We are excited to share the checklist we normally use to prepare for the JCS Second Night Seder. If you are attending our virtual seder in 2021, we encourage you to use this checklist to prepare your seder at home.

Haggadah

For the 2021 virtual seder, we will be using a modified version of the usual JCS Haggadah. You can download the Haggadah here and we will also email it to everyone that registered for the seder.

Seder Plate

seder-plate

The JCS Seder Plate contains the following elements:

  • Horseradish (maror)
  • Hard boiled egg (beitza)
  • Charoset
  • Orange
  • Greens (karpas)
  • Beet root – used as a stand-in for the shank bone (z’roah)

Other traditional items you should have for the seder:

  • Matzos
  • Wine
  • A bowl of salt water for dipping
  • Two decorative cups we would use for Elija’s cup and Miriam’s cup

And here’s how a JCS second night seder table usually looks like:

Making Charoset

While you should be able to buy almost everything you need for our seder at your usual grocery store, charoset is one of those things you might need to make yourself. The good news is that charoset is very easy to make and there’s almost no wrong way to make it.

So… what is it?

Charoset is a sweet relish that is usually made from fruit, nuts, and some kind of binder like sweet red wine or honey. As long as it is sweet and has the color and texture of mortar / mud, it will likely qualify as charoset.

Common ingredients used to make charoset:

  • Dates
  • Apples
  • Raisins
  • Nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, whatever you like)
  • Honey or sweet red wine for binding everything together

Once you have all the ingredients, chop them up and mix them together, or throw them into a food processor and pulse until blended but not too smooth. You know it’s done when you like how it looks and like how it tastes. That’s about it.

Other Traditional Foods

Traditional passover food does not include any leavened foods such as bread, pasta, or pizza. Ashkenazi jews also typically avoid eating grains (e.g. rice) or legumes. At JCS, our traditional passover potluck does accommodate for rice, corn, and legumes, and is also vegetarian (+ fish). However, since we are doing a virtual seder this year you are welcome to prepare whatever foods you like. Of course, no passover seder will be complete without matzo ball soup!

Useful Links

We are looking forward to seeing you at our second night seder on March 28, 2021. If you haven’t done so already, please register here so that we can send you the Zoom link.