Posted by Haggadot

How do you host a Passover Seder when the world feels so hard? Use these tips. Passover is going to feel different this year.  The past six months have been painful for many of us. And each of us may be responding differently to our grief and trauma--that's OKAY. There's no one right way to respond when things turn tough.    Whether you turn to comedy, or meditation, or tradition. Whether you address the current moment head on or you choose to have a night not to think about it--it's all natural and normal. It's all allowed. So this Passover, go easy on yourself, and each other. Create a seder that will be meaningful to you and your family, and make special memories. If our stories and holidays have taught us anything, it's that we are an incredibly resilient people. And we at Recustom and Haggadot.com are here for you. START BUILDING YOUR HAGGADAH Address the current times at your seder with these additional tips and readings. If you're hosting this year and want to address the current moment but don't know how, use these tips, readings, and resources:   1. Use this guide by Shomer Collective for coping with an empty chair at the table. Whether you're honoring someone you knew and loved, or coping with the loss of people you've never met, this guide can help. You may also purposefully set an empty chair at your table to recognize and honor those who cannot be there with us in person.    2. Use the candle-lighting to bring light into the darkness. This reading by American Jewish World Service is a beautiful way to recognize current events.    3. Incorporate this Mental Health Seder Plate by Blue Dove Foundation. On difficult days, when we feel stuck, it's important to take care of ourselves. What goes on your mental health seder plate?   4. Include an extra prayer for peace to pray for a future time when we can all live in a healthy, safe, and happy world. Use Instead Of: A Prayer for Peace or A Prayer for Compassion.       Need help building your Haggadah and creating your Seder?   Come to one of our upcoming Office Hours on Zoom to get personalized help using our platform or finding content for your Haggadah.    Tuesday, April 16 1-2 PM EST Join us on Zoom Thursday, April 18 11 AM - 12 PM EST Join us on Zoom   Unsubscribe Recustom • Recustom.com • [email protected] Mailing Address: P.O. Box 385, Saratoga Springs, NY  12866 Business Address: 1524 S. Wooster St., Apt 3, Los Angeles, CA  90035

Posted by Haggadot

Judaism is a religion of stories.
But how do those stories help us become more resilient?

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to host Beth Lipshutz, MSW and wellness educator with BeWell, for a webinar last week to learn the science behind why storytelling builds resilience in young people and how our families choose different stories to share with each other. 

Take a look at this recording of our webinar to learn how to add a storytelling element to your Passover Seder this year, and then don't miss the resources that BeWell shared with us below. 

Feeling inspired and want to dig deeper?

Check out these resources that BeWell shared with us:

• Building Resilience Through Family Stories
• Do You Know Questions
• Story Spine Sheets
• Story Spine Google Form
• Tips for Addressing the Current Moment at This Year's Seder (Kveller)

If you were able to join us last week, or watch the webinar online, we would love your feedback! Please take a minute to complete this feedback form and let us all know what you thought. 

Posted by Haggadot

Times are challenging, and gathering a group of people with inquisitive minds — and potentially wide-ranging opinions — around our Passover tables may be stressing some of you out. Someone may have even told you to develop a meditation practice. But even if you wish people who say “namaste” would sashay away, now is the time to think about what kind of seder experience we want to prepare for ourselves, our families and our guests this year, and how Haggadot.com can guide you toward your goals. 

Whether you’re a closed-eyes considerer, a tactile scripter or a symbolic singer, here are three approaches to setting intentions for the 2024 seder.

1. Closed-eyes considerer? Consider slow and silent meditation: What’s your vision for creating a caring and connected seder experience?

2. Tactile scripter? Get a blank piece of paper and jot down your guests’ names, seder goals, ideas, related words and themes and any particular assignments you want to give them.

3. Symbolic Spotify-er? A Passover-themed Spotify playlist can help you get excited for the experience and create a mood for your guests before they ever arrive at your table.
 

How are you setting intentions for your seder this year? What sources on Haggadot.com are you using in your Haggadah? Need more ideas? 
 

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts (and Deep Breaths) Can’t Lose

- Breathe deep breaths. Close your eyes and think about your 2024 seder.

- As you’re breathing, think of the words that describe your intentions for this Passover experience. 
 

Four Questions to guide you:

1. What’s your vision for seder this year? How will you create a space that’s caring?

2. How do you want your guests to participate and connect?

3. Think about the conversational flow you’d like to dip into at this year’s seder: what does it sound like?

4. Who do you want to make sure is represented around your table or with the Haggadah content you choose to share?
 

We’ve Got a Blank Space, Baby 

Get yourself a piece of blank paper. At the top, write “SEDER 2024” or give it a name that inspires you (ex: “TAY-der: The Taylor Swift Seder”).

Spend two minutes brainstorming — as prose or a list, whatever works for you! — on one or all of the following topics (OK, you got us, it’s Four Questions again):

1. How do you want people to experience the seder? (educational experience, social experience, culinary experience, etc) 

2. How do you want them to participate? (assign sections/ideas to think about in advance,  spontaneously ask questions at the seder, etc)

3. Do you want to create and circulate a set of guidelines or behavioral norms to guide the conversation, to be sure that everyone participates in the same spirit?

4. Create the “word cloud” of how you want people to experience the seder topics, ideas or intentions you want to hit: Freedom/expansiveness? The four children as symbols for how Passover bridges different opinions? Providing food and ideas for people who hunger? Care? Connection?
 

Freedom ‘24: A liberation playlist:

- Make a list of songs that inspire you along the themes of Passover, dinner parties, religious symbolism, meeting new people, etc 

- Curate it on Spotify and share it with the guests in advance as a mood-setting experience and/or challenge them to add to the list or create their own! You can even add your playlist to your haggadah!

How are you setting intentions for your seder this year? What sources on Haggadot.com are you using in your Haggadah?

Posted by Haggadot

Gathering virtually this year? Follow these tips for hosting an engaging, interactive, and worry-free virtual seder on Zoom.

1. Share Your Haggadah on Zoom.

To ensure everyone can follow along, share your Haggadah on Zoom. To do this, you’ll first want to use our interactive tool to create your free Haggadah. Then you’ll want to download it as a Portrait PDF and share your screen in Zoom. For more instructions on how to do this, check out our post here. 

2. Incorporate Videos.

Take advantage of the virtual environment by incorporating videos into your Haggadah. For a grown-up crowd, we recommend starting with the DIY Seder by the Jewish Emergent Network to inspire, spark discussion, and bring meaning to your virtual seder. For kid-friendly videos, check out the PJ Library video seder.

3. Don’t Skip the Afikomen!

While it may be harder to do a virtual afikomen hunt, it’s not impossible. Check out our post with some fun creative ideas, including a scavenger hunt, Afikomen Bingo, and more. 

4. Celebrate Computers.

You’re already hosting a computer-based seder, why not take it one step further and use a Haggadah supplement that was written by a computer? Check out our Chat GPT Haggadah supplement for silly and creative additions to your seder this year. 

5. Mix it up a little bit!

Don’t be afraid to shirk the traditional, and incorporate some fun into your seder. Consider using Mission From Moses, which transforms the afikoman hunt into a role-playing game, or the One Piece Haggadah which adapts a popular manga series. 

6. Make it inclusive.

Be sure to design a seder that welcomes all by taking advantage of the accessibility features within Zoom, like closed captions and the ability to mute participants who may be making a lot of background noise. You can explore some of our inclusive Haggadot to find clips that welcome and honor guests of all backgrounds and experiences, like our Liberal Haggadah, the JQ International GLBT Haggadah, the Mizrahi and Sephardic Passover Guide, the #BlackLivesMatter Haggadah, and the Haggadah for Justice.
 

For more seder ideas, be sure to sign up for our email list and follow us on social media. Happy Passover!

Posted by Haggadot

Whether you're a grandparent, parent, or friend who’s hosting kids this year, here are five ways to plan a kid-friendly seder and ensure the children at your seder love Passover as much as you do. 

1. Keep Your Seder Short

If you have younger kids coming to your Passover seder, they’re likely to have shorter attention spans. Consider using one of our condensed seders, like the 2-Minute Haggadah, or a seder full of activities for kids like the Seder For Young Children.

2. Create an Interactive Seder

To hold the attention spans of your youngest guests, consider printing out copies of our popular Coloring Book Haggadah to keep kids entertained, and incorporating some videos from the PJ Library video seder. For older kids, check out Our Favorites for Families to find activities like a scripted play, a crossword puzzle, and more. 

3. Use One of Our Haggadot for Teenagers

For a teen-friendly seder, we recommend the Global Teenagers’ Haggadah Supplement by the Milken Community Schools, the Heroes Haggadah inspired by superheroes and larger-than-life characters, and the FriendSeder Haggadah from our partners at The Well in Detroit. 

4. Mix Your Seder Up a Little Bit!

Don’t be afraid to shirk the traditional, and incorporate some fun into your seder. Consider using Mission From Moses, which transforms the afikoman hunt into a role-playing game, or the One Piece Haggadah which adapts a popular manga series. 

5. Make a Haggadah That's Fun and Inclusive

Add in some fun with the skits and jokes from Rabbi Daniel Brenner. For children with disabilities, the Inclusion Haggadah by Matan includes visual storytelling with all the key Haggadah elements. 

For more seder ideas, be sure to sign up for our email list and follow us on social media. Happy Passover!

Posted by Haggadot

Want the children at your seder to love Passover as much as you do?

We can help! If you’re short on time, or looking to host a quicker seder for kids, we recommend the Coloring Book Haggadah, the Step-By-Step Video Haggadah, and Our Favorites for Families.  
Want to create something customized?  The Seder For Young Children is a great place to start, with lots of activities, games, skits and jokes for your Haggadah. And for children with disabilities, the Inclusion Haggadah by Matan includes visual storytelling with all the key Haggadah elements. 

Posted by Haggadot

Passover Meditation Guide Exhale into these reflective Passover meditations led by Alison Laichter, with illustrations by Jessica Tamar Deutsch.  Minimalist Haggadah Savor simplicity when you download this haggadah that's perfect for the minimalist who also loves connection.  Purim Discovery Kit This printable guide from Jewish Grandparents Network will help you and your family bring Purim to life through play and imagination.  Purim Mask Coloring P​ages There's still two weeks to download these coloring pages and then create the easiest Purim costume! Schitt's Creek Haggadah Who's your favorite character? Reconnect with everyone in the Rose Family with this haggadah. Passover Coloring Book Let out your artistic side with our coloring book, perfect for art fans of all ages. Download & print, then get ready for a beautiful seder.

Posted by Haggadot

Welcome Sydney Schwartz, the latest member of the Haggadot.com team! We sat down with her to chat about her role as Director of Operations, her passion for strategy, and what she likes most about Jewish life. 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what drew you to this work?

I always felt like my work needed to matter, both to myself and the world around me. I wanted to engage with my community and have a positive impact on the world. Having worked for several years as a project manager and operations specialist at various global non-profits, then dabbling in philanthropy, I quickly realized that my passion and my skill set aligned with working at a small (and growing!) non-profit like Haggadot. I’m incredibly excited to be a part of a strong and agile team that feels deeply connected to this work and demonstrates their passion into all aspects of what we do. 

What three words would you use to describe your role?

I would describe the Director of Operations role and the way I show up each day as strategic, adaptable, and creative. These traits are at the core of my work as we build out our systems and processes that are thoughtfully and intentionally centered around Custom and Craft’s mission, vision, and values. Tailoring these foundational structures to the changing and evolving needs of our organization is exciting and allows me the space to dream big and outward. There is ample room for playfulness and for trying new things, knowing we have the flexibility to adapt as we grow.  

Are there learnings from your previous experience that you’re carrying forward into this work?

One thing that I’m carrying forward is how to find what needs repair or improvement. When someone shows frustration, or when there is an issue with the flow of a process, it doesn’t indicate to me that we can’t move that thing forward; instead it's something that needs to be re-imagined. “Does this fit our needs,” is a question I ask myself and my team frequently. I’ve learned that having these check-ins with individual team members and the group as a whole helps the flow and evolution of the systems in place and can prevent, or at least ease, future hiccups. 

I also have to emphasize carrying forward self-confidence and care. While I am definitely my own worst critic, I recognize that it’s just a part of my process, and I know that being confident in my ideas and caring to myself brings balance to my life and work.

What excites you about managing the flow of operations at Haggadot.com, and what are you most looking forward to working on?

Haggadot is a young and innovative organization - with a fantastic team to boot! I’m most excited for the opportunity to build and own systems and policies that will scale, evolve and sustain the organization for years to come. It’s through these foundational structures that a rhythm of how we work is created, and it’s important to me that this matches the culture of the organization and how our Leadership team envisions the organization growing into the future.

What’s your favorite thing about Jewish life?

While I’m very new to the Haggadot team, they know all too well about my love of food and the importance I place on it. It’s not just about consuming (although that is an important part), it’s about the connection it brings me to my family, to our history, and to our traditions. I believe that these traditions and rituals are beautiful heirlooms that are easier to carry forward than, for example, my great grandmother’s dining room set that still sits in my mother’s garage. Luckily, that great grandmother also left us a slew of verbally passed-down recipes. Much lighter to carry! When these are brought to life, they bring back memories and conversation from those at the table chatting about the “right” and “wrong” ways to make a matzah ball. That’s the beauty of Judaism, every way is the right way.  

Posted by Haggadot

Posted by Haggadot

Your Passover seder can be an opportunity to show solidarity with refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. In this session, educators from HIAS and Paideia share haggadot, resources, activities and practical tools to talk about displacement and the global refugee crisis at your seder.  The webinar concludes with Q&A about the current situation of Ukrainian refugees in Europe.

We are grateful to our partners at HIAS and Paideia, as well as our presenters Rabbi Megan Doherty, Avital Shein and Meiron Avidan for sharing their ideas and experiences with us. 

If you've been inspired to make space for refugees at your Passover seder, download your copy of the HIAS Haggadah, or to add the HIAS Dayenu, Kiddush Blessing or Poem to your haggadah. You can download our new Honoring the People of Ukraine Seder Supplement or find creative seder plate items to add to your table.