Make Your Seder Come Alive in 2025!  

Back in the mid-1990s, our family was introduced to Rabbi Ron Wolfson and his book, The Art of Passover (Now, second edition: Passover: The Family Guide to Spiritual Celebration). Rabbi Wolfson was the scholar-in- residence at our synagogue, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Pepper Pike, Ohio. 

Rabbi Wolfson introduced us to different ways to hold a Passover Seder and get our children involved in the holiday. The Seder does not have to be conducted at a dining room table. He was sitting on the floor in the atrium of the synagogue in front of a pop-up camping tent about to read from a family-created Haggadah. Later, he discussed ways to enhance the Haggadah. This got us thinking, how could we make our Seder an experience for our children? 

We used Rabbi Wolfson’s idea and set up a “tent” in our unfinished basement. We hung white bed sheets from the unfinished rafters as tent sides, placed a yellow sheet on the floor for sand and used a cloth-covered box for a table. We also had wine, grape juice, plastic glassware, and individual Seder plates for all guests. 

To begin our Seder, guests had to “journey” from the main floor down to our tent. Blue plastic tablecloths were attached to the stairway walls with blue paper streamers hanging down at the bottom of the staircase and secured to one side. Guests were asked to sit on the floor on pillows, but we did have chairs for older guests. We made our own Haggadah. To enhance the story of the ten plagues brought upon the Egyptians by the Holy One, we created the following props: 

Blood: Place a few drops of red food coloring in fancy wine glass and let it dry overnight. When the section about the plague is read, add water and the drops turn bright red! This idea can be used at any Seder table. 

Frogs: Beanie baby frogs, plastic or origami frogs are thrown on the floor. 

Lice: Rice kernels painted with eyes by a fine tip magic marker; these have been kept in a plastic ziplock bag for years. 

Wild Beasts: Plastic snakes and lizards are stored in a plastic pencil box and tossed out. 

Pestilence/ Cattle Disease: This is represented by plastic cows with red spots on them.

Boil: This is a handheld mirror dotted with dried pink puffy paint that each guest can hold and look into to see themselves. 

Hail: Use ping pong or cotton balls. 

Locust: Use plastic bugs. 

Darkness: Turn off all the lights—or just close your eyes. 

Slaying of the First Born: A baby boy doll lays on the floor. 

When it’s time for the meal, the streamers are released and each guest must “part the sea” to Exodus to the dinner table!  Seder is finished at the dining room table. 

Before the Seder, a piece of matzah (afikomen representative) is hidden in a colored napkin for each child guest in attendance. This is in addition to the real afikomen in its special cloth embroidered bag (hidden during the seder). Whoever finds the real afikomen bag gets an extra treat. 

Another idea for Seder was to start the Seder at one home and experience Exodus as a group, by walking to another home for dinner and dessert.  

Costumes are always optional but encouraged. 

You can make four grape juice Jello shots for each child attending made with KLP Clear Gelatin and KLP Grape Juice, plus mini spoons for eating the cups of wine. 

Enjoy your Seder and try something new this year! 

Resources 

The Art of Jewish Living: The Passover Seder (English and Hebrew Edition) Paperback – January 1, 1996 (Second Edition – Passover, The Family Guide to Spiritual Celebration (Art of Jewish Living Series- March 3, 2012) by Ron Wolfson (Author)