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April 12, 2024
Passover is going to feel different this year.
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Passover is going to feel different this year. 

The past six months have been painful for many of us. And each of us may be responding differently to our grief and trauma--that's OKAY. There's no one right way to respond when things turn tough. 
 
Whether you turn to comedy, or meditation, or tradition. Whether you address the current moment head on or you choose to have a night not to think about it--it's all natural and normal. It's all allowed. So this Passover, go easy on yourself, and each other. Create a seder that will be meaningful to you and your family, and make special memories. If our stories and holidays have taught us anything, it's that we are an incredibly resilient people. And we at Recustom and Haggadot.com are here for you.
START BUILDING YOUR HAGGADAH

Address the current times at your seder with these additional tips and readings.

If you're hosting this year and want to address the current moment but don't know how, use these tips, readings, and resources:
 
1. Use this guide by Shomer Collective for coping with an empty chair at the table. Whether you're honoring someone you knew and loved, or coping with the loss of people you've never met, this guide can help. You may also purposefully set an empty chair at your table to recognize and honor those who cannot be there with us in person. 
 
2. Use the candle-lighting to bring light into the darkness. This reading by American Jewish World Service is a beautiful way to recognize current events. 
 
3. Incorporate this Mental Health Seder Plate by Blue Dove Foundation. On difficult days, when we feel stuck, it's important to take care of ourselves. What goes on your mental health seder plate?
 
4. Include an extra prayer for peace to pray for a future time when we can all live in a healthy, safe, and happy world. Use Instead Of: A Prayer for Peace or A Prayer for Compassion.
 
 
 
Need help building your Haggadah and creating your Seder?
 
Come to one of our upcoming Office Hours on Zoom to get personalized help using our platform or finding content for your Haggadah. 
 
Tuesday, April 16
1-2 PM EST
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Thursday, April 18
11 AM - 12 PM EST

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General
April 10, 2024
Building Resilience Through Stories

Judaism is a religion of stories.
But how do those stories help us become more resilient?

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to host Beth Lipshutz, MSW and wellness educator with BeWell, for a webinar last week to learn the science behind why storytelling builds resilience in young people and how our families choose different stories to share with each other. 

Take a look at this recording of our webinar to learn how to add a storytelling element to your Passover Seder this year, and then don't miss the resources that BeWell shared with us below. 

Feeling inspired and want to dig deeper?

Check out these resources that BeWell shared with us:

If you were able to join us last week, or watch the webinar online, we would love your feedback! Please take a minute to complete this feedback form and let us all know what you thought. 

 

General
March 28, 2024
Setting Seder Intentions

Times are challenging, and gathering a group of people with inquisitive minds — and potentially wide-ranging opinions — around our Passover tables may be stressing some of you out. Someone may have even told you to develop a meditation practice. But even if you wish people who say “namaste” would sashay away, now is the time to think about what kind of seder experience we want to prepare for ourselves, our families and our guests this year, and how Haggadot.com can guide you toward your goals

 

Whether you’re a closed-eyes considerer, a tactile scripter or a symbolic singer, here are three approaches to setting intentions for the 2024 seder.

  

1. Closed-eyes considerer? Consider slow and silent meditation: What’s your vision for creating a caring and connected seder experience?

2. Tactile scripter? Get a blank piece of paper and jot down your guests’ names, seder goals, ideas, related words and themes and any particular assignments you want to give them.

3. Symbolic Spotify-er? A Passover-themed Spotify playlist can help you get excited for the experience and create a mood for your guests before they ever arrive at your table.
 

How are you setting intentions for your seder this year? What sources on Haggadot.com are you using in your Haggadah? Need more ideas? 
 

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts (and Deep Breaths) Can’t Lose

- Breathe deep breaths. Close your eyes and think about your 2024 seder.

- As you’re breathing, think of the words that describe your intentions for this Passover experience. 
 

Four Questions to guide you:

1. What’s your vision for seder this year? How will you create a space that’s caring?

2. How do you want your guests to participate and connect?

3. Think about the conversational flow you’d like to dip into at this year’s seder: what does it sound like?

4. Who do you want to make sure is represented around your table or with the Haggadah content you choose to share?
 

We’ve Got a Blank Space, Baby 

Get yourself a piece of blank paper. At the top, write “SEDER 2024” or give it a name that inspires you (ex: “TAY-der: The Taylor Swift Seder”).

Spend two minutes brainstorming — as prose or a list, whatever works for you! — on one or all of the following topics (OK, you got us, it’s Four Questions again):

1. How do you want people to experience the seder? (educational experience, social experience, culinary experience, etc) 

2. How do you want them to participate? (assign sections/ideas to think about in advance,  spontaneously ask questions at the seder, etc)

3. Do you want to create and circulate a set of guidelines or behavioral norms to guide the conversation, to be sure that everyone participates in the same spirit?

4. Create the “word cloud” of how you want people to experience the seder topics, ideas or intentions you want to hit: Freedom/expansiveness? The four children as symbols for how Passover bridges different opinions? Providing food and ideas for people who hunger? Care? Connection?
 

Freedom ‘24: A liberation playlist:

- Make a list of songs that inspire you along the themes of Passover, dinner parties, religious symbolism, meeting new people, etc 

- Curate it on Spotify and share it with the guests in advance as a mood-setting experience and/or challenge them to add to the list or create their own! You can even add your playlist to your haggadah!

 

How are you setting intentions for your seder this year? What sources on Haggadot.com are you using in your Haggadah?

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