Mar 15 2013
By Molly Tolsky at 9:39 am
One of the most unique Passover children’s books we’ve seen yet is the new picture book from Laurel Snyder, The Longest Night. Like many books of the sort, it retells the story of Exodus, but it’s told from the perspective of a young Jewish girl. And where other kids books may skip or doll up some of the more violent/sad parts of the Passover story, Snyder stays pretty true to the script. It makes for a compelling read, and we were lucky enough to sit down with Laurel and ask her a few questions.
**The Longest Night is a PJ Library book, as well as Snyder’s previous children’s book, Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to be Kosher. To get great Jewish books like these for free every month, sign up for PJ Library. If you’re in the New York metro area, sign up through Kveller here. If you live elsewhere, check out this map to find your local PJ community.**
It seems like the plagues get a lot of attention when it comes to celebrating Passover with kids, but they’re usually cutesied up–plague finger puppets, plague masks, plague bowling set, etc. The plagues in your book are decidedly not cute (no offense). Why did you choose to present a more realistic view of the plagues, and do those cutesy products mentioned above bother you?
Honestly, there’s something fascinating about taking the gruesome and making it playful. I’m not offended at all. But we should ask what we’re trying to accomplish when we do that. Read the rest of this entry →
Mar 14 2013
By Avital Norman Nathman at 5:03 pm
Whether you weave in one, a few, or all 10 of these tips, consider honoring the matriarchal roots of Judaism this Passover with a little girl power fun at your seder this year.
1. Add an Orange & Coffee Bean to Your Seder Plate
The Orange: The orange represents both inclusion and solidarity with women and the LGBT community. The new tradition was started by Professor Susannah Heschel, who was inspired by women at Oberlin College in 1984 who made space on their seder plate to represent all who were not explicitly present in the Passover story. Read the rest of this entry →
By Kveller at 2:26 pm
Want your baby or toddler be the belle of the (matzah) ball this Passover? That’s easy… stick them in a Manischewitz shirt!
Sure, they’re not old enough to drink the sweet Kosher wine, but they will definitely be the hit of the seder with Manischewitz shirt from ModernTribe.
And lucky for you, we’re giving one away! To enter, fill out the form below. We’ll choose a winner next Tuesday, March 19th.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
By Molly Tolsky at 12:36 pm
If you’re not hosting your own seder but attending someone else’s this year, it’s a nice gesture to bring a little host gift. After all, they are feeding you tons of food, pouring a lot of wine, and retelling the entire Exodus story. That’s a lot to be thankful for! Here are some of our favorite gift ideas.
The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook ($35) Remind them that soon, they won’t have to make everything with matzah meal. Deb Perelman of The Smitten Kitchen recently came out with a very popular cookbook and everything looks ah-maz-ing.
Yiddish Wisdom Coasters ($18) These bright and colorful coasters have popular Yiddish sayings like “One friend is better than 10 relatives” and “Man plans and God laughs.” Read the rest of this entry →
By Jana Banin at 9:54 am
No grilled cheese for eight days?
Every year around this time I come down with an acute form of memory loss. I call it Passover Brain. With just two weeks to go before the first Seder, the panic sets in and suddenly it’s as if I’m observing the holiday for the very first time.
Where did I store the seder plate? How do I get those crumbs out from way underneath the oven? Does anyone make haroset safe for my nut-allergic kids? And why–why–is the only thing in my “Pesach” folder a 3-year-old shopping list? Read the rest of this entry →
Mar 13 2013
By Kveller at 1:44 pm
Looking for another way to make the seder more interactive and fun for the kids this year? Treehouse Kids make handmade dolls and toys, and this year they’re debuting the Deluxe Passover Story Set and it’s one of the cutest Passover toys we’ve seen.
Complete with little wooden peg people representing each of the 10 plagues, special Moses and Pharaoh figurines, and a bracket to make your own matzah tent, you’ll be all set to retell the story of Passover in a truly fun way. The set is a $36 value, but we’re giving one away to a lucky Kveller reader. Bonus: If you don’t win, or can’t wait to get your own, Treehouse Kids is offering Kveller readers a 10% discount off any items in their Etsy Shop. Just enter the coupon code MATZAH at checkout. Read the rest of this entry →
Mar 12 2013
By Kveller at 4:23 pm
The countdown to Passover rages on, and we’ve got yet another fun giveaway for all you Kveller readers.
If you’ve ever wanted to get into the Passover spirit with a family game night, your prayers have been answered by Passover Bingo. Designed for kids but fun for any age, Passover Bingo comes with Bingo cards filled with pictures that correspond with the haggadah and Exodus story. We’ve got one game to giveaway to a lucky Kveller winner.
To enter, fill out the form below. We’ll choose a winner this Friday, March 15th.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congrats to our winner, Francine S.!
By Molly Tolsky at 12:31 pm
If you’re shopping for Passover, you know you need some matzah, but there’s actually quite the variety out there. Whether you’re looking for classic, gluten-free, or chocolate-covered, we’ve narrowed down our favorite matzah options to make it all the more easy for you. Enjoy!
1. Yehuda Matzah ($27.50) The classic, imported from Israel.
Read the rest of this entry →
Mar 11 2013
By Kveller at 5:03 pm
Let’s face it: Moses is the ultimate Jewish action hero. He stood up to the Pharaoh, freed the Jews from slavery, and split the freaking Red Sea to escape. Not to mention leading the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years.
And now, your kids can help make the story of Exodus come to life with this Moses Action Figure, complete with a removable stone tablet and shepherd’s staff to lead the way.
Just in time for Passover, we’ve got one Moses action figure to give away. To enter, fill out the form below. We’ll pick a winner this Thursday, March 14th. If you can’t wait, you can get the toy here, along with other Passover goodies in our ModernTribe shop.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
By Kveller at 11:17 am
Turn this into something sweet.
Ah, the Passover dessert. Is it just us, or are flourless chocolate cake and coconut macaroons so 5772? This year, we’re looking for some more creative Passover desserts, and we’re turning to you.
Are you a matzah miracle worker? Do you laugh in the face of chametz? Prove it by sending us your original Passover dessert recipes. The winner will get their recipe published on Kveller.
To enter, send your recipe to info@kveller.com with “Passover Dessert Contest” in the subject line. If you have a picture of the finished product, even better. Send it to us by next Monday, March 18th. We can’t wait to see what you guys come up with!
