Big Tent Judaism

Seder Survival Guide Prepares Interfaith Families for Passover

In the weeks leading up to Passover, organizations throughout North America are hosting a variety of programming around the holiday. Many of these organizations have chosen to implement JOI’s Seder Survival Guide, a free half-day program designed to help interfaith families make the seder more engaging for themselves and their children.

The Seder Survival Guide teaches everything from how to select a haggadah (seder guide) that is meaningful to your family, to which foods are kosher for Passover, to a creative and open-ended take on the Four Questions. The participants in many of these programs have told us how helpful it was for them to learn more about family-friendly options for haggadot and activities during the seder, as well as the “why” behind many Passover rituals (such as why some Jews eat kitniyot— rice, legumes, and beans— and others do not). They come away from the class feeling better prepared to celebrate the holiday, whether it be at home or at a relative’s or friend’s home.

We at the Jewish Outreach Institute have observed that, in many interfaith families, there is a hesitation to incorporate Jewish ritual into their lives for fear of making a mistake. The goal of classes like the Seder Survival Guide is to demonstrate to interfaith families that there are many fun, meaningful, and family-friendly ways of observing Jewish holidays, as well as ways to make the experience unique and engaging. Our hope is to teach every Jewish family how to take charge of Jewish celebration, whether or not every member of the family is Jewish.

In addition to the Seder Survival Guide, JOI has holiday prep classes available for the High Holidays and Hanukkah. For more information, please contact Marley Weiner at mweiner@joi.org.

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