This Is How Your Family Can Celebrate Passover in NY This Year

Passover celebrations in NYC will look different this year due to COVID-19, but there are easy ways you can celebrate from home with your family.

By Zlata Faerman March 16, 2021

Whether or not you’re uber observant, being Jewish is all about traditions: creating them and keeping them. Sadly, the effects of COVID-19 have put a pause on some of those traditions. Going into a synagogue and experiencing the Rabbi’s Torah reading, listening to the songs of a Cantor, and that general feeling of togetherness has not been possible.

Instead, traditions are being made and kept alive in the comfort of our own homes. This is especially true when it comes to the younger children, who are just starting out on their Judaism journey. Author Shanna Silva knows just that. She wrote a picture book called Passover Scavenger Hunt that tells the story of a girl who creates a new family tradition: a scavenger hunt for her younger cousins to find the afikomen.

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9 Easy at-Home Passover Celebration Ideas

With Passover coming up, we’ve compiled a list of all the ways you can celebrate the holiday at home and get your kids involved as well.

Make an official afikomen bag.

Hide and Seek couldn’t be more fun when it’s looking for a piece of matzah! Known as the afikoman, this large piece of matzah is hidden during the Seder. The child who finds it usually receives a prize. Follow Tori Avey’s simple no-sew craft (or hey, you can sew if you want to!) to create an afikomen bag.

Create a matzah holder.

You’ve heard of a bread basket, but have you ever heard of a matzah one? Eating matzah for Passover is a true rite of passage and how better to display it than with your child’s very own matzah holder? Your little one will be proud when they see their creation on your Seder table.

Make homemade matzah or another recipe featuring matzah.

You can make matzah, or you can use matzah in the most yummy recipes you never thought matzah belonged in!

Simple Matzah

Recipe from Amy Manheim

In their hurry to leave Egypt, the Israelites did not have time to wait for their bread to rise so they made matzah. A great way to teach your children the Passover story is to make matzah with them, just like the Jewish slaves did thousands of years ago.

Ingredients:

cold water from the faucet
flour

Utensils (all should be kosher for Passover):

measuring cups
large bowl for dough
rolling pin
fork to make holes in the dough
cookie sheets
spatula

Directions:

Set oven on highest temperature setting.
At this point, the clock starts to tick. There must be no more than 18 minutes from the time the water is mixed with the flour until the time the matzah has been completely baked in the oven.
Depending on how many matzot you want, measure 1 part water and 3 parts flour.
Quickly mix and knead into a firm ball of 1-2 inches.
Roll out dough as thin as possible.
Poke holes in the dough with a fork.
Check to make sure no more than 15 minutes passed since the flour and water were mixed. Put matzah onto the greased cookie sheet in the hot oven.
Bake for 2-3 minutes until done.

Matzaroni and Cheese

matza macaroni and cheese

Recipe excerpted with permission from Passover Made Easy by Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek.

This macaroni and cheese substitutes matzah for pasta, making it a great Passover meal. It gets a creamy boost from a combination of sour cream and cottage cheese in addition to shredded mozzarella or Muenster.

Servings: 6-8

What kids don’t prefer mac ‘n cheese over anything else? This is an easy dinner that will get all the troops running to the table when the hot, cheesy, and bubbling dish emerges from the oven.

Ingredients

5 matzahs, broken into small pieces
5 eggs
1 (16 oz.) container sour cream
1 (16 oz.) container cottage cheese
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella or Muenster cheese, divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. In an 8 x 8-inch baking dish, arrange 1⁄3 of the broken matzah pieces.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Add sour cream, cottage cheese, butter, salt, and 1 cup shredded cheese.
Pour 1⁄3 of the cheese mixture over the matzah. Repeat with two additional layers of matzah and cheese. Top with remaining 1 cup shredded cheese.
Bake for 40 minutes. The cheese on top should be brown and bubbling.

Matzah Brittle

Try making this simple sweet from Ktering Desserts treat using matzah, butter, sugar, and chocolate chips

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Teach your kids about the importance of the Seder.

Teaching your children the meaning behind traditions is just as, if not more, important than the traditions themselves. The significance of why the Jewish people do something is an extremely valuable part of the culture. To help, make a felt Seder plate and take the time to explain what the plate means and the reason behind each of its elements.

Learn about the 10 Plagues.

In a similar idea to the one above, create 10 Plague cards to explain what each of them meant and how it signifies an important part of our history. Have kids color them, put the story on the back, and take it a step further by laminating if you’d like. Kids can use them as flash cards to see how much they really know!

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Play some Passover-themed games.

Quick shout out to Rite Lite, a company dedicated to putting Judaica into your hands. It has a large assortment of items for the house and adults to use, but also a lot for children. Its spin on ‘regular’ games turned Passover is pretty great. Check out Ten Plagues Bowling Alley, Tic Tac Wood, Let My People Go, and Who Am I?, which is the Jewish version of Guess Who?

Go on a Passover adventure.

Perfect for 3- to 8-year-olds and the family to play together, K’ilu Kit: Passover Adventure is designed to make the Seder engaging. The original audio-led adventure uses additional storytelling materials to make you feel “as if you were there.” Cross rivers, climb mountains, and travel through time all powered by your family’s imagination.

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Watch a Passover movie.

There are plenty of books to tell the story of Passover, but what about movies? Certainly the mom guilt of screen time can be alleviated by knowing there’s an educational value to it, right?

The Prince of Egypt
Recommended ages: 8 and older
Where to stream: Prime Video, iTunes, DIRECTV, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube
This cartoon version of the story of Exodus has beautiful music and might even bring you to tears.

For the super young kids, try The Animated Haggadah, a 25-minute claymation movie.

Try other Passover recipes your kids will love.

Update your Passover dinner repertoire this year with these kosher dishes.

Pear and Apple Passover Kugel

Recipe from Maggie Moon, registered dietician

This hearty, homey kugel is just sweet enough to make it a delicious dessert, but would also be perfect as a side or brunch dish. Serves 12-15.

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray
4 whole wheat matzo sheets
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
2 apples (Gala, Cortland, Golden Delicious or Jonagold apples work well)
2 pears (use Bosc or firm Bartletts)
1/2 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly spray a 13 x 9" baking dish with cooking oil.
Core and thinly slice the apples and pears. If desired, quarter the slices for easy serving. Set aside about 8-10 slices for the garnish on top of the dish.
Soak the matzo sheets in a bowl or pan of water for 10 to 15 minutes until soft. Drain in a colander and break into pieces, mashing them and squeezing out any excess water.
In a separate bowl, blend the eggs, salt, orange juice, orange zest (if using), brown sugar, oil and cinnamon. Add the softened matzo, and mix well.
Gently fold in the apple and pear slices (reserving the garnish) along with the raisins or cranberries (if using).
Evenly spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish, top with the reserved apple and pear slices down the center of the dish.
Cover in foil and bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil. Lightly spray the kugel with cooking oil and return the dish to the oven for 15 more minutes, or until lightly golden.
Remove from oven and allow the dish to cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Eggplant-Wrapped Chicken

Recipe excerpted with permission from Passover Made Easy by Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek.

This original kosher recipe calls for stuffed chicken thighs wrapped in oven-fried eggplant. It serves 4 to 6 people, making it a great meal for families during Passover.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

Eggplant:

1 tall eggplant
½ cup oil
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch of coarse black pepper

Meat Mixture:

3 tablespoons oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ lb. ground meat
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Chicken:

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch of course black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to broil. Grease a baking sheet. Cut eggplant lengthwise, ¼-inch thick, to get 6 or 7 slices. Reserve remaining eggplant scraps. Place eggplant slices on prepared baking sheet. Brush slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil 5 minutes per side, until second side is beginning to brown. The slices should appear as if they were fried. Remove and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Peel and finely dice remaining eggplant to obtain ½ cup diced eggplant. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and diced eggplant and sauté until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine onion mixture with ground meat. Season with salt and garlic powder.
Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Place a tablespoon of the meat mixture into each thigh and roll up to close. Roll an eggplant slice around each stuffed chicken thigh. Place, seam side down and close together, in a baking pan. Cover and bake for 2½ hours.

Tiny, Tasty Tuna Boats

Recipe from Maggie Moon, registered dietician

These tuna boats make a fun and vegetable filled appetizer or side dish. If you have any leftover tuna salad, cover and chill to use later for lunch or a snack. Makes 12-14.

For the Tuna Salad:

6-7 ounces water-packed tuna, drained
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2-3 tablespoon fat free mayonnaise
Optional add-ins: diced cucumbers, celery or carrots, raisins or dried cranberries, chopped apples

For the Boats:

3 bell peppers (any color)
6-7 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber (use hothouse or English)
6-inch wooden skewers

Directions

In a small bowl, flake the tuna with a fork. Add the celery, lemon juice and mayonnaise along with any add-ins you'd like to use, and stir the mixture well. (Cover and chill the salad if you're making the recipe in advance.)
To create the pepper boats, core the peppers, scooping out the seeds, then slice off only the very the ends of the peppers, leaving most of the natural curve intact. Cut each pepper lengthwise to create 2-inch wide slices, and place these slices inside up on a platter. You should get about 6 to 7 "boats" out of each medium sized bell pepper.
To create the cucumber sails: cut about an inch off one of the cucumber's ends, then measure and cut two 3 ½-inch sections of cucumber. Using a knife or mandoline slicer, cut 12 to 14 long, thin cucumber slices (about 1/8-inch thick). Push a skewer through the top and bottom of each slice to make sails (see photo).
To assemble, fill each bell pepper boat with tuna salad. Push the blunt end of each sail into one end of each pepper slice, topping the other end with a halved cherry tomato. Serve immediately.

Seders and Passover Celebrations for Families in New York

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Seders and Passover Celebrations in Manhattan

ONLINE Lab/Shul's FamilyLab: Lotsa Matza
WHEN: Saturday, March 20, 5-6pm
WHERE: Lab/Shul, Online
AGES: Newborn to 8
WHAT: ALL OF LAB/SHUL is invited to jump into the kitchen to celebrate the tastes, smells, and feels of Passover. Matza baking becomes an interactive live (and delicious!) storytelling experience, layered with song and dance to bring in the wisdoms of the season. “Extended Family” FamilyLab is a chance to D.I.Y. your holiday table with lasting memories AND your own homemade crunchy matza! Just like in the stories, all you need is flour, water, and a hot hot hot oven! Whether you are an expert “K for P” cook or it’ll be your first time setting the Passover table, All are Welcome! See website for your Matza making ingredients + kitchen equipment.
WANT TO GO? $8-$18. Advanced registration required.

FREE. ONLINE Picture This! Watercolor Wonders for Passover
WHEN: Sunday, March 21, 10-11am
WHERE: The Jewish Museum, Online
AGES: All
WHAT: Explore vibrant paintings by Chagall, imaginatively designed seder plates, and other striking works by artists in the Jewish Museum's collection. Get inspired using crayon and watercolor resist techniques and illustrate a unique Passover scene to display at home during the holiday.
WANT TO GO? RSVP for Zoom link, one ticket per family. Zoom information will be sent with email confirmation.

ONLINE Passover Centerpiece Workshop
WHEN: Thursday, March 25, 7pm
WHERE: Zoom & Bloom, Online
AGES: All
WHAT: Create a beautiful Seder centerpiece with family and friends near and far. A luxurious box of blooms, a vessel and the tools you need to make a lush arrangement will arrive the morning of 3/25. Simply follow the instructions on the enclosed care card, hydrate your flowers and join this live, virtual workshop. No experience is needed to create a centerpiece you’ll be proud to put on your table. Flowers will be both seasonal and spectacular - sourced from our favorite farms worldwide. Gather a group of friends, log on with distant family and safely celebrate the upcoming holiday with style.
WANT TO GO? $265. Advanced registration required.

FREE. ONLINE Freedom Music Jam
WHEN: Friday, March 26, 4-4:45pm
WHERE: The Jewish Museum, Online
AGES: 3 and older
WHAT: Experience an uplifting celebration of community and connection with a special family concert performed by award-winning musicians inspired by ideas related to the Passover holiday. Join an innovative line-up of artists including Pierce Freelon with Rissi Palmer, 123Andres with Konshens the MC, ShirLaLa, SaulPaul, Vered Benhorin, Tkiya Music, Shine & the Moonbeams, The Pop Ups, and Saul Kaye with Elana Jagoda and hear tunes that speak about freedom, hope, unity, empowerment, fighting injustice, and accepting differences, along with other holiday related themes. Create art and music together as a family at home while listening to this joyful musical event.
WANT TO GO? This performance is Free with RSVP, one ticket per household. YouTube link sent with RSVP email confirmation.

IN PERSON Chabad Family Seder
WHEN: Saturday, March 27, 7:15pm
WHERE: Chabad of the West Side, 166 West 97th Street, Upper West Side
AGES: All
WHAT: Geared towards families with young children, the Family Seder starts with a fun and hilarious reenactment of the story of Pesach and then a quick but complete Seder appropriate for children of all ages! Fully catered, delicious meals (vegetarian options available!). Limited space due to social distancing. Each family will be at their own table. Servers will be following all current guidelines.
WANT TO GO? $65; $36 per child. Advanced registration required by 3/25. If you are unable to pay the full amount, please email [email protected].

FREE. ONLINE Creative Family Seder
WHEN: Sunday, March 28, 9am
WHERE: 92nd Street Y, Online
AGES: All
WHAT: Gather round for an interactive, musical Passover seder with Rabbi Samantha Frank and cantorial student Ilana Goldman! Journey through the Passover seder with singing, dancing, storytelling, and our most important guests ... all of you! Learn, laugh, and rejoice as a community!
WANT TO GO? Advanced registration required.

Seders and Passover Celebrations in Brooklyn

IN PERSON Passover Story Walk & Crafts!
WHEN: Sunday, March 21, 11:15am-12:15pm
WHERE: Park Slope Jewish Center, 1320 8th Ave., Park Slope
AGES: All
WHAT: Get ready for Passover with a Story Walk along 14th Street and pick up a Passover kit to take home! Complete the craft activity on your own, or join PSLC on Tuesday, March 23rd at 3:00PM via Zoom for more stories, songs, and hands on activities using your kit.
WANT TO GO? $15 per kit ($20 for two siblings); $10 members. Registration includes the kit and link to the follow up activity and music class on Zoom.

IN PERSON Balloon Show
WHEN: March 30-April 1, Tuesday-Thursday, 11am-2:30pm and 3-6:30pm; Friday, April 2, 10am-2:30pm
WHERE: Jewish Children's Museum, 792 Eastern Parkway, Crown Heights
AGES: All
WHAT: Blow…Twist…Pop…Join in the fun and watch a show where balloons are giant, twisted, and shaped into cool objects! The museum will be open Chol Hamoed Pesach 5781.
WANT TO GO? $15 ages 2 and older; $12 seniors and disabled visitors (with one chaperone). Reserve your time tickets.

Seders and Passover Celebrations in Queens

IN PERSON Homestyle Passover Seder
WHEN: Saturday, March 27, 8pm
WHERE: Anshe Sholom Chabad JCC, 82-52 Abingdon Road, Kew Gardens
AGES: All
WHAT: Relive the exodus, discover the eternal meaning of the Haggadah, and enjoy a community Seder complete with hand-baked Shmurah Matzah, wine, and a wonderful dinner spiced with unique traditional customs. Experience the liberation and freedom of Passover. Discover the Seder's relevance today.
WANT TO GO? $45; $18 child. Advanced registration required.

IN PERSON Passover Seder
WHEN: March 26-27, Friday-Saturday, 8:30pm
WHERE: Chabad Forest Hills North, 110-40 70th Road, Forest Hills
AGES: All
WHAT: Join Chabad of Forest Hills North of an enchanting Passover Seder and embark on a journey commemorating the exodus. Discover the eternal meaning of the Haggadah, and enjoy a community Seder complete with hand-baked Matzah, wine, and a wonderful dinner spiced with unique traditional customs.
WANT TO GO? RSVP required.

Seders and Passover Celebrations on Long Island

ONLINE The Port Virtual Passover Experience
WHEN: Sunday, March 21, 11am-12pm
WHERE: Chabad Of Port Washington, Online
AGES: All
WHAT: Join the Chabad Of Port Washington for a Fun-Filled, Interactive, & Educational Pre-Passover Experience! Build your own "pyramid bricks". Experience the ten plagues. From the wheat to the oven - Model Matzah Bakery. Pick up your fun-filled Passover Experience Kit on 3/19.
WANT TO GO? $18 per family. Zoom link provided upon registration.

IN PERSON Community Passover Seder
WHEN: Saturday, March 27, 7:30pm and March 28, 7pm
WHERE: Chabad Center for Jewish Life, 2174 Hewlett Avenue, Merrick
AGES: All
WHAT: This year, enjoy inspiring and safe 'in-person' community seders at Chabad, complete with Shmurah Matzah, unlimited wine and a delicious 5-course Glatt Kosher dinner, spiced with unique traditional customs.
WANT TO GO? $45; $25 per child ages 3-13, Plus $50 fee per table/pod. Reservations close on Sunday, March 14th.

IN PERSON Seder under the Stars
WHEN: March 27-28, Saturday-Sunday, 8pm
WHERE: Chabad of Islip Township, 353 Main Street , Islip
AGES: All
WHAT: Relive the exodus , discover the eternal meaning of the Haggadah, and enjoy a community Seder complete with hand-baked Matzah, wine, and a wonderful dinner spiced with unique traditional customs.
WANT TO GO? $50; $25 children. RSVP by 3/16. Subsidized participation is available. Please contact the Rabbi in confidence if this charge is beyond your means. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.

Seders and Passover Celebrations in Westchester

IN PERSON Passover Class for Kids & Parents
WHEN: Sunday, March 14, 8:45-9:45am
WHERE: A Maze in Pottery, 76 N State Road, Briarcliff Manor
AGES: Newborn to 5
WHAT: Bring in your little one for a spring adventure! Catch those tiny prints before they grow! Your child and you will paint a Seder Plate plate using various pottery painting techniques together. The plate will be personalized with your child's hand or footprint (footprints are suggested for children ages 0-1). Such an excellent gift or decoration for your holiday table and a keepsake for years to come! (The involvement in the actual painting will vary depending on the age of your little one, so the moms of babies will basically paint the plate by themselves and use the child footprint for the final touch.)
WANT TO GO? $36.50. Reserve your spot in advance.

FREE. ONLINE All-Star Musical Passover (Pre) Seder
WHEN: Tuesday, March 23, 6-7pm
WHERE: JCC of Greater New Haven, Online
AGES: Newborn to 10
WHAT: PJ Library, which is powered by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, will be offering a JKids Radio Musical Passover (Pre) Seder with an unbelievable line up of the very top artists in Jewish kids music including Nefesh Mountain, Rabbi Josh Warshawsky, Eliana Light, Shira Kline, Ellen Allard, Rick Recht, Joanie Leeds, and Elana Jagoda! During this FREE highly-interactive pre seder experience, they'll sing traditional and contemporary songs, tell the Passover story, and explore the foods on the seder plate, the blessings, the questions, and the highlights of the Exodus - from slavery to freedom. Families will receive a virtual kit to enhance your experience.
WANT TO GO? Advanced registration required. While this event is free, there is a suggested donation of $10.

FREE. ONLINE Seeds for Sprouts
WHEN: Sunday, April 4, 2-3pm
WHERE: Shames JCC on the Hudson, Online
AGES: Newborn to 8
WHAT: Passover is the perfect time to start growing sprouts for your spring garden! This year for Passover the JCC is offering families seed kits to kick off spring and Earth Month (April). (Kits will include seeds, a planting cup, and other kid-friendly Passover materials. Families will need to have their own soil, about 1/2 cup). Then, at the end of Passover, there will be a Facebook Live Event with River Friends Day Camp to have fun decorating together, music, and kid-friendly games. Families will not be charged for the seed kits or event.
WANT TO GO? To participate, please register for a kit and pick-up will begin on March 15 at the Shames JCC on the Hudson.

Seders and Passover Celebrations in Rockland

FREE. ONLINE Passover Seder Song Workshop
WHEN: March 7-21, Sundays, 11-11:30am
WHERE: Gottesman RTW Academy, Online
AGES: Newborn to 12
WHAT: Get your kids ready for this year's Passover Seder by learning or re-learning the traditional seder songs in preparation for Passover!
WANT TO GO? Advanced registration required.

IN PERSON The Ultimate Passover Experience
WHEN: Sunday, March 21, 10am-5pm
WHERE: Chabad Jewish Center of NW Bergen County, 375 Pulis Avenue, Franklin Lakes, NJ
AGES: All
WHAT: For the first time ever, the Ultimate Passover Experience, a live, outdoor, interactive production will be held at the Chabad Jewish Center in Franklin Lakes! On arrival, each family receives a portable speaker with a dramatized story of Passover recorded by professional voice actors accompanied by sound effects and mood setters. Participants then proceed through the story book entrance to the first of 10 oversized story book pages installed along a nature trail on the Chabad property where they play the participatory page narrations, meet costumed characters and collect souvenirs pertaining to the story. The highlight of the story comes after the exodus from Egypt when the children will bake matzah in the ‘Model Matzah Bakery’ situated in the middle of the desert at the foot of the reed sea. Moments later, they walk through sea – a life size backdrop – on their way to the promised land.
WANT TO GO? $5. Reserve your spot online.

FREE. ONLINE Passover Dessert Making Workshop for Families
WHEN: Tuesday, March 23, 6:30-7:30pm
WHERE: COJECO NJ, Online
AGES: All
WHAT: Learn how to make delicious, healthy & guilt free Passover desserts from raw ingredients in your own kitchen with COJECO NJ and with baker Lina Perchuk.
WANT TO GO? Advanced registration required.

IN PERSON Passover Seder
WHEN: March 27-28, Saturday-Sunday, 8:30pm
WHERE: Chabad of Hoboken & Jersey City, Location TBA
AGES: All
WHAT: Join Chabad of Hoboken & Jersey City for an insightful, uplifting & meaningful Passover Seder. Come discover the eternal meaning of the Haggadah, and enjoy an intimate community Seder complete with hand-baked Matzah, 4 cups of Wine, Songs and a delicious 4 course dinner in a warm, wonderful & heimishe atmosphere. Seder will be led by Rabbi Moshe Schapiro.
WANT TO GO? $54; $36 child. Advanced registration required.

IN PERSON Passover Seder
WHEN: March 27-28, Saturday-Sunday, 8pm
WHERE: Chabad Center of Northwest New Jersey, One Torah Way, Rockaway, NJ
AGES: All
WHAT: Relive the exodus, discover the eternal meaning of the Haggadah, and enjoy a community Seder complete with hand-baked Matzah, wine, and a delicious meal.
WANT TO GO? $54. Reservations required.

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This Is How Your Family Can Celebrate Passover in NY This Year