Dear Friend,
Each year at Passover, we gather around the table to celebrate our people’s freedom and re-enact our exodus from Egypt, a metaphoric transition from narrowness to expansiveness. B’chol dor v’ador anu chayavim lirot et atzmeinu kilu yotzim min ha meitzar; In every generation, we are called upon to view ourselves as if we are moving out of the narrows.
This year, that charge to celebrate our freedom feels more difficult. This year, we are fighting for our freedoms. How do we celebrate freedom as a Jewish people post-October 7th, when our Israeli siblings are not yet free? How do we celebrate freedom when our LGBTQIA+ families’ rights are threatened? As a people, we hold onto hope that the month of Nissan will bring redemption.
At the Passover table, we sing “Vehi Sheamda” (והיא שעמדה), a Jewish piyyut (hymn) that affirms God’s promise to the Jewish people to redeem them from their oppressors. Through the most difficult times – horrible times – generation after generation, it has remained true.
Where do we find hope this year? This year, I invite you to find hope in the faces around your table, in the smiles of your loved ones, in the songs that we create together by combining all our voices. We find hope in community and connection and our ancestors’ resilience.
Passover is a story of perseverance, a story of survival. We suffered together, we rose together, we were redeemed together. With antisemitism and LGBTQ phobia on the rise this year, we must all remember: Together as a community, we are strong, we will prevail. We would love for you to carry our message of hope this Passover.
Kol Ami is offering more and more opportunities to be together this holiday – and beyond. Please check out our calendar of events and special-interest groups, and show up!
Happy Passover!
Rabbi Lindy Reznick
Congregation Kol Ami
Rabbi Reznick’s Passover Kavanah 2025
Shechinah,
Give us new eyes with which to navigate the narrowness around us
Help us to find moments of pause
Remind us to invite breath into our bodies
Allowing our breath to clear out the hametz
Hidden in the corners of our souls
Fill our narrow spaces with expansiveness
And to bring us closer to our liberated selves
Donate to Kol Ami this Passover
Your Seder Plate
The Seder Plate is the biggest symbol of this holiday. Below are instructions on how to make your Seder plate quickly and easily!
Charoset
Charoset is a medley of apples, walnuts, and raisins that’s sweetened with honey, spices, and kosher wine. The spread represents the mortar that enslaved Jews used to build pyramids. Israeli Charoset recipe
Egg
A simple hard-boiled egg is placed on the plate to symbolize the cycle of life.
Shank Bone
Before the Jewish people left Egypt, a lamb was offered as a paschal sacrifice, which, during the Seder, is represented by a shank bone. This is one item on the plate that’s not eaten.
Bitter Herbs
Two bitter herbs—maror and hazeret—are used on the Seder plate to represent the bitterness of slavery. Many people use horseradish to represent maror and romaine lettuce for hazeret.
Parsley
Karpas symbolizes spring and the season’s harvest. It also represents the flourishing of the Israelites when they first arrived in Egypt, before they were enslaved. Parsley is often used for this green vegetable.
Matzo
During Passover, chametz, or leavened bread, and baked goods aren’t eaten, which makes matzo recipes popular during the holiday. Three pieces of matzo are also wrapped in a cloth and placed near the seder plate to represent the bread that was unable to rise when the Jewish people fled Egypt.
Salt Water
A small cup of salt water is placed near the seder plate to represent the tears of the enslaved Jewish people.
Optional: Orange
Over the past few decades, some people have chosen to add an orange to the center of their Seder plate. This is a gesture of solidarity with the Jewish LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized Jews.
Passover Dessert Recipes
This link includes 30 Passover dessert recipes that go beyond chocolate-covered matzo and macaroons! All free of wheat, with gluten-free and vegan options, including GF Chocolate Tahini Tart, cakes, pies, tarts, cookies, puddings, and more!
The Maccabeats are always a fun time! Click on the image to watch them sing a unique a-cappella version of Ma Nishtanah, Passover’s most famous song.
A Word on ‘Avadim Hayinu’ – “We Were Slaves”
“We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Eternal, our God, brought us out with a mighty hand and outstretched arm…” – we read at Passover. This passage from the Haggadah captures the heart of the Seder: remembering oppression and celebrating liberation. This sentence holds so much meaning in today’s world. Where 59 Israeli hostages are still captured in Gaza, where people here in the United States live in fear and are prevented from being their authentic selves… with all of that, there is still hope, that better days are coming and things will turn out for the best.
When you read this passage this Passover – pause for a second, and send from your heart a message of freedom and peace. And pray with us to bring the hostages home.
Chad Sameach!
Donate to Kol Ami this Passover
