Passover Expo Offers Something for All

The excitement of Passover will begin early this year on the North Shore with a Passover Expo for the community on Sunday, March 11, at Temple Sinai, 1 Community Rd., Marblehead from noon to 4:30 p.m. Funded by two grants from the Jewish Federation of the North Shore, one a Community Innovation Grant and one a Jewish Women’s Endowment Fund grant, the Expo is sponsored by Temple Sinai Sisterhood and Cohen Hillel Academy (CHA) and is free to the public.

The Expo will feature educational workshops, art experiences, and hands-on cooking opportunities including a Passover recipe swap. Retail displays will offer Passover–themed Judaica, cookbooks and haggadot, and there will be booths to sample and order kosher food from Todd Levine, kosher candy from the CHA student Student Council, and wine from Kappy’s Liquors.

Inspiration for the creation of this event arose from the experiences of Ellen Lodgen, a Temple Sinai Sisterhood member, and long-time CHA science and art teacher who currently serves as the school’s Director of Collaborative Programs.

“My personal love for Passover stems from the combination of the holiday’s historical and religious significance together with the deep family experiences and memories that permeate throughout the careful preparation for the holiday and participation in the seders,” Lodgen says, “I was motivated to provide the possibility of enhancing these experiences for others through education. The goal is to help others expand their personal celebration of Passover by providing the necessary tools.”

Adult educational workshops include: “Not Your Zayde’s Seder” by Ken Schulman; “The Real Exodus Story: Desire and Imagination” by Rabbi Baruch HaLevi; “How to Prepare the Home for Passover” by Rabbi Avraham Kelman; “Everything You Have always Wanted to Ask about Passover” by Rabbi Jonas Goldberg; and “Issues of Modern Day Slavery” by Rabbi Aaron Fine.

Art workshops for adults will feature decorating water pitchers for the hand washing ceremony with artist Lisa Pedeimonti-Dipietro, and painting silk matzah covers with Stephanie Verdun.

Cooking workshops include: “How to Make Homemade Gefilte Fish” (9:30 to noon) and “Charoset Around the World” with Ken Schulman, as well as an extensive Passover recipe swap. Everyone is invited to bring a copy of favorite recipes to leave for others.

For children, there will be educational workshops focusing on the Passover story and songs, and art experiences to create a plague kit, and paint and decorate kippot and pillow cases for reclining.

Through the wide array of activities, Logdgen hopes that participants will discover the joy of Passover.

“The holiday is much more than just a chore,” she adds.

For more information and the full schedule, go to www.cohenhillel.org or www.templesinaiweb.org or email passoverexpo@cohenhillel.org.