Passover 2020 Survival Guide

The best-known quote from the Pesach Haggadah is, “why is this night different from all other nights?” This year, this quote takes on a whole new meaning. With the pandemic of COVID-19 running rampant, large gregarious family seders will be replaced with small intimate gatherings consisting of those who reside under the same roof.

We have come up with a “Passover Survival Guide” to help you navigate this unusual time of virtual seders and take-out Passover meals.

Our people have been adapting to changing circumstances for more than 5,000 years – you’ve got this, and we’re here to help.

How to Host a Virtual Passover Seder
Alma offers a comprehensive guide for hosting a collaborative, meaningful seder — even when the guests are physically far away.

How to Host a Virtual Seder During a Pandemic
Jewish Boston shares ten tips for creating a meaningful and fun online seder experience.

Senior Orthodox rabbis allow Zoom for Passover Seder due to coronavirus.
Orthodox practice prohibits use of electricity on Shabbat, but rabbis ruled it was important for families to connect to grandparents for the Passover Seder according to this article from The Jerusalem Post.

The Art of Virtual Gathering: Passover 2020
Check out Haggadot.com’s  Zoom conversation on hosting your own virtual seder. For more information, join their Seder Planners Group on Facebook.

Seder on Sefaria
Sefaria offers virtual mock seder activities meant to educate, engage, and connect people around Passover prep and the seder. Each may be used as is, or you can make a copy of the sheet and adapt it for a different setting or audience.

Building Your Mental Health Passover Seder Plate
The Blue Dove Foundation recognizes Passover may look a little different in 2020 with COVID-19 leading up to what is traditionally a time of gathering for family and friends to come together. We hope these Passover resources can bring some calm to you this year.

This night is different from all other nights.
SEDER2020 Powered by OneTable wants to help you organize a meaningful and creative Passover experience this year, so they’ve put all the pieces in one place: logistics, video conferencing, a Haggadah that guests can download and print at home, and more.

Choose a video conferencing platform for your group to connect in real-time during your seder:

Zoom

Best for: Group gatherings where everyone gets their own screen and collectively look like the Brady Bunch or Hollywood Squares on the screen. Zoom also has a chat function.
Is it free? With a free account you are limited to only 40 minutes in your Zoom room. A workaround to this is signing out and signing back in to get another 40 minutes.
For only $15 a month, you can upgrade to a paid account that allows you to have up to 100 participants with no time limit.
Do you need to login? Only one person needs a login (the host). The host can then send the link to the guests. When you create your seder, you’ll notice we have a section to include your video URL Link to make sharing that link even easier.
Extras: Zoom video tutorials

Google Meet

Best for: Group gatherings where everyone already has a Gmail account.
Is it free? Yes!
Do you need to login? Yes, everyone needs to already have a Gmail account in order to participate in a Google Hangout. Works best in Chrome. Provide a link to guests and they can join the meeting.
Extras: Google Hangout Tutorial

FaceTime

Best for: People who have an iPhone, iPad, or Apple computer/laptop. We recommend using a laptop or iPad so that you don’t have to hold up your phone throughout the entire Seder and the screen will be big enough to see multiple people.
Is it free? Yes, if you have an Apple product it’s included in the operating system.
Do you need to login? No, but you do need to have an iPhone, iPad, or Apple laptop. While FaceTime can accommodate up to 32, it is very hard to see everyone on an iPhone if you have more than four people.  One person calls each participant and adds them to the feed.
Extras: To learn more about how to use FaceTime, read more here.

WebEx

Best for: Group gatherings where everyone has their own screen. You can have up to 100 participants and there is no time limit on your meeting.
Is it free? Yes and you can set up an account here. 
Do you need to login? Only one person needs a login (the host). The host can then send the link to the guests. When you create your Seder, you’ll notice we have a section to include your video URL Link to make sharing that link even easier.

Make your own Haggadah
Making your own Haggadah with Haggodot.com is easy! They are the largest online resource for the Passover Haggadah with thousands of options for blessings, artwork, translations, songs, activities and more. Mix and match, download and print at home.

Social Justice Seders
This year, put social justice on your seder table with the American Jewish World Service Haggadah to spark meaningful conversations.

Download the HIAS Haggadah to include a deeper exploration of the global refugee crisis in your seder this year.

8 Great Haggadot if You Have Young Children at Your Seder
ReformJudaism.org has rounded up various family Haggadot (plural of Haggadah) recommended by the Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism and the Families with Young Children staff of the Union for Reform Judaism.