Everything you need to know to prepare for hosting a Passover Seder with your group.
We are here for you!
We get it. Hosting a Passover gathering of any kind, especially when you haven’t done it before, can feel completely foreign. We hope we’ve done a good job here explaining as much as possible, but we are also here to answer questions that come up along the way.
Depending on which Passover gathering we are coming out to speak in, you will find attached PDF links we hope will give you all you need. If not, reach out to our team at office@thejewishroad.com.
The Teaching
(35-45 minutes)
For those looking to learn the whole story, we bring teaching that connects the significance of Jesus in the Passover meal and why He earnestly desired to eat THIS Passover Seder meal with His disciples, and what it means for us today.
The Experience
(75-90 minutes)
For those wanting more than a teaching, we incorporate the different elements from the Passover Seder plate to bring to life every part of the meal and connect the significance of these elements to how Jesus was changing the paradigm for the disciples.
The Seder
(3 hours)
For those wanting the whole matzah ball! We equip you to put on a full Passover Seder meal with all of the elements. Then we show up in person and facilitate this evening to bring depth and meaning to the death and resurrection of Jesus.
There’s a lot of effort involved in pulling off a Seder meal, but as we have seen over the years, there is no better way to bring deep significance to the death of Jesus, than to come together and break (unleavened) bread together.
Passover Haggadah
Haggadah means "the telling." Passover is a story that has been retold for thousands of years. Our 2023 updated Haggadah is a 36-page booklet that serves as a guide as we walk through the Seder elements and tell the story.
You have two options for providing a Haggadah for your guests.
You DOWNLOAD and print one per guest. The download comes in full color, but you can also print a color cover and black and white on the inside.
We are able to bring printed color copies for $5 per guest in attendance. We need to have a guaranteed number confirmed 2 weeks ahead of time to guarantee shipping from our warehouse.
A word (or two)
about the Seder meal…
If you are hosting a Passover Seder meal, we want to take a moment to walk through this. Some churches will bring in a caterer while others will get their army together and get it done in the church kitchen. Either way works great! Here are some thoughts answering normal questions we get.
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We suggest a more traditional Passover meal, and here’s what that means and why. Because Passover is directly tied to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and because this is an important part of the Seder, we recommend not serving anything with leaven or yeast. That means no dinner rolls or cake for dessert. And this becomes especially important if your community is opening its doors to the Jewish community.
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Typically, a Passover meal will have roasted chicken or brisket, vegetables, a potato or rice option, plus a salad. For dessert, apple crisps or flourless chocolate cake are great. If you have further questions about the meal itself, we are happy to help.
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A typical Seder will last about 3 hours. The first half of the Seder (90 minutes) will be the explanation, teaching, and going through the elements on the table. So if you are starting your Seder at 6pm, you can plan on serving dinner at 7:30pm. Dinner should run no more than an hour. Buffet style is great, but whatever your team comes up with is great. The last “half” of the Seder is only 30 minutes to wrap it all up.
Participant Table Setup
Here you will find a video of what our table looks like to help guide you on what your table should look like. You can also click the button below to download a detailed diagram of each element and what it should look like.
Seder Plate Elements
This video will give you a close-up of the various elements that are on the Seder plate, giving quick explanations for each. Click the button below for a detailed diagram of the Seder plate.
Head Table Setup
This video will give you a view of the head table setup for us as speakers. It has the same elements as the participant table, without a few things like a water basin or dinner setup. Click the button below to see a diagram of the elements, plus the ones we will bring.
How To Make Charoset
Welcome to Kay’s Kitchen! In this video, we show you exactly how to make charoset for your Passover table. While this may be eaten for Passover, we think you’ll be making it year-round. Click below to see our recipe!
How To Make Matzah Ball Soup
Back in Kay’s Kitchen learning how to make this favorite bowl of soup! This recipe is not only going to be helpful in pulling off your Passover Seder, but this is simply a valuable life skill. Maybe even a survival skill. This is matzah ball soup. We call it the Jewish penicillin. If you get sick, make some of this. Our kids crave it. And sometimes we think they fake getting sick just so they can have some.
This download will give you a shopping list of all the basics you can find at your local store. And where possible, hit up your local Costco or Sam’s Club depending on the size of your crowd.
Here are some links to some harder-to-find supplies!
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Matzah (Unleavened Bread)
These come in a variety of brands and flavors, everything from egg to onion to lightly salted and even gluten-free. We suggest lightly salted, just keep it pretty plain. These are also available in the Kosher section of your grocery store. Don’t worry if the box says, “Not For Passover.” We suggest one box for each table of 8 people.
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Atomic Horseradish
We’re pretty easy-going about most things, but not this. Do everything in your power to get the Atomic brand horseradish. The purpose is to identify with the tears the Israelites cried in Egypt, and this always does the trick. Just don’t get the creamy horseradish! Plan on roughly 5oz. per table, unless your church is made up of truckers, bikers, wrestlers, and cowboys.
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Kosher Wine or Grape Juice
We aren’t going to get in the middle of any denominational battles here. Personally, we grew up on Manischewitz Concord Grape wine, a Jewish sweet wine. The Kedem brand makes grape juice. You can find these in your grocery store in the kosher section. Depending on your crowd, you can mix it up. We suggest 2 bottles of something on the table for the evening.
