested for nonmembers. RSVP: CulturalJews@gmail.com or (925) 399-8029.

Temple Beth Hillel — Seder with dinner (vegan option available). Bring a kosher dessert to share. At 801 Park Central, Richmond. 5:30 p.m. $15-$75.

Beyt Tikkun — Seder led by Rabbi Cat Zavis and musical director Ami Goodman. Catered Sephardic-inspired vegetarian dinner (gluten-free and nut-free options available). At First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St., Oakland, plus online option. 4 p.m. $18-$95.

NORTH BAY

Wednesday | April 1
Chabad of Central Marin — Seder. Register by March 31. At Best Western Corte Madera, 56 Madera Blvd. 7:30 p.m. $36; $18 children.

Chabad of Marin — Seder led by Rabbi Yisrael and Guila Rice with dinner including fish, brisket and more. Register by March 31. At Chabad, 1150 Idylberry Road, San Rafael. 6:45 p.m. $50.

Chabad of Mill Valley — Seder with catered dinner and children’s play area. Register by March 29. Location provided with registration. 7:15 p.m. $65, $36 children.

Thursday | April 2
Congregation Shir Shalom — Seder and storytelling. (Vegetarian meal available by request.) Register by March 25. At 252 W. Spain St., Sonoma. 5 p.m. $80 members, $150 nonmembers, $18 children 5-13; free for children under 5.

Congregation Beth Ami — Seder led by Rabbi Ron Koas with dinner (fish, dairy, vegetarian options, plus dessert). Register by noon March 31. At 4676 Mayette Ave., Santa Rosa. 6:30 p.m. $40 members, $45 nonmembers, $16-$18 youth, free for children under 6.

Congregation Beth Shalom of Napa Valley — Seder led by Rabbi Niles Goldstein and Gordon Lustig. Register by March 27. At 1455 Elm St., Napa. 5:30-8:30 p.m. $72; $18-$36 youth. Free for children under 5.

SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA

Sunday | March 22
30th Freedom Seder Silicon Valley — Hosted by state Sen. Josh Becker, Assemblymembers Marc Berman and Patrick Ahrens and Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga. Presented by JCRC Bay Area. At Villa Ragusa, 35 S. Second St., Campbell, 5 p.m. $54.

Monday | March 23
Israeli Cultural Connection Women’s Seder — Seder in Hebrew. Bring a dish to share. At Oshman Family JCC, Freidenrich Conference Center, 899 E. Charleston Road, Palo Alto. 7:30-9:30 p.m. $25.

Wednesday | April 1
Oshman Family JCC — Seder with kosher-style vegetarian buffet dinner. At 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 5-7 p.m. $25-$36, free for children under 2.

Thursday | April 2
Temple Emanu-El of San Jose — Seder led by Rabbi Dana Magat and Cantor Leah Shafritz. Kosher meal catered by Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen. Register by March 25. At 1010 University Ave., San Jose. 6-9 p.m. $54 members, $72 nonmembers, $36 children 5-10, free for children under 5.

Congregation Beth Am — Seder led by Rabbi Art Nemitoff and executive director Jeremy Ragent with dinner and discussion. Register by March 29. At 26790 Arastradero Road, Los Altos Hills. 5:45-8 p.m. $54 members, $72 nonmembers, $25 children; free for children under 3.

Peninsula Sinai Congregation — Seder with catered kosher meal. Register by March 30. At 499 Boothbay Ave., Foster City. 5:30-8 p.m. $69 members, $89 nonmembers, $49-$59 children; free for children under.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Wednesday | April 1
North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation — Seder with kosher-style dinner including salmon, gefilte fish, chicken thighs, tsimmes, garlic-truffle mashed potatoes, with vegan and vegetarian options available. At 7000 Latone Ave., Tahoe Vista. 5-8 p.m. $5-$135.

Thursday | April 2
Temple Bat Yam — Seder with dinner including matzah ball soup, gefilte fish, buffet dinner and dessert. At 3260 Pioneer Trail, South Lake Tahoe. 5:30 p.m. $50-$110.

Passover, the holiday of freedom, begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 1. Seders themselves are often kid-friendly, but Bay Area Jewish groups are offering a number of activities before, during and even after the holiday that are designed to delight, involve and educate children.

Saturday | March 21
Passover Tot Shabbat — Families with children up to age 4 are invited to celebrate Shabbat and Passover and create a seder plate to take home. At Temple Israel of Alameda, 3183 Mecartney Road, Alameda. 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free.

Sunday | March 22
Passover Puppet Show — Holiday performance for kids with crafts and snacks. Presented in partnership with Yavneh Day School, PJ Library, Prizmah and Harold Grinspoon Foundation. At Yavneh Day School, 14855 Oka Road, Los Gatos. 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free.

Passover Mitzvah Makers — Assemble gift bags with Passover essentials and treats for individuals, families and seniors across the Bay Area. At JFCS San Mateo, 2001 Winward Way Suite 200. 1-2:30 p.m. $18-$36 suggested donation to JFCS foodbank. 

¡Cantamos! Passover — Spanish and Jewish music and dancing with Verónica Freidkes from Olamim, with snacks and Passover gift bags. Presented by Jewish Baby Network and JCC East Bay. Registration required, limited to 15 families. At JCC, 1414 Walnut St., Berkeley. 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Free.

Sunday Fun Day — Families with young children are invited to enjoy arts and crafts, dancing, puppets, Passover songs and a take-home gift bag. At JCC San Francisco, 3200 California St., S.F. 3:30-5 p.m. Free.

Sunday | March 29
Passover Family Festival — Urban Adamah and PJ Library present an outdoor, hands-on celebration with activities, crafts and treats. At 1151 Sixth St., Berkeley. 4-5:30 p.m. $9-$36, sliding scale.

“Silly Singing Seder” — Jewish Baby Network and Congregation Etz Chayim invite families with children 5 and under to celebrate Passover with songs, crafts and inspiration for kid-friendly seders. At 4161 Alma St., Palo Alto. 10:15 a.m. Free.

Friday | April 3
Tot Shabbat: Passover — Music, crafts, snacks for families with children up to age 5. At Congregation Beth Am, 26790 Arastradero Road, Los Altos Hills. Free, registration required. Free.

Saturday | April 4
Tawonga Family Passover — Outdoor celebration for families with kids ages 4-10 (siblings welcome) with activities. Location in Berkeley provided with registration. 3:15-5:30 p.m. $36-$108.

Sunday | April 5
Family Passover Seder — Chochmat HaLev invites families to celebrate with separate experiences for ages 12 and under and for 12 and up followed by catered dinner. At 2215 Prince St., Berkeley. 2-5 p.m. $36-$90.

Saturday | April 18
Passover Fun Night — Kids’ celebration with hands-on creative activity, dinner and movie. At Peninsula JCC, 800 Foster City Blvd., Foster City. 5-9 p.m. $45-85.

So much happens in our community every day that it can be hard to sift through all of the events. We’re highlighting a few here, in every corner of the Jewish Bay Area, to get you started. You can find many more in J.’s online calendar. If you have a community event you’d like to share, go to J.’s “submit a calendar event” page.

SAN FRANCISCO

Thursday | March 26
All-Girl Swing Bands & Female Entertainers: WWII — Learn about female musicians who entertained soldiers at home and overseas. At JCC San Francisco, 3200 California St. 1-2:30 p.m. Free. 

Saturday | March 28
“Our Class” — Opening night of an award-winning play about a wartime massacre of Jews by their neighbors in a small Polish village. At Z Space, 450 Florida St., 7:30 p.m. Recommended for ages 16 and up. Through April 5. Post-performance discussion after 1:30 p.m. March 29 show with descendants of Jedwabne pogrom, moderated by director Igor Golyak, and after 7:30 p.m. April 3 show with Golyak and Carey Perloff. $68 and up. 

NORTH BAY

Saturday | March 21
“Identity and its Discontents” — New York-based playwright Rabbi Kendell Pinkney discusses culture and community as a Black Jew. At Congregation Rodef Sholom, 170 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael. 4-5:30 p.m. Free. 

Tuesday | March 24
“Unlearning Jewish Anxiety” — Rabbi Caryn Aviv discusses her new book subtitled “How to Live with More Joy and Suffer Less.” At Congregation Ner Shalom, 85 La Plaza, Cotati. Virtual option. 7-8:15 p.m. $11-$21. 

EAST BAY

Sunday | March 22
¡Cantamos! Passover — Spanish and Jewish music and dancing with Verónica Freidkes from the Latin-Jewish family program Olamim, with snacks and Passover gift bags. Presented by Jewish Baby Network and JCC East Bay. Registration required, limited to 15 families. At JCC East Bay, 1414 Walnut St., Berkeley. 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Free. 

Tuesday | March 24
“Jews in Music” — Sing-along with Hazzan Sandy Bernstein and band as they play music written or made famous by Jews. Includes raffle ticket for “Jews in Music” painting. At Congregation B’nai Shalom, 74 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek. 7 p.m. $36 adults, $18 for ages 14-17, ages 13 and under free. 

PENINSULA/SOUTH BAY

Sunday | March 22
JCRC Bay Area’s Freedom Seder Silicon Valley — Hosted by state Sen. Josh Becker, state Assemblymembers Marc Berman and Patrick Ahrens and Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga. Organized by Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area. At Villa Ragusa, 35 S. Second St., Campbell, 5 p.m. $54. 

A Dialogue of Voice and Piano — Singer Svetlana Portnyansky and pianist Sergey Chipenko perform pop, jazz and world music. At Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 7 p.m. $43-$75. 

So much happens in our community every day that it can be hard to sift through all of the events. We’re highlighting a few here, in every corner of the Jewish Bay Area, to get you started. You can find many more in J.’s online calendar. If you have a community event you’d like to share, go to J.’s “submit a calendar event” page.

SAN FRANCISCO

Sunday | March 15
JCRC Bay Area’s San Francisco Freedom Seder — Hosted by S.F. City Attorney David Chiu and Congregation Beth Sholom Rabbi Amanda Russell. Organized by Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area. At Fort Mason Center, Gateway Pavilion, Pier 2, S.F. 5-7:30 p.m. $96. 

Miriam’s Seder — Passover seder inspired by Miriam the prophet. For female and nonbinary-identifying adults and kids (third grade and up), plus nursing infants. At Peninsula Sinai Congregation, 499 Boothbay Ave., Foster City. 2-4 p.m. Members free; nonmembers $18-$36. 

Tuesday | March 17
“Create Your Own Meaningful Seder” — Interactive DIY workshop with Rabbi Batshir Torro, senior Jewish educator at JCC of San Francisco. Learn how to design your own Passover seder and make different styles of haroset. At JCCSF, 3200 California St., S.F. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. 

NORTH BAY

Sunday | March 22
“Embracing Our Neighbors: Immigrant Stories and How to Help” — Community members speak about the impact of federal immigration raids and policies affecting people’s ability to work, access health care and send their children to school. Plus concrete ways to help. At Congregation Shomrei Torah, 2600 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa. 1-3 p.m. Virtual option. Free. 

Fighting Antisemitism in the Bay Area — Maya Bronicki, education director for the Bay Area Jewish Coalition, discusses antisemitism in schools and ways to respond through the political system. At Congregation Beth David, 19700 Prospect Road, Saratoga. 10-11:30 a.m. Free. 

EAST BAY

Wednesday | March 18
“The Wise Parent Within Us” — Workshop with coach Elana Reinin exploring parenting styles and tools to empower families. Co-sponsored by Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley, Beth Jacob Congregation in Oakland, JCC East Bay’s Edah program and Oakland Hebrew Day School. At 5500 Redwood Road, Oakland. 7:30-9 p.m. Free; registration required. 

Sunday | March 22
¡Cantamos! Passover — Spanish and Jewish music and dancing with Verónica Freidkes from the Latin-Jewish family program Olamim, with snacks and Passover gift bags. Presented by Jewish Baby Network and JCC East Bay. Registration required, limited to 15 families. At JCC East Bay, 1414 Walnut St., Berkeley. 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Free. 

PENINSULA/SOUTH BAY

Thursday | March 19
Women’s Seder — Oshman Family JCC Passover celebration for women with vegetarian kosher-style dinner, storytelling and music. At OFJCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. 6:30-8:30 p.m. $36. Registration closes March 16 at 3 p.m. 

Sunday | March 22
JCRC Bay Area’s Freedom Seder Silicon Valley — Hosted by state Sen. Josh Becker, state Assemblymembers Marc Berman and Patrick Ahrens and Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga. Organized by Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area. At Villa Ragusa, 35 S. Second St., Campbell, 5 p.m. $54. 

Moadim l’simcha! I hope you’re enjoying this week of matzah and beautiful cherry blossoms flowering all over San Francisco. 

As we emerge from winter and begin to enjoy warmer weather and daffodils, we find ourselves in the middle of the holiday that reminds us of the miracle of our exodus from slavery. It is the foundation myth of our people, the story that most forms our identity as the Jewish people. Freedom is core to our understanding of our own responsibilities in the world. We are reminded to appreciate the great blessing of our freedom — and to work to bring it to others.

Just a week ago, we were preparing for the seders: cleaning the house, looking for crumbs of leavened food (chametz), preparing matzah ball soup and stocking up on our favorite holiday foods. Every year, the preparation for the holiday is a big undertaking, physically and spiritually. I was particularly fascinated with the age-old search for chametz this year. My interest drew me to reread some passages with fun imagery in the Talmud. 

As I studied from Pesachim, I read many inquiries that involved animals in a discussion about the search for chametz. For example, we are not obligated to look for bread crusts in holes where there might be scorpions. If a mouse walks into a house with a loaf of bread in its mouth, what must the owner do? And my favorite, “If there is a loaf in the mouth of a snake, is one required to hire a charmer to remove it?” These colorful inquiries give us lots to contemplate, as we form images of these examples in our minds. 

Ultimately, many of the examples that the rabbis give in the Talmud conclude with “Let them stand unresolved.” This means there is only so much one must do to fulfill an obligation. We can’t think up every possible scenario. Our obligation is to clean our homes and remove as much chametz as is reasonably possible. And we must learn from the task as we go about it.

Finding every last crumb is not the concern of the rabbis (though they do expect a serious search). Rather, the preparing of our own selves for a retelling of the story of our freedom is what is necessary. The spirit of the law instructs us to appreciate and honor the great gift of freedom that God gave to our people.

Traditionally, the corners of our homes are investigated with a candle and feather for any crumbs that might have escaped our real cleaning of the cabinets and drawers. This intentional act allows us to be sure that we are ready to observe Pesach.

We are half a year away from the Yamim Noraim, the High Holidays, and our tradition asks us to spiritually cleanse our lives again. It’s as if the rabbis of old are telling us that many months have gone by and we may have allowed crumbs — physical or spiritual — to accumulate in corners where we don’t often look, such as the corners of our souls. 

The Ten Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur allow a grace period for us to be absolutely sure we’ve done the work necessary to enter into Yom Kippur. One might think that Rosh Hashanah is truly the beginning of a new year: Out with the old, in with the new! But our rabbis teach that we don’t necessarily finish our work by the time Rosh Hashanah begins. Similarly, all of the preparation for Pesach is done way in advance — often beginning right after Purim. But the last hours before the holiday give us an opportunity to look one last time. To be sure we’re ready. Dusting the corners with a feather and then burning any crumbs of chametz that we find allows for one final chance to say, “Yes! I’m ready for Pesach!”

Why do we need this second chance? Once the holiday begins with the seders, the telling of our story and the weeklong matzah lasagna party, we are busy. The pre-Pesach prep allows us to reflect on why we are observing this holiday. We ask ourselves: Are we free? What enslaves us? Who is not free? How can we help? 

Our deepest-held Jewish values are central to Pesach. We remember how we became a people who could make our own choices. The matzah reminds us of what life would still be like, if not for the miracle that took us from slavery to freedom. We eat the matzah throughout the week to keep thinking of the story. 

In my family growing up, one of our favorite Passover traditions was making matzah s’mores. We made them joyfully over our electric stove all week long. They reminded us of our freedom… and they were delicious!

My first year of college in New York, I went home with a friend for Pesach — to Woodmere, one of the Five Towns on Long Island. Her family was very observant and before I walked in the door, her father helped me check the pockets of my backpack and the hem of my pants to make sure there was no chametz that I had overlooked. I had never done that before. That final act before I crossed the threshold into their Pesach-ready house has stayed with me all of these years. I knew I was ready for the retelling of our story when I entered the house.

There are only so many times we can sit through a seder and cry to “Deliver Us” before the magic of Passover wears off. Below are 10 ideas for keeping kids interested and engaged in the holiday, divided into DIY projects to do at home and road trip-worthy activities to do out and about.

Out and about

Hike Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes aka “The City of the Pharaoh”

Did you know that a little slice of Sinai is hidden just a few hours south of San Francisco? In addition to being the largest coastal sand dunes in the world, this beach holds century-old Hollywood artifacts from one of the most famous Passover films. In 1923, pioneer filmmaker Cecil. B. DeMille built the largest set in movie history, an entire replica Egyptian city, in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes for his silent Technicolor epic “The Ten Commandments.” After filming was complete, DeMille ordered that the entire set be dismantled and secretly buried in the sand, where it lay hidden for decades. While efforts began in the 1980s to locate the set, it wasn’t until 2012 that archeologists exhumed a sphinx head (the body was found in 2014). In addition to hiking through the rolling sand dunes and imagining them as the Egyptian desert, visitors can see the now 102-year-old artifacts on display at the Dunes Center.

Paint a seder plate at Color Me Mine

Color Me Mine in Alameda has three Passover pottery projects available for painting, including a seder plate. No reservations are needed. Just bring the kids and have them create an heirloom that can be used at seders for years to come.

Visit The Magnes

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life in Berkeley was one of the first Jewish museums in the United States and regularly features changing exhibits in addition to its permanent collection. The current exhibit, “In Plain Sight: Jewish Arts and Lives in the Muslim World,” features artifacts from Jewish communities from North India to Spain, including ritual Passover objects.

Visit the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

A bit on the more esoteric side, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose is home to the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts on exhibit in western North America. The museum offers the opportunity to explore a model tomb and see everyday objects. And while not Jewish in the slightest, this is Silicon Valley, so of course there is an AI robot of the ancient Egyptian god Thoth visitors can ask questions and interact with (perhaps a teachable moment about the exact kind of idolatry forbidden in the Ten Commandments).

See the real Ten Commandments Scroll

Although this exhibit is in Simi Valley, it’s worth a plane, train or car ride to see an important piece of Jewish history. The scroll, discovered in 1952 in Qumran Cave 4 as part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, contains Deuteronomy 8:5-10 and Deuteronomy 5:1-6:1. It is believed to be the oldest existing copy of the Ten Commandments and is permitted for display only two weeks every two years due to strict preservation and conservancy rules. The scroll was last on tour in the U.S. in 2013 and it has never been displayed before in California. The Reagan Library is the only museum in the state where it can be viewed until April 24.

At home

Give a midrash manicure

We have 10 fingers and there are 10 plagues in the Passover story. Coincidence? We think not! You can paint the plagues yourself or you can purchase a decal set that includes frogs, flies, locusts and more to turn a DIY spa day into an opportunity to discuss the plagues, from their symbolism in the story to plausibility of actually having happened. Time Magazine has an article exploring three scientific theories that aim to explain the plagues that’s a great conversation starter for older kids.

Make a matzah house

We don’t know for sure where this idea started, but Martha Stewart certainly popularized the project when she and guest Joan Rivers decorated Passover matzah houses with chocolate and other candies on her show in 2014. Have your kids explore their creativity by designing and decorating their own houses, which can look like their Christmas counterparts (like Martha and Joan’s) or they can imagine what Israelite dwellings might have looked like – or anything else they can think of!

Matzah sensory bin

A sensory bin is simply a container filled with materials that stimulate a child’s senses, encouraging hands-on exploration and play for young kids and toddlers. Crush up your leftover matzah and add themed items like plastic “wild beast” figurines (like the plague), measuring spoons, seder plates, Elijah’s cup and whatever else you have on hand.

Make an afikomen bag

For many kids, the highlight of the seder is searching for the afikomen, a special piece of matzah that is hidden during the meal. The afikomen is often placed inside a decorative bag before it is hidden. PJ Library has a tutorial for making a simple afikomen bag, but the craft can be as elaborate as desired depending on kids’ ages and skill level.

Build a sugar cube storage city

As part of the Israelites’ forced labor under the Pharaoh, they built the “supply cities” of Pitom and Ramses. Use leftover charoset (and maybe some glue) as mortar and sugar cubes as bricks to recreate models of the kinds of buildings mentioned in Exodus.

(JTA) — Last Passover, Agam Berger marked the holiday in the small, dim room in Gaza where she was being held hostage. With her fellow soldier Liri Albag, she used a makeshift haggadah to recount the story of the ancient Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt.

Yarden Bibas, meanwhile, reminisced from where he was being held captive about the joyful celebration his family had once enjoyed, clinging to hope that he would be reunited with his wife and children by this year’s holiday.

All three were released during a two-month ceasefire earlier this year and are marking Passover’s arrival by calling for the dozens of hostages who remain in Gaza to be freed.

“While I will celebrate this holiday with my family, it won’t yet be full,” Berger wrote in an essay published in the Wall Street Journal. “There are 59 hostages still held in Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive. This is their second Passover in chains of iron. We can’t allow a third.”

Bibas returned to the devastating news that his wife and young sons had been murdered in captivity. “I am here and so thankful for this but am struggling to celebrate when I still haven’t processed what I have lost and when I know that David is still in a tunnel,” he wrote Friday on Instagram, referring to his best friend David Cunio, who remains a hostage.

The holiday arrives amid renewed fighting in Gaza and few signs of an impending deal that might result in the release of the remaining hostages. While President Donald Trump said on Thursday that negotiators were “getting closer” to such a deal, CNN reported this week that the pace of talks has slowed since Israeli officials retook the lead from U.S. officials.

Now, Jews worldwide are preparing to leave seats empty at their tables to symbolize the hostages’ plight, or share the stories of hostages during their seders, for the second straight year.

“Every abductee has a family that sits around the table on the night of the seder with tears in their eyes and a broken heart,” wrote Shir Siegel, whose father Keith was released in January, on Instagram as she encouraged others to set a place for a hostage.

“There are small things that families and friends do that will make them feel that they are not alone. And this is perhaps the greatest thing we can do for them,” she wrote, noting that her family would be setting a place for Nimrod Cohen, a soldier captured from his tank.

Cohen’s mother Viki is the illustrator behind a new children’s haggadah that incorporates symbols of individual hostages — the released, the living and the dead. It’s one of several projects meant to bring the stories of the hostages to the seder table, including a new haggadah produced by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main advocacy group for hostages and their families.

A haggadah produced annually by the Israeli artists collaborative Asufa, meanwhile, does not focus on the hostages but alludes quietly to them nonetheless, with two images of seder tables showing yellow chairs like those used in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square and beyond to symbolize the hostages.

For dozens of families who learned since last Passover that their loved ones had been killed on Oct. 7 or in captivity, this year will be the first to mark the holiday with dashed hopes.

“How can we celebrate such a holiday while 133 people are still without their freedom, still waiting to be liberated?” the grandson of one such hostage, Chaim Peri, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency last year. In June, Peri was revealed to have died in February; he was buried in Israeli in August after his body was retrieved.

“There’s something perverse about even going through the motions of celebrating a holiday of freedom from captivity when our only son is not free and is in the worst form of captivity that any of us can imagine. It feels completely inappropriate,” Rachel Goldberg-Polin said last year. Her son Hersh was killed in captivity in August.

This year, Goldberg-Polin spoke about Passover on a podcast hosted by Dan Senor. “I think this year there is one question and one question only, which is: Why are they still there?” she said.

She alluded to a tradition practiced by some Jews to flagellate themselves with green onions at the seder to mimic the whipping endured by the ancient Israelites.

“We have actually an obligation this year to really beat ourselves up at the seder, because the whole point of Passover is it is supposed to be a commemoration of leaving the worst form of bondage and slavery that we ever experienced,” Goldberg-Polin said. “And how can we do that this year when we know that there are 59 people who are still there, 24 of whom are alive — alive and in the worst, most horrific bondage that we can picture? How?”

This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox.

This week, Jews around the world will retell the Passover story. Why? Because, as Exodus 22:20, Exodus 23:9, Deuteronomy 10:9, and Deuteronomy 24:17-18 all state, the memory of our people’s enslavement leads to compassion today. Here’s the version in Exodus 23:9: “You shall not oppress the stranger, because you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

This is the root of ethical monotheism: a shared (if mythic) recognition that we, too, could just as easily be the refugee, the stranger, the “other” — and that, as a result, we have a moral imperative not to oppress the strangers in our midst.

The Torah does not say, “Now that you are free, use your dominant position to ruthlessly dominate other people — after all, they’d do the same to you.” On the contrary, with power comes the commandment to resist that urge, and act with compassion instead.

Contrast all that with this recent statement by one of our nation’s deporters-in-chief, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller:

It’s remarkable how many transgressions of both Jewish and American legal principles are contained in this single sentence.

First, there are the falsehoods. Whatever illegal immigration is, it’s preposterous to describe it as an “invasion.” That’s a legally loaded term, since it justifies the Trump regime’s reliance on the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. It also plays well on the Fox News rage-and-paranoia machine. But it should be obvious what an “invasion” meant in 1798: an actual armed invasion of the new nation by an enemy power, as would soon take place in the War of 1812.

By way of parallel, consider the Jewish laws of war, which carefully delineate between “elective wars” (milchamot reshut) and “mandatory wars” (milchamot mitzvah), with different rules of engagement and duties to enemies. Terms like “invasion” aren’t empty of meaning; they have legal significance and are meant to be used seriously.

This is perhaps Judaism’s most distinctive contribution to Western civilization — the notion that law is part of holiness.

Second, there’s the word “If.” The whole point of due process is to ascertain, in an orderly way, whether someone “illegally invaded our country” or not. As we have already seen, disappearing people off the street and shipping them to a prison camp in El Salvador without any due process inevitably leads to mistakes, in which at least five completely innocent people (it appears) were swept up in the dragnet.

Those people did not do anything wrong. But the only way we can know that — the only way to satisfy the conditional part of Miller’s statement — is to have some judicial process that establishes it. That process may still be flawed; it may still convict innocent people. But it is the essence of democracy as opposed to authoritarianism.

It’s also how the general imperative of “do not oppress a stranger” gets translated into practice. Jewish law does not rest on generalities; in often excruciating detail, it provides for courts, elements of criminal and civil offenses, rules of evidence, and other elements of the due process of law. The memory of Passover becomes the legislation of Shavuot.

This is perhaps Judaism’s most distinctive contribution to Western civilization — the notion that law is part of holiness. It’s not something to be cast aside or mocked. It is how we are meant to live.

Of course, the rule of law also includes immigration laws, and if people break them, they can be held accountable. But that is only true if law enforcement is itself accountable, if there are ways to ensure that innocent people are not wrongly punished; if there is, in other words, due process for everyone present in the country, including those who are here illegally.

“No person shall… be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law,” reads the Fifth Amendment. No person — not no citizen or legal resident. I think Stephen Miller knows this text. He’s just choosing to lie about it.

Finally, there’s the sneering, dismissive tone of Miller’s statement which, itself, transgresses the spirit of Passover. Retelling this same story every year, over and over again; teaching it to our children; expounding, in the traditional Haggadah anyway, on every word in the text — what is it all for? Is it to reaffirm Jewish specialness? To retraumatize us each year with tales of antisemitism and persecution? It certainly can do those things.

But in light of the commandment referenced above, the Seder’s purpose becomes clear. Because really, there are two commandments in Exodus 23:9 and similar verses: not to oppress the stranger, and to know the heart of a stranger by remembering that we, too, were once strangers in Egypt. If we do this work correctly, the Haggadah says, we feel that we ourselves are experiencing the exodus — we feel as though it’s happening to us.

And from that “knowing the heart of the stranger” springs an attitude that is totally opposed to Miller’s cavalier cruelty. Again, this doesn’t mean that we don’t enforce immigration laws. It means that we don’t paint with a broad brush and demonize people, we don’t tear families apart, we don’t delight in the suffering of others (on the contrary, we even spill wine for the deaths of our oppressors), and we don’t ignore the rule of law in the guise of enforcing it.

It is, alas, part of human nature for the strong to oppress the weak, and for groups with power to demonize out-groups. But religion and ethics exist to hold those aspects of human nature in check and cultivate the better angels of our nature. That was true at the Red Sea, it is true around the Seder table, and it ought to be true in the corridors of power as well.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of J. or the Forward, where this article was originally published.

This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox.

Every year at Passover, when Jews around the world recite the Four Questions, we begin by asking, “ma nishtana halaila hazeh mi kol halaylot” — “what makes this night different from all others?” As we approach the Seders of 2025, I think that it’s also appropriate that we ask what makes this year different from all others.

My answer: I fear it might be the last year in which Jews in the United States get to ask the four questions as citizens in a country where any semblance of our fundamental rights and liberties are preserved. The events of the past few weeks under President Donald Trump’s second administration — the migrants deported to El Salvador in apparent defiance of a judge’s orders; the arrests, detainments and deportations of foreign students and researchers; and the alarming capitulation by law firms and universities — all have me deeply worried about the state of U.S. democracy.

Which is why I have decided to hold my my Passover Seder this year in one of the oldest Black churches in Chicago. A church that was once a stop on the Underground Railroad where slaves sought and found refuge on their way to what they hoped would be the promised land.

At times of crisis and uncertainty like this one, I often turn to the past, and think about how my ancestors would respond in similar situations. I know that I come from a long line of strong and resilient people — how could they not have been, to survive the horrors of chattel slavery and the brutality of life under Jim Crow?

As we confront a new era of threats to our freedom, I want to honor them. So I am going to meld one of my precious traditions — Judaism — with another — the legacy of strength and perseverance of my ancestors, who moved to freedom through Underground Railroad stops just like this church.

One Passover, a friend asked me to tell the Black Exodus story, saying they would in turn tell the Jewish one. The two stories are one and the same, I responded. My ancestors were once slaves in the American south and then they came out. Exactly like the children of Israel did thousands of years before them.

I am a Jew who has wandered. From Egypt to Alabama. My people were there.

But there are no holidays that commemorate the struggles of Africans surviving slavery, only to have to endure the dreadful perversion of “freedom” that came with Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era. This kind of freedom was in some ways actually worse than slavery.

Slavery was predictable and straightforward. Yet, the partial freedom that followed it was confusing. Freedom should’ve meant the privileges of full American citizenship, and the right, for Black people, to determine who we would be for ourselves. But that wasn’t what happened. Instead, far too frequently, when Blacks tried to embrace the idea of freedom and behaved as they believed free people did, their efforts were met with harsh rebukes, violence, and sometimes even lynching.

This is why I believe that that Passover should celebrate human freedom broadly, as well as the Jewish story particularly, and to remember how precarious liberty truly is. Especially now.

After all, we will all suffer from a crackdown on our freedom. Yet I worry that we are too busy focusing on our internal divisions to recognize the extent of the threat we all face.

“I hope that this won’t be an exercise in Israel-bashing,” an Orthodox Jewish invitee to my Seder wrote to me. And a Muslim friend wrote that she hoped that the Seder would include an acknowledgement about the “ongoing genocide” in Gaza.

This is not the first event that I’ve planned, since the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023 unleashed a devastating war, at which I’ve felt like those attending intend, consciously or otherwise, to treat how I relate to Israel as a litmus test for how Jewish or how Black I am.

Too many white Jews, who already question my Judaism, insist that I publicly stand with Israel, right or wrong. Likewise, a lot of the people in my diverse Chicago community expect me to stand with the Palestinians, who they view as an oppressed minority, just like they are.

For nearly 18 months, I and many others have been trying to walk a fine line between these two positions. But not every Jewish event is or should be about the war in Gaza. And when we put that issue above all others, we eliminate the possibility of building a strong coalition to fight the authoritarianism that appears increasingly sure to come for all of us, right here at home.

In 2025, the stakes are too high for us to remain divided. And Passover is an ideal time for us to remember who we are, and what we believe in.

The brand of Judaism I practice is one that I believe could help many people understand how much we are joined, across our differences, by our shared fight to secure and preserve our freedom. Americans in the inner cities, the ones who will be hurt the most by the elimination of the social safety net and the erosion of our civil liberties, need to know that the Passover story is their story too.

My Judaism tells me that this Passover, in this year unlike all other years, is our God given opportunity to build a movement for resistance. The world needs Passover, now. We’ve never been this close to going back to Egypt.

So, I’m sorry, we won’t be discussing Palestine or Israel at my Seder. We won’t be focusing on the things that divide us. We’ll be too busy figuring out how to stay free.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of J. or the Forward, where this article was originally published.