Passover 2020 Recap

Passover 2020 was a special one. Even though it was wayyy smaller than our normal shindigs (just me and my husband, since with COVID-19, the only safe and responsible option was to Seder with just those you live with), I actually got to spend Seder with over 600 people! I’ve been hosting large Seders since college (I started with 20 people sitting on the floor of my college apartment eating off paper plates). So even though this year is a little bittersweet, as we celebrated the resilience of our ancestors, I felt inspired to be brave, helpful and positive.

That’s right, 600 people! Thanks to our Virtual Seder. You are supposed to welcome anyone with no place to go into your home, and this year I really did that. I realized a lot of people would be alone for Passover or hosting for the first time since they couldn’t be with family, and I wanted to help. We decided to Zoom with my mom and FaceTime in Bubbe (thanks to the iPhone we dropped off for Bubbe, she is a FaceTime and texting pro!) and steam it on Facebook. My husband’s grandfather also called in, and the rest of our family watched. It was the most fun I’ve had all month! We also hosted a virtual afikomen hunt on ModernTribe.

Of course, we had to dress the part. Matzah but make it fashion. Passover is all about the food, and even though we couldn’t get all the ingredients, we made it work. I made schmaltz and gribenes and used some chicken wings to make the matzah ball soup. Even though we had no carrots, it was delicious! (I added extra onions). We only had one broken egg left, and cilantro instead of parsley, but we made it work and that made it even more special.

I got so much positive feedback that it just warmed my heart! I may even host a virtual seder in the future, even when we can welcome friends and family back into our homes.

And if you’re wondering what that tasty dessert above is, it’s Matzah Layer Cake! To make this layer cake, soak matzah pieces in grape juice or sweet red wine just to soften, about 20 seconds. Start with one piece of matzah on a lined baking sheet and add a layer of melted chocolate or frosting. Top with matzah and repeat as much as you want! Top the last layer with chocolate and sprinkles. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. I trimmed the edges to make it pretty and cut it into 4 quarters. The photo above shows one quarter! The perfect dessert for two.

Hope you had a Happy Passover however you celebrated!