Preparing for a Non-Traditional Passover

We love Passover. Having created Modern Haggadah Distribution Company, and published several versions of alternative Haggadahs, this is probably self-evident. What follows are a number of ideas and suggestions that have been helpful over the past 20 years of hosting non-traditional Seders (or more formally, Sedarim). Take those that work for you, ignore the rest and please share your innovations and experiences with us through

www.ModernHaggadah.com/CHAG

Before inviting anyone, we strongly recommend you read this Haggadah. It may be more interactive and possibly more thought provoking than the ritual of your childhood. The four questions, for example, are asked by four people with different perspectives on what it means to be a Jew. So, as you are deciding whom to invite, it is helpful to be thinking about which participant will play each role. In addition, you may want to edit portions due to time constraints.

The Invitations: When you invite people, even family members, be sure they understand that this year, before they arrive, they should be thinking about their internal Pharaohs, their challenges and successes during the prior year. The Passover Ritual for Students uses the historic enslavement in Egypt and the Jewish people's journey from slavery to freedom, from despair to hope, from lack of insight into praise for the Divine, as symbols of our own movement along the same path: our own personal psychological and spiritual growth.

This Seder embodies our desire to connect with all facets of our lives. If these concepts are new, it may take some time to reflect on all the multitude of ways we enslave ourselves and to be able to articulate a story of overcoming a challenge. Our website contains links to a number of e-card vendors and sample language for your invitation.

When to Start: Traditionally, Passover starts at sunset on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. Unless your guests normally eat dinner after 9:30, if you start at sunset your guests will feel oppressed by you by the time the meal is served. Many families rush through and skip much of the ritual because of hunger.

We often make the Second Night Seder the Alternative Passover with our family of friends. We ask our guests to arrive by 4:30 and we usually start the ritual just after 5:00. This way, participants will be focused on the message of Passover and not their growling stomachs.

Still, if your guests are not active in a Jewish Community, it is helpful to remind them that although they are arriving at 4:30, the dinner will not be served until after 7:00, although there will be appetizers to be noshed on before the meal.

Seder Plate: Most Seder plates have six indentations for the six symbols of the Passover Seder: Z'roa (Shank Bone), Karpas (or bitter greens), Chazeret (spring greens), Charoset, Maror (horseradish) and an egg. Some Seder plates have only five, as there is some controversy among the authorities as to the requirement for both Chazeret and Karpas (spring greens and bitter greens.)

We put a peeled Orange in the bowl for Chazeret (usually labeled Parsley). The orange has come to symbolize all Modern Passover Rituals designed to reflect the diversity of our community in the early 21st century. Susannah Heschel, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's daughter, was the first to add the orange to the Seder plate. (See Page 6 and 21 of the ritual.)

In our family, Karpas or bitter greens have usually been parsley. Using parsley every year is boring and Karpas should remind us to come out of our complacency. Consider using another green vegetable that is bitter: mustard greens, dandelion leaves, arugula, cilantro or baby radish sprouts.

After the Karpas is eaten (pg. 19), many families serve vegetarian appetizers, such as artichokes, vegetable frittatas, celery with filling, or baby potatoes.

Z'roa -- Any butcher will give you a shankbone. Many vegetarian households use a roasted root vegetable in place of the shank bone, but do not feel this is necessary if you have vegetarian guests.

Charoset recipes from around the world are on our website. There are tremendous regional variations on this fruit, nuts, wine and spice mixture. Some communities even add sand, while others use vinegar.

We always pick up a fresh bottle of horseradish, Kosher for Passover. But if a guest volunteers to grate or slice fresh horseradish, it is always greatly appreciated.

As a final touch, after boiling the egg, we roast it on a barbeque along with the shankbone.

What to Serve: Among the foods associated with Ashkenazi Passover are: Gefilte Fish, Matzah Ball Soup, Brisket, Kugel and Latkas. Sephardic Passover foods include Huevos Haminados, Leek Soup, Lamb, Mimulim and rice or bean salads. Be sure to check with your guests about their dietary restrictions.

Our website contains a variety of traditional Jewish recipes, including vegetarian and vegan dishes.

One way to manage a potluck Passover is for the Host to prepare the main dish. Each guest is then assigned a side dish. If you have non-Jewish friends coming, be especially careful with your guidance. A salad seems like a simple dish, but can easily include bacon bits or croutons if you are not clear. In our experience, most hot items can be kept on low heat for two hours before being served.

Over the past 50 years, excellent kosher wines for Passover have become readily available. Nevertheless, many American Jews grew up with Manischewitz or Mogen David sweet wine and feel they are part of the tradition. We normally buy one bottle of either sweet wine, as well as one bottle of Concord Grape Juice, which we use for the first cup. When the appetizers are served (after Karpas) or the Afikomen is hidden, we also use the break to rinse the glasses and switch to another kosher wine.

In major cities, high-end grocery stores will have a dozen or more to chose among about two weeks before Passover. The selection narrows quickly as the holiday approaches.

Many of our guests do not drink alcohol and, at the same time as the wine is switched, these guests switch from Concord Grape Juice to Ame, a lightly sparkling, not overly sweet, drink flavored with herbs and grape and other fruit juices. It can be purchased at Whole Foods. Our experience suggests buying two bottles for every three participants.

Managing the Flow of the Ritual. We go around in a circle, reading a paragraph each. We pass around a Star of David magnet (available at our website) as a talking stick. This prevents participants with strong opinions from dominating the conversation and helps us remember where we were when we become sidetracked.

Afikomen: It pays to think about your hiding place before the meal. Our preferred gift for finding the Afikomen is chocolate covered Matzahs, which are usually served along with the desert.

Children: At our website, you will find coloring books to download for younger children, along the themes of the various alternative Haggadahs distributed by MHD Co.