Happy Passover and Happy Easter. So, as the first of the 4 questions at the seder goes, "Why is this night different from all other nights? Well, this year’s holidays sure will be different!
We and many of our friends have arranged family “virtual” seders and upcoming Easter dinners. I’d originally planned to just make some matzo ball soup and we’d eat the chicken from the soup for dinner, but now I’ve really kind of gotten into it. I have the soup cooking on the stove, made the matzo balls and charoses, and am about to make the apricot kugel that is to die for (I’ve posted the recipe on the passiver recipe threads previously) and will make the passover popovers later. Our dau in law emailed a downloadable Haggadah so we canall be on the same page (kveller.com) though I’d bet most of us have the Maxwell House haggadahs at the 6 different houses that will be participating!
This pandemic has brought out wonderful neighborly spirit too. I’d forgotten to get parsley, but had extra parsnips. Two neighbors had extra parsley (one from her garden) and another had a ton of parsley but needed the parsnips. So we were all able to help each other out (leaving things in mailboxes and hanging bags on doors) and I got so much parsley that I was able to give some to another neighbor who’d also forgotten to get some at the store.
So how are the rest of you juggling Passover and Easter? I love the creative spirit of CC’ers and am sure there are some great plans.
50 will be at our family’s Zoom Seder tonight - from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast to the West Coast.
We are having a contest who can come up with most original Seder plate - given almost everyone’s lack of proper preparation before CV19 reared it’s ugly head.
We are doing a virtual seder too. DH scanned our haggadahs and emailed them to the participants so we’ll all literally be on the same page.
Because S1 and DIL are working from home while trying to care for 2 kids under 2.5yo, one of them is doing their paying job from 6am to 9pm. So to accomodate them, we are having the seder on Sat, therefore I haven’t done too much prep work yet. We have what we need for the seder plate, for the most part, and aren’t doing as much traditional cooking as it’s only the two of us here.
We don’t celebrate passover, but DH barbecued a brisket so we’ll be eating that for dinner and I thought I’d make latkes.
I got a couple of small chocolate things for easter. I’m participating in a corona virus bake off and this week is cake, so I’m looking for a cake recipe. I’m thinking I might go for coffee cake. We had birthday cake last week.
Oh, tht reminded me, @emilybee - I think we still have some seder plates the kids made in preschool. Those will be fun to pull out for all to see (though one was that melamine material and got kinda burnt in the microwave at some point. We’ll just call it an added touch. )
I never got down in the basement to look for the Seder plates kid made. I’m sure he made them as he was at a Conservative temple’s nursery school from just after he turned age 2 until he went to Kindergarten.
My husband and his sisters just practiced a group video call so on Easter the sister who lives by their 92 yo mother can go to Moms condo and mom can see all her children!
We usually host a group for Easter, but with that not happening I’m not too excited about making a fancy meal.
@jym626 and @emilybee - Your kids went to fancier religious schools than mine. They made seder plates, but on paper plates not melamine. I may still have one of them.
They also went to a jewish day school for elementary school- so some of the stuff (nd there is a lot) is probably from those days. But some are dated from when they were 4 years old,
I also have preschool melamine seder plates, but they are in our storage unit. I need to get them out so the kids can have them next year for their little ones!
We have a very early Zoom seder with my husband’s family. During the seder my daughter texted me, wanting to know who all these people were! My niece must have invited in laws of in laws, and some people may have asked it another family member could join. I actually knew who everyone was, so was texting my daughter the relationship of those in attendance. So we had my BIL’s bother’s ex wife’s deceased sister’s husband and son; try to say that fast!
Chag sameach to all who observe. Our virtual seder is at 5:30. One upside is that my kids will all join in. As they live far away, they’re generally not with us. Silver linings…
Happy to report our Zoom Seder was a success - despite a few glitches when the host had music video’s interspersed in a few places (Miriam’s Song by Debbie Friedman; Go Down Moses) but they go them to work eventually.
Our Haggadah was ‘Passover Freedom Seder’ which was new to everyone. Had a lot of very relevant passages for the world we are living in at the moment - and not just CV19.
We were 57 in total - including children. There was a new “ex” and and old “ex” with his new family. My cousin’s daughter’s in-laws where even there - and they never come to our family gatherings (we aren’t good enough for them.)
After the service we all stayed through the soup course, everyone was unmuted and it was our usual talking over one another. Then people started leaving to eat the rest of the meal with just their own family.
Just a tip for those who are doing 2nd night and those doing Easter on Zoom. Take some screen shots for posterity. Someday the kids at today’s meals can show their children what the holidays are like in a time of pandemic.
Our leader forgot to mention it - got rattled during the MV glitches - but some did it on their own, so we do have a few pictures.
We just finished our virtual seder with the immediate family scattered across the country, just the six of us. I can’t imagine a 50+ person seder, although we’re attending our synagogue’s community zoom seder tomorrow, so maybe it will be less chaotic than I expect.
D2, the perennially organized one, had put together a seder plate of sorts, which was great until her cat sat on it. Everyone was responsible for their own meal, we screen shared a haggadah, and found out that all of us have been faking the singing at the big family seder for years.
Some new additions to the ritual, some old favorites, and a new appreciation for my relatives who host every year.
Our seder tonight was great. And the singing was hysterical–added levity and lots of laughing (Dayenu has never sounded like THAT!) A feel good experience during this otherwise tough time. And, as I believe I mentioned above, our friends’ kids (Chicago and Boston) and our kids (NY and Philly) were all present and then my family all debriefed in a google hangout afterwards. Happy mom here.
