PJ Library
Passover Guide
速 OF SILICON VALLEY
J E W I S H FA M I LY S E RV I C E S O F S I LI C O N VA LLE Y
project NOAH . . . . No One Abandoned Here “Let all who are hungry come and eat.” Help JFS collect and distribute Passover Food to families and seniors in our community. Food barrels will be placed March 10 – 25 at partnering organizations listed below. We appreciate your contributions of the following wrapped Kosher for Passover 2015 food items: Gefilte fish Horseradish Jam Candies Matzoh Ball Soup Mix Latke Mix Potato starch Grape juice
pass over food drive
Matzoh Ball Soup in a Jar Matzoh Macaroons Cookies Dried Fruit (pre-bagged or pre-boxed) Matzoh Meal Cake Meal Tea
N.O.A.H. Project NOAH Passover Food Drive is a project of Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley.
We appreciate our Passover Food Drive partners: Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley, Addison-Penzak JCC, APJCC Preschool, Congregation Beth David, Congregation Sinai, Congregation Shir Hadash, Temple Emanu-El, South Peninsula Hebrew Day School, and Yavneh Day School
The Story of Passover By Eleanor Weber Dickman The eight-day festival of Passover is celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan, corresponding this year to Friday, April 3 through April 11, 2015. Just as the warming of the days warms our hearts, we are glad once again to remember the miracle of freedom which we were given in ancient days. We were freed from slavery in the land of Egypt after a series of amazing events convinced an evil Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave their bondage and seek freedom in a new land. Our “Exodus” was not easy. Our prophet Moses pleaded with Pharaoh many times to “let the people go.” Ten plagues, with greater and greater devastation, afflicted the Egyptians, while saving the Israelites from disaster. It took a horrible sorrow – the killing of all the first-born of Egypt – to pierce Pharaoh’s arrogance and to convince him to “let the people go.” G-d promised the Israelites that they would be freed, and thus began the journey of the Jews to their “promised land.” Given their freedom, the Israelites left the land of their bondage quickly. In their haste, they did not even wait for their bread to rise before they departed to begin the march to Mount Sinai, where Moses would be given the Torah and the people Israel would promise allegiance to this all-powerful G-d. Every year, we observe Passover by reading this story anew – celebrating our deliverance with food, song, and renewed joy in our religious freedom. To remember the hardships experienced by the new Jewish nation, we limit our choice of food for eight days, refraining from eating chametz – leavened foods such as bread, cereal, and pasta. In preparation, we clean our homes with vigor to rid ourselves of “chametz.” In some homes, families take a feather and spoon to search for bits of chametz to help us ensure that our quest is thorough and successful. We begin our celebration with the First Seder – a celebratory meal that enriches the food we eat with tradition, devotion, and a sense of history that unites us to our ancestors. Before we eat our meal, we follow several very specific holiday rituals: • We eat matzah to remind us of the haste with which we left Egypt. • We eat bitter herbs to remind us of the bitterness of the slavery we endured in the land of Pharaoh. • We drink four cups of wine (grape juice for the kids!) to celebrate each phase of our liberation and to enjoy our freedom. • We recite the “Haggadah,” the special liturgy that recalls the story of the Exodus from Egypt in great detail. We ensure that our children enjoy this festival by engaging them fully in the rituals and special foods on our Seder Plates. As we eat, we read the story of our Exodus and celebrate our joy in achieving such precious freedom. We hide the “Afikomen,” the last piece of matzah to be eaten at this meal, which, when found by giggling, lively children, can be redeemed for small gifts. We sing special holiday songs, we celebrate our freedom, we shower our family with affection, and we have lots of fun! “Chag Sameach!” we say. “Happy Holiday!” May your Pesach 5775 recall the nearly 6,000 years since the Jews became a People, and may your family keep the joy of this holiday in health and happy Jewish identity for many years to come!
Upcoming events for young children at the JCC: • Yad B’Yad Shabbat, playtime for ages 0-2 years with a parent or caregiver, Fridays mornings 4/17-5/29. There is a fee. Call 408.357.7417. • “Take Your Parents To Play” Day. Like “Take Your Child To Work” day, but in reverse. Sunday 5/17 at the APJCC Preschool. Free. Call 408.357.7417. 14855 Oka Road Los Gatos, CA 95032
• Octopretzel at the Silicon Valley Jewish Music Festival, Sunday 6/28. More info: www.SiliconValleyJCC.org/music Thanks to the Merage JCC in Orange County for this Passover image.
Passover “Forgotten” Macaroons By Jamie Geller Prep Time: 14 minutes Cook Time: 8 hours Yield: 2 dozen 2 egg whites ¾ cup sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups shredded coconut 1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray 2 cookie sheets with non-stick baking spray. 2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until they stand in stiff peaks, then continue to beat as you add the sugar gradually. Don’t worry if the sugar doesn’t dissolve completely. 3. Beat in salt and vanilla. Stir in the coconut. Drop mixture by mounds from a teaspoon onto prepared cookie sheets. Place in the oven and turn it off. Leave the macaroons overnight. 4. In the morning, remove from cookie sheets. Tip: You can dip them in high-quality melted dark chocolate if you like.
Happy Passover! Yavneh Day School students bring the ancient story of Passover to life through critical thinking, artistic exploration and social activism. These unique interactive experiences enable students to walk in the footsteps of their ancestors, transforming the past into the future and building their Jewish identity alongside global responsibility.
Warm, inclusive community
#100 Los Gatos, CA 95032 chool.org (408) 984.6700
Art and music in every grade
Strong academic environment with a focus on each child’s potential
Hands-on science and Singapore math
STEAM: interdisciplinary project-based work
Emphasis on social justice Hebrew language
Physical education and after school sports
For more information, or to schedule a tour, please contact 408-984-6700
www.yavnehdayschool.org
Sing-a-long Passover Song
(to the tune of “These are a few of my favorite things”) Cleaning and cooking and so many dishes Out with the hametz, no pasta, no knishes Fish that’s gefillted, horseradish that stings These are a few of our passover things. Matzoh and karpas and chopped up haroset Shankbones and kiddish and yiddish neuroses Tante who kvetches and uncle who sings These are a few of our Passover things. Motzi and maror and trouble with Pharoahs Famines and locusts and slaves with wheelbarrows Matzah balls floating and eggshell that cling These are a few of our Passover things. When the plagues strike When the lice bite When we’re feeling sad We simply remember our Passover things And then we don’t feel so bad.
Take Us out of Egypt
(sung to the tune of Take me out to the ball game”) Take us out of Egpyt Free us from slavery Bake us some matzah in a haste Don’t worry ‘bout flavor-Give no thought to taste. Oh it’s rush, rush, rush, to the Red Sea If we don’t cross it’s a shame For it’s ten plagues, Down and you’re out At the Pessah history game.
Just a Tad of Haroset
(to the tune of “Just a spoon full of sugar”) Chorus: Just a tad of haroset helps the bitter herbs go down, The bitter herbs go down, the bitter herbs go down. Just a tad of Charoset helps the bitter herbs go down, In the most disguising way. Oh, back in Egypt long ago, The Jews were slaves under Pharaoh They sweat and toiled and labored through the day. So when we gather Pesach night, We do what we think right. Maror, we chew, To feel what they went through. Chorus So after years of slavery They saw no chance of being free. Their suffering was the only life they knew. But baby Moses grew up tall, And said he’d save them all. He did, and yet, We swear we won’t forget. That...... Chorus While the Maror is being passed, We all refill our water glass, Preparing for the taste that turns us red. Although Maror seems full of minuses, It sure does clear our sinuses. But what’s to do? It’s hard to be a Jew!!! Chorus
Read
Passover Books from PJ Library®
BABY & TODDLER BOOKS (6 months–2 years old)
Afikomen Mambo by Rabbi Joe Black, illustrated by Linda Prater Dayenu: A Favorite Passover Song illustrated by Miriam Latimer Dinosaur on Passover by Diane Levin Rauchwerger, illustrated by Jason Wolff Hoppy Passover! by Linda Glaser, illustrated by Daniel Howarth
PRESCHOOL & KINDERGARTEN (3–5 years old)
Izzy and the Whiz and Passover McClean by Yael Mermelstein, illustrated by Carrie Hartman The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Paul Meisel The Matzo Ball Boy by Lisa Shulman, illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger Nachshon, Who Was Afraid to Swim by Deborah Bodin Cohen, illustrated by Jago Passover Magic by Roni Schotter, illustrated by Marylin Hafner
EARLY ELEMENTARY (6–8 years old)
The Elijah Door by Linda Leopold Strauss, illustrated by Alexi Nachev Let My People Go! by Tilda Balsley, illustrated by Ilene Richard The Longest Night by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Chatia Chien Miriam’s Cup: A Passover Story by Fran Menushkin, illustrated by Bob Dacey Passover Around the World by Tami Lehman-Wilzig, illustrated by Elizabeth Wolf
For more book recommendations, visit Jconnect.org/PJLibrary
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Seventh Night Seder April 9, 6PM at Shir Hadash. A family friendly, relaxed Seder for one and all will feature delicious food, informal learning and activities for the kids. Adults $27, Under 5 $10. Registration at Shirhadash.org DRUMM Tot Shabbat April 25, 10AM at Shir Hadash Join us for a very special Tot Shabbat with DRUMMM (drummm.com). Watch a performance and get handson with the drums. Connect to services in a whole new way. Toddlerfriendly Shabbat service, snacks, and drumming! Free. RSVP at Shirhadash.org Congregation Shir Hadash 20 Cherry Blossom Lane Los Gatos CA 95032 www.shirhadash.org
Sephardic Style Haroset Max Falkowitz EDITOR OF SERIOUS EATS: NEW YORK YIELD: makes about 4 cups ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: food processor 1 1/2 cups red wine (recommended: cabernet sauvignon or Manischewitz) 1 pound (2 1/2 cups) red raisins 8 ounces (1 1/2 cups) dried dates, chopped fine 4 ounces (3/4 cup) dried apricots, chopped fine 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste 8 ounces (1 1/2 cups) roasted almonds 1 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional) Procedures 1. Bring wine to a light simmer on medium heat, then stir in fruit and spices. Cook uncovered until fruit is well hydrated and wine has reduced to a thick syrup, about 15 minutes. Add salt to taste and set aside. 2. In a food processor, roughly chop almonds in short pulses. There should be no whole almonds remaining; a mix of large chunks and small crumbs is preferable. Remove almonds from food processor and transfer to a large mixing bowl. 3. Add fruit mixture to food processor and pulse until fruit just begins to come together into a paste, 2 to 3 one-second pulses. Do not overprocess—large chunks of fruit should be intact. 4. Transfer fruit to mixing bowl and combine well with almonds. Stir in orange blossom water and additional salt if needed. Flavor of haroset will improve over time. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Making A Kid-Friendly Seder by Devorah Katz
One of the biggest challenges of the Seder night is keeping your children engaged and excited throughout the Seder. Especially in the Internet Age, when kids are used to constant stimulation, it seems almost unfair to demand that your child sit through hours upon hours of divrei Torah. Keep in mind that the more involved your child is in the planning of the Seder, the more he or she will want to take an active role. Below are a few tips on how to keep the kids involved during the Seder: • Make a family Haggadah. Using a binder, create a family Haggadah that you can add to each year. Weeks or even months before Pesach, have your younger children act out parts of the Haggadah; take photographs and include them in the Haggadah. Your children can dress up as the Four Sons, or they can reenact the Ten Plagues or the miraculous departure from Egypt. Older children can add their divrei Torah to the Haggadah. You can also include drawings and art projects your children have done in school. • Digital frames. A few days before yom tov, take pictures of your kids acting out parts of the Haggadah. Put the digital frame somewhere near the dining room table and let it run through the night. • Set up chavrutot. A week or two before the Seder, pair off older participants of your Seder with younger ones. Have each chavruta prepare a devar Torah for the Seder. This is also a great opportunity for grandparents and grandchildren to bond. • Seder Plate Discovery Zone. Before or during the Seder, invite your children to a Seder Plate Discovery Zone. Encourage your younger children to feel, hold and learn about each item on the Seder plate. You can ask them to explain what they learned in previous years about the Seder plate.
children’s projects figure prominently. The more they feel they have contributed to the Seder table, the more excited they will be to participate. • Pick a theme for your Seder. Focus on one idea in the Haggadah each year. For example, if you have younger children, you may want to focus on animals. Place plastic animals on the table and direct your children’s attention to the plagues that have animals in them. Encourage older children to help you pick a theme and to prepare divrei Torah related to it. • Keep your children engaged with different activities throughout theSeder. Create a bingo board. Each child can get a different bingo board at the start of the Seder with words (or pictures for those too young to read) mentioned throughout the Seder. Give out candy to be placed on the board when the word is mentioned. When your child fills the board, he gets to eat the candy! Involve the older children by asking them to make the bingo boards. • Make place cards for your guests. While younger children can decorate the cards with your guests’ names, older children can write a thought-provoking question on the back of the place card related to the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim. Have your guests read their questions at different points throughout the Seder to facilitate discussion. • Encourage your children to pick out a Haggadah they want to use at the Seder. Place post-it notes throughout their Hagaddot offering fun facts or interesting questions to help keep them on their toes. • Kids get hungry and cranky. Make sure to serve a big meal erev Pesach. Additionally, create edible centerpieces on the Seder table so that young children can easily grab for some fresh veggies and snack throughout the Seder. You can also make individual “goody bags” and place one next to each child’s plate. The bag could contain some candy, snacks and even a few small toys to keep them entertained during slower parts of the Seder.
• Create a space to display your children’s artwork. Devorah Katz is founder and editor of www. There is so much that goes on a Seder table– the Seder challahcrumbs.com, a web site for Jewish families. plate, matzot, Kiddush cups. Make sure that your
Temple Emanu-El’s Second Night Seder Saturday, April 4, 2015 at 5:00 PM
It’s time to read from the Haggadah, enjoy a warm seder and have a joyous time with your friends, family and loved ones at Temple Emanu-El as we explore the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Passover dinner served; bring your own wine. Vegetarian meals available upon request. Everyone is welcome so bring everyone you know. Reserve your seat(s) online at www.templesanjose.org or mail in a check with the completed form below to: Temple Emanu-El 1010 University Ave. San Jose, CA 95126 Questions? Please call us at (408) 292-0939 Name: _________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Phone: ___________________________________________ # of Temple Members ________ x $38 = $__________ # of Non-Member _________ x $45 = $__________ # of Children (ages 5-10) ______ x $20 = $_______ # of Children (4 and under) ______ = Free, we just need a count. Total Enclosed: $___________
Multi-Lingual Mah Nishtanah (Four Questions) English
Hebrew
What makes this night different from all [other] nights?
Mah nishtanah halyla hazeh mikol halaylot
1) On all nights we need not dip even once, on this night we do so twice? 2) On all nights we eat chametz or matzah, and on this night only matzah? 3) On all nights we eat any kind of vegetables, and on this night maror? 4) On all nights we eat sitting upright or reclining, and on this night we all recline?
1) She'bechol halaylot ain anu matbilin afilu pa'am echat, halyla hazeh shtei pe'amim? 2) She'bechol halaylot anu ochlim chametz o matza, halyla hazeh kulo maztah? 3) She'bechol halaylot anu ochlim she'ar yerakot, halyla hazeh maror? 4) She'bechol halaylot anu ochlim bain yoshvin bain mesubin, halyla hazeh kulanu mesubin?
Spanish
Russian
¿Qué hace diferente a esta noche de todas las [demás] noches? ¿Ma nishtaná haláila hazé micól haleilót?
Cуществует традиция во время пасхального сэдэра задавать 4 вопроса и эти вопросы должен задавать самый младший из присутствующих за столом детей. Нужно обсудить, чем же отличается сегодняшний вечер от остальных вечеров?
1) En todas las noches no precisamos sumergir ni siquiera una vez, ¡y en esta noche lo hacemos dos veces? ...shebejól haleilót éin ánu matbilín afílu paám eját, haláila hazé shtéi peamím? 2) En todas las noches comemos jametz o matzá, ¡en esta noche solamente matzá? ...shebejól haleilót ánu ojlín jamétz umatzá, haláila hazé kuló matzá? 3) En todas las noches comemos cualquier clase de verdura, ¡esta noche maror? ...shebejól haleilót ánu ojlín sheár ieracót, haláila hazé marór? 4) En todas las noches comemos sentados erguidos o reclinados, ¡esta noche todos nos reclinamos!
1. Во все вечера мы можем есть и хамец и мацу, а в этот вечер только мацу. 2. Во все вечера мы можем есть различные овощи, но в эту ночь только горькую зелень. 3. Во все другие вечера мы не обмакиваем свою еду в солёную воду, а в этот вечер мы делаем это дважды. 4. Во все другие вечера мы можем есть, сидя прямо и облокотившись, а в эту ночь все мы сидим облокотившись на что-либо мягкое. Для того, чтобы ответить почему именно мы так делаем, нужно вспомнить историю праздника Песах.
Passover Greetings May Passover bring joy and fulfillment, inspiring us to repair the world together and enhance the lives of people in Silicon Valley, Israel and around the world.
Chag Sameach! From the Board of Directors and Staff of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley
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