Virtual Seder Ideas

Hazzanim Sheldon Levin & Marcey Wagner

DROPBOX https://www.dropbox.com/sh/o6vitugqiqaxtb

3/AAC_5BnyBRe9y4HndjjYMSHza?dl=0can2r11@gmail.com

PREPARE (Ron Wolfson)

Even when we gather together in person, a great Seder is well-prepared in advance. A virtual Seder will require even more advance work, but it most definitely can work.

Children can be involved in prep by making placemats, menus, place cards, centerpieces, puppets for magid

Decisions to make:

• What platform to use• How interactive- lots of questions and discussion

or more ‘frontal’• Who is leading? Co-hosts? Will you share

hosting? Use chat or other functions• Use close captioning for hard of hearing• Focus: child-friendly or more adult oriented• If mix of both- which parts will be which• How accommodate those without technology or

halachic concerns

Virtual Seder ideas from Lon Dobbs

• For those that are not very tech-savvy, you can simply stay on the phone with your friends and family during the Seder (just put it on speaker phone). If you have the ability to make a conference call (include more than one caller into the conversation), you can possibly include a lot more people to enjoy the Seder together.

• For video conferencing, why not try a free videoconferencing service. The more popular one these days (and one I have been using) is Zoom. Zoom allows group meetings of up to 40 minutes for FREE! For those of you that would like videoconference a longer Seder, you will need to schedule back-to-back meetings. [Here’s a How-To video]. For alternative applications, read this article.

Homework Consider asking each group calling in to take responsibility for leading one of the ritual practices, or explaining a section of the Haggadah, or even reading the text aloud. Especially the kids…so many of them are already reading stories to their grandparents (and vice versa!) online.

Tell The Story/Themes

• Pick a theme to guide discussions for the whole seder- or vary themes throughout the seder;

• The experience feeling constricted in a “narrow” (the literal meaning of “mitzrayim”) place (like being stuck at home)

• Freedom (if the weather is nice, consider walking outside after your Seder).

• Other themes- Caring for others, Reaching One’s Potential (Moses),

• Take turns reading sections of the Haggadah- you can still do this!

• Acting it out, singing parody songs (there are hundreds on the Internet), doing magic tricks, making a video, skits

Ask Questions

• What you you add or change on the seder plate today?• What plagues us today?• Spring is a time of hope- what are you looking forward to the

most?• If you would add a verse to Dayenu this year, what would it be?• What have you learned about gratitude these past weeks?

(Dayenu)• Ha Lachma Anya. How do we sustain our relationships in a time of

social distancing?”• If you could invite anyone to the seder, who would it be?• In the Hillel sandwich we mix bitter and sweet, what has been an

example of this for you these past weeks?• Conclude: Where would you like to be next year? What are you

looking forward to?

Innovate

• symbolic food to the Seder plate to mark this year?

• This is the year to move to the living room and REALLY recline!

• Have a festive cocktail- mix Manisewitz and Prosecco- YUM

Have Fun

*beating each other with green onions during “Dayenu” to recall the experience of slavery

*Do a Bibliodrama- assign “parts” and interview characters as if you were the reporter

* Do a “Mad Lib” style telling of Magid

*searching for the afikoman- have family make a map ahead of time

*Parody songs

Make Changes: It’s Your Story

• Be creative…especially this year.

Wash Your Hands

• Add a blessing when we all wash for Urchatz – a version of “Birkat ha-Gomel,” a blessing of gratitude usually recited by someone who has escaped injury or successfully completed a perilous journey: Baruch ata Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, ha-gomel l’chayavim tovot she-g’malani kol tov.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has bestowed every goodness upon us.

Prayer for Healing

Add a “Mi Shebeirach” a prayer for healing, at this or some point during the ceremony.

Dr. Ron Wolfson is Fingerhut Professor of Education, American Jewish University, co-author of “The Relational Judaism Handbook: Second Edition” (Kripke Institute), and grateful living kidney donor. When this crisis is over, consider donating your “spare!”

Shalom Hartman Institutecompact Haggadah

http://www.haggadahsrus.com/PDF/ADN%20COMPACT%20lo-res.pdf

Free 30 Minute Haggadah

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lzpncrtgb65tjrm/Free%2030%20Minute%20Haggadah%20.pdf?dl=0

PJ Library Haggadah

https://www.dropbox.com/s/i8c2ztr3eomhf7p/PJ-Library-Haggadah-2020.pdf?dl=0

Feast of Freedom Haggadah RabbinicalAssembly.org

https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/form-download-e-siddur-0

Song Parodies

https://www.passoversongparodies.com/music

Multi-Media

The multimedia applications also allow you to share your screen, (if you do use electricity on this holiday) it would also be possible to include multimedia into the Seder as well. For some multimedia ideas, see my article “An Interactive Companion to the Passover Haggadah (w/ Multimedia)”As a PDFhttps://www.dropbox.com/s/2o8tpw24szl5ptn/Lon%20Dobbs%20Pesach%20Seder%20Supplement%20%20%20multimedia_online.pdf?dl=0

Two Power Point Haggadot for families with school aged children

• Davidson Family Haggadah

• Davidson Haggadah 2019.pptx

• Zakarin Family Haggadah

• Pesach 2020.pptx

Videos

Moses splits the sea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqCTq3EeDcY

Story in Sand Art:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZmBhZAGXyo

Four Questions (Six13) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmabziV1LiY

More Videos

Four Sons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYgGXklXoCU

During Dinner: (SIX13)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qervY5HSzqM&feature=share

Pharoah Pharaoh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI-uzRi350g

More Videos

Shalom Sesame Afikoman Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpzLKo3diWk

Chad Gadya (Moishe Oysher)

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Chad+Gadya

Activities for Kids

Puzzles, Mazes, Masks, Coloring Pages (Pinterest)

https://www.pinterest.com/activityvillage/passover-activities-for-kids/

More puzzles, coloring, origami (Jewish Boston)

8 Activities (My Kid Adventures)

https://www.jewishboston.com/downloadable-passover-activity-pages-for-kids/

8 Activities (My Kid Adventures)http://www.mykidsadventures.com/passover-activities/