April 8, 2020 - Passover begins tonight. For the first time in U.S. history, Synagogues will be closed and the traditional large gatherings for Seder night are transforming to virtual hangouts. While the digital fix works for some, others are still wandering.
- Families with young children and plans to join large Seders find themselves running solo, and trying to figure out how they are going to keep the Passover tradition alive this year.
- Jews in the military are faced with same impasse – and just don’t know what to do.
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) is doing all it can to ensure every family has the ability to conduct a Seder, engage young children, and connect to their heritage.
HGF – parent company of PJ Library – created, published and distributed “A PJ Library Family Haggadah”. The Haggadah is intended to present the Seder in an accessible way and designed to help families with young children enjoy a Passover Seder.
Over 440,000 copies of the Family Haggadah (sets of six) were distributed to nearly 75,000 families across North America for free. 30% of the families indicated this was the first Haggadah their family has owned.
As a gift of gratitude to the U.S. Armed Forces – and in honor of the holiday about freedom – HGF sent a free Haggadah, packaged with a box of co-branded Yehuda Matzah, to over 1,620 military families. The response has been terrific. For example, one of the many military families, @atdanastable, shared a testimonial on Instagram, "Received an amazing box in the mail today. It wasn't expected and brought tears to my eyes. PJ Library just made Passover feasible in our house. Thank you so much!”
Distribution of the Haggadahs began in early February. To make the Seder as simple as possible, PJ Library also developed a Step-by-Step Seder Video Playlist. In each brief segment, the dynamic narrator walks through one of the fifteen steps of a Seder. They also created a Cheat Sheet to help first-time families successfully navigate the Seder.
PJ Library will be conducting a poll after the holiday to determine usage, effectiveness and follow-up.
