Divorced at Passover? Tips to Celebrate

4. But is it kosher?
Rabbi Burt Visotzky, a professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary, shares that from a religious point of view, it's perfectly kosher to create new Passover rituals. "If you go around America or Israel or Russia, you'll see a lot of common elements in Passover celebrations, but also a lot of unique ones," he said. "Women oriented Seders are joining a long chain of tradition in refocusing, retelling, bringing up previously unexplored aspects of traditions, or recovering aspects that had fallen by the wayside."  

5. Passover kids, activate!
A traditional aspect of the Seder that’s typically been geared toward children (unless you have ‘that’ Uncle who insists on playing along. No names mentioned…Uncle Moishe.) is the search for the Afikomen (or matzo – in–the-middle). There are two traditional methods for hiding the Afikomen. The leader of the Seder either hides it, or the children hide it and then the leader bargains with them to return it. The leader then gives the children ‘gelt’, or money (real or the yummy chocolate variety) as a reward. A sweet twist on this game can be that the kids who didn’t find the Afikomen get to make Matzo Brittle! It’s easy, quick and a fun activity for the younger members of the family. Not to mention it’s slightly addictive so beware!  

Recipe for Matzo Brittle

Ingredients:
Matzo (about three sheets)
2 sticks of margarine or butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 small bag of chocolate chips

Preparation:
Cover a cookie sheet with foil to make cleanup easier. Line the cookie sheet with matzos — it is okay if they overlap a little. Melt the margarine with the brown sugar until it starts to boil. Pour the mixture over the matzos and bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and pour the chocolate bits over the matzos. After they melt let cool in the fridge for one hour. Break up in small pieces. After adding the chocolate chips, I put the cookie sheet back in the oven for a very short time (about a minute or so) – the extra heat helps the chocolate melt. Use a spatula to gently spread the chocolate after taking it out of the oven. Mini chocolate chips are a great option as they melt a lot faster.  

6. Questions for kids after the four questions.
After the tradition of the youngest member at the Seder reading the ‘Four Questions” out loud, make it their turn. Carol Bell, director for the Beth El Center for Early Childhood Education, recommends asking questions to encourage children's involvement. Parents can ask questions such as, "If you were a slave in Egypt how would you feel?" and "If you were leaving Egypt, what would you bring with you?" to make the Passover story more meaningful. She also suggests asking questions that can be used to strengthen their Jewish identity. "How are we different? Why is it important to be different and special in today's world?" says Bell. "What makes us appreciate freedom, family and tradition? What I encourage families to do is make it meaningful to them. Make it relevant."  

7. That’s kids stuff… and it’s cool!
To understand the idea of transformation form slavery to freedom and how that relates to all of us a wonderful activity to do with your children was conceived by Yossi Abramowitz, co -founder along with Rabbi Susan of Jewish Family & Life. At his home, Abramowitz and his family purchased butterfly larvae during the February holiday of Tu B'Shevat, which celebrates nature. He and his children watched them mature and, just before their Passover Seder begins, they will release the butterflies into the outdoors.   "The children understand the idea (of) not only of transformation, but of freedom," said Abramowitz.    

8. And the story goes on
No matter how the story of the Exodus is told and re-told; its relevance to our individual spiritual journeys are pertinent and deserve to be honored. After all, there must have been tremendous moments of backsliding, doubts, countless fears and ‘second’ thoughts when Moses said, ”Hey guys, follow me!” This represents the uncertain road we all travel every day. The point is, we keep traveling. With patience and faith we land in a world that is much better suited for us to obtain our full potential and live freely.    


FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more Miriam’s Cup and other unique rituals pick up “Creating Lively Passover Seders: A Sourcebook of Engaging Tales, Texts and Activites” by David Arnow, Ph.d. It’s filled with wonderful information and ideas to create an original Seder.  

Click here for some more simple and tasty Passover recipe ideas that the kids can help you with.

Click here for more ideas on Passover Holiday activities with the kids.

Shari Albert is an accomplished actress who’s appeared in films including “The Brother’s McMullen” and “The Groomsmen” as well as on TV and stage. She is also a freelance writer for the LA Weekly and The Huffington Post. She can be reached at shari@sharialbert.com.