Hosting a passover seder presentation
Planning and Preparing for a Passover Seder
In order to plan effectively, it is important to determine the number of participants ahead of time. This will be necessary to know how many tables and chairs and place settings will be needed, as well as how many Seder programs must be copied and bound (stapled).
If, in addition to the symbolic elements, an entire meal is to be served, plans for the meal must be done well ahead of time. “Potluck” is probably the easiest, but must be well organized in order to provide a balance of foods and for enough food to be prepared. If desired, kosher recipes may be easily obtained on the internet from any of the numerous sites that deal with Passover cooking, such as www.koshercooking.com.
Symbolic foods that will be needed are as follows:
Matzah (Manischewitz Unsalted Matzos are available in most grocery stores)
Parsley – bundles of fresh parsley may be found in any grocery produce section
Kosher salt (Morton Coarse Kosher Salt is available in most grocery stores)
Horseradish (Silver Spring Prepared or Silver Spring Fresh Ground Horseradish is available in most grocery stores – kept refrigerated)
Haroseth (mixture of apples, cinnamon, grape juice, nuts) – recipe below
Grape juice (Welch’s 100% Concord Grape Juice or Kedem Concord Grape Juice is available in most grocery stores)
[An individual Seder plate will require 3 or 4 pieces of matzah (2” x 2”); a sprig of parsley; a small spoonful of horseradish; and a large spoonful of haroseth mixture.]
The following are check lists for the preparation of the tables and settings:
For each table:
White table covering (paper, plastic, cloth)
Candlesticks, white candles, and matches
One white, cloth napkin for afikomen (a special piece of matzah)
A small bowl of salt water (kosher salt)
A pitcher of water, large bowl, and white towel (or linen napkin) for ceremonial hand-washing
A cruet (or something like it) with grape juice; more than one may be used per table to expedite serving
An extra seat and place setting for Elijah (not necessary if capacity doesn’t allow)
For each participant:
A place setting (white dishes if possible) and white napkin
A goblet (and a drinking glass if desired)
A Seder plate with matsah, haroseth, horseradish, and parsley
A Seder Haggadah (program)
A small pillow or cushion; cushioned chairs are sufficient
A Simple Recipe for Haroseth
8 apples (try different kinds for color)
½ cup of walnuts
3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
grated rind of ½ lemon
4 tablespoons of red grape juice
Wash apples and cut them into quarters, removing the core. Put apples and walnuts into food processor and chop until apples and walnuts are about the size of the chunks in chunky peanut butter. Add the remaining ingredients and stir them all together. Makes about 3 to five cups, depending on the size of the apples. May be made the day before use. Keep refrigerated.
[An adaptation of this recipe using three five-pound bags of apples, three small bags of walnut pieces, a container of ground cinnamon, some sugar, lemon rind, and grape juice has been used to serve one hundred fifty plates.]
Note: A separate preparation without walnuts may be made in consideration of any participants who have allergies to nuts.
Seder Haggadah (Program)
It will be necessary to prepare the Seder Haggadah ahead of time. The program must be copied correctly, that is, in order. The pages have been numbered to make this as simple as possible. A colored paper may be chosen for the cover, or it may be left white in keeping with the theme of purity. A heavier weight paper for the cover may be used. Participants are welcome to keep their programs when the Seder is over, and a heavier weight cover will hold up better. It will be necessary to staple the booklet together, so a booklet stapler will be needed.