Put Together a Passover Seder With Non Jewish Friends
You have non-Jewish friends and you want to invite them to your Passover Seder. It could be awkward for them at first, but you can help them feel comfortable. Here's what to do.
Steps
- Tell your non-Jewish friends that Passover is the holiday that celebrates the Jews being freed from slavery in the land of Egypt, and having to survive in the desert for forty years to arrive in Israel, The Promised Land.
- Invite your non-Jewish friends. If they feel out of place, explain to them that Jewish law considers it a blessing to invite guests over. Tell them the Passover service includes the invitation: "Let all who are hungry, come and eat."
- Explain the Seder. Non-Jews attending Passover Seder can become quickly overwhelmed by all that's going on. Let them know what to expect ahead of time, and let them know that Seders can run for 2 to 4 hours.
- Explain the food. Tell your non-Jewish friends that because the Jews were on the run, they didn't have time to wait for the bread to rise, so they ate it flat, which is called unleavened bread, and it's eaten for eight days. The only kosher food they're allowed to buy is food that says "Kosher for Passover," "May Be Used for Passover," and "Kosher for Passover All Year Round."
- Prepare the Traditional Passover Meal. This usually includes gefilte fish, chicken soup with matzo balls, and either chicken or turkey, with cooked honey carrots, and applesauce, and non-dairy desserts.
- Prepare the Seder Plate. It should have 3 matzo crackers in the middle of the plate, a burnt shank bone, horseradish root, parsley, salt water, a hard-boiled egg with a burnt shell, 3 matzo crackers, and charoset—also haroset or charoses (a mixture of nuts, apples, and wine). Fill the Cup of Elijah with Passover wine.
- Seat your non-Jewish guests next to someone who can guide them through the Seder, and explain what's going on. Make sure it's someone they feel comfortable asking questions to.
- Choose Haggadot with BOTH English translations and Hebrew transliterations, because most non-Jews don't know and understand the Hebrew language. Tell them that Hebrew is read backwards, and most of the Haggadahs have backwards pages.
- Start the Passover service. Include your non-Jewish guests in the questions and answers. Emphasize that asking and answering questions is an important part of the Seder, and they should feel free to ask why something is done.
Tips
- If you're Orthodox, Explain the kosher dietary laws to your non-Jewish guests - NO mixing meat with dairy, NO shellfish, and NO pork.
- If your non-Jewish guests get tired, find a place for them to rest.
- Provide vegetables for your non-Jewish guests so they don't get hungry while waiting for the Seder meal.
Warnings
- If your non-Jewish friends can't eat certain foods, provide Kosher for Passover alternatives.
Things You'll Need
- Haggadahs with BOTH English translations and Hebrew transliterations
- Passover wine or grape juice
