Passover is a time to recognize our responsibility for one another and celebrate our community that continues to come together to help here at home, in Israel and around the world.

We wish you and your loved ones a meaningful Passover holiday. Philadelphia has a special Passover video message from our sister cities in Israel:

Here’s a look at how our funded partners and agencies are celebrating. 

Over a hundred volunteers packed and distributed holiday meals leading up to Passover through the Mitzvah Food Program. With food prices rising and pandemic benefits ending, the program has provided a much needed source of stability for many individuals and families struggling to make ends meet. While the cost of groceries has risen, the hike has been particularly noticeable for meat and other proteins. Clients had a pickup or home delivery option to receive their holiday packages. Learn more about the Mitzvah Food Program and who it helps here and watch coverage on 6ABC of volunteers preparing the packages.

Various Jewish agencies like The Jewish Federations of North America, the Jewish Agency for Israel, The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism and the American Joint Distribution Committee, helped plan and host special Passover seders for Ukrainian refugees in Israel, Moldova, Poland, Hungary and Romania. Some seders were led by Russian and Ukrainian-speaking Reform rabbis and lay leaders from Russian-speaking congregations. In addition to seders, families were given vouchers to help prepare for Pesach and received haggadot in either Russian or Hebrew. Virtual seders were held for those unable to leave their homes in Ukraine. 

JProud, a program of Jewish Family and Children's Service (JFCS), hosted its LGBTQ+ virtual Passover seder for queer members of the Philadelphia Jewish community to enjoy while exploring themes like queerness, trans identities, activism, liberation and freedom.

OneTable, a national nonprofit that provides DIY tools for people to find, share and enjoy Shabbat dinners in their city, also hosted seders across multiple days. 

KleinLife seniors learned about the history of matzah and how to make it from Chabad Rabbi Eli Strasberg as part of KleinLife’s Passover celebrations. You can see the fun activity here.

Latet hosted a food drive with thousands of volunteers, to collect and distribute Passover food boxes to more than 200,000 families in need. They also hosted an early Pesach Party for Holocaust survivors, for the first time in two years!  

Volunteers at the Michael Levin Center for Lone Soldiers prepared and delivered hundreds of Passover meals and groceries to lone soldiers celebrating in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Leket Israel hosted a “Glean for the Needy” event where families were invited to pick vegetables from fields located in central Israel for distribution to needy families. Check out this cookbook featuring recipes for Passover and more. 

Olim BeYachad hosted 100 Ariella program students from all over Israel to celebrate and connect with their Ethiopian culture and heritage, including building a mud hut, dressing in traditional outfits and learned about their heritage empowers them in their daily lives and how it builds them as future leaders in their communities and in Israeli society. 

BINA hosted a public education session on Pesach and renewal. It also included a community meal with produce harvested from their community gardens. 

Looking for educational content for the whole family to enjoy during the holidays? Machon Ha’Chagim’s ASIF - Home for the Holidays program publishes online content and home activity kits related to Jewish values and rituals deeply rooted in Israeli culture. The program encourages all Jews to take ownership of crafting their own Jewish identity through entertaining and educational content that is published through social media, podcasts, song playlists, educational videos, games and stories that are accessible for all in the family. Learn more about the program with this video, or visit their website to see their festivals and ceremonies map with all of their resources.

No Stress Seder
Were you overwhelmed by planning this year’s seder? PJ Library offers the Passover Hub, a step-by-step seder video playlist and a downloadable Haggadah cheat sheet, to make your next seder easier. There are other great Jewish holiday and parenting resources at PJ Library, too.

Featuring Rabbi-in-Residence Eric Yanoff of Adath Israel

Learn more! Register for an upcoming information session:

Virtual: June 1 at 12:00 p.m.

In Person at a Private Home in Longport, NJ: July 15 at 10:00 a.m. 

jewishphilly.org/israel75mission