Submitted by Dori Stern, Education Director

When my children were little they liked Passover, but didn't love Passover. The seder was lengthy and though we didn't chant it all in Hebrew, as was my childhood experience, the Seder simply did not thrill them. Of course there was the Four Questions, the Afikomen and the dipping of a finger into the wine to remember the Four Plagues, but the requirement to sit reasonably still for a couple of hours in order to participate in the eating of the matzah, bitter herbs, parsley and charoset, well - it was not a wopping good time.

One might say that the Passover Seder is not supposed to be a wopping good time but I now believe that it can, and should be a fun, and educational experience. The goal of this yearly ritual is to tell the story of the Exodus to our children, so that they will speak of it to their children and their children to their children and the lessons of freedom, perseverance and hope will be treasured and repeated.

The Passover celebration is such an essential ritual that it is something many of us remember from our childhood - either negatively or positively - but we do remember it. We want our children to remember this important holiday and we want them to look forward to this moment in the Jewish calendar.

With this goal in mind, every year at the Sunday School we have model seders, each different, creative and fun. Our teachers create them and our parents bring the necessary items. So how do we make this important holiday fun, yet meaningful at our home seders? You can't have our talented teachers in your homes but you can have the next best thing!

On March 10th, the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston is bring a Parenting Workshop, called Creating a Child and Family Friendly Passover Seder, to the Sunday School. It is open to the public and there is no charge- all you have to do is show up in the cafeteria from 11- 12pm. Family educators will be sharing activities, songs and tips which will have children of all ages engaged at your Seder table. They will explore what kind of Seder will work best for your family and family members or guests who may be unfamiliar with the Seder.

The only thing that is asked of you is to pre-register, so that they know how much of everything to bring - which includes Passover-themed refreshments! Please contact: welcomingfamiliesjccgb.org or 617 558 6440.