Photos by Stacy Gittleman Happy Passover TO ALL OUR CLIENTS, FAMILY & FRIENDS! To make the seder more interesting, draw creative readings or ideas from an assortment of Haggadot. Passover Tips These creative ideas can help leaders liven up their seders. I STEP AWAY FROM THE SEDER TABLE In the 2005 Passover comedy, When Do We Eat?, a dysfunctional Jewish family celebrates Passover in a Bedouin tent pitched on a suburbanite Long Island lawn. JEWELRY 6881 Orchard Lake Rd. on the Boardwalk (248) 851-5030 Stacy Gittleman | Contributing Writer f you are a seder leader, you work a tough crowd. Just as the Children of Israel complained in the desert to Moses, all gathered at the seder table will level their pre-meal kvetching at you. Fear not. The Passover seder is the ultimate multi-sensory teaching tool that asks each of us to think of our- selves as going on a journey and leaving Egypt and slavery behind for freedom in the Promised Land. Long before any educational theorist came up with the idea of teaching to multiple intelli- gences, the Hagaddah text clearly states that all who participate in a seder must feel as they themselves experienced the bitterness of slavery and the sweetness of redemption. “From sports to music fans, you’ve got to know your audience,” said Jeff Lasday, director of Alliance for Jewish Education. Lasday has led family seders for the past 30 years. When Passover falls during the annual NCAA basket- ball tournament, Lasday emails his family in advance a Jewish-themed “bracket” of favorite Passover foods, Jewish traditions and Jewish heroes. Before the seder, he compiles the results and intersperses reports between differ- ent parts of the Hagaddah. STONE'S Though it is not necessary to go through such lengths, setting the stage visually will get your seder guests in the right frame of mind for the evening. At the beginning of the seder, don’t even bother with the table. For one seder, I brought the whole family into the tiny front storage area of my par- ent’s basement. This subterranean start symbolized that we were about to go on a journey and the dark basement represented just how low we felt during slavery and how we were about to rise to freedom. Amy Newman, director of leadership development for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, suggests hang- ing blue cellophane from doorways to simulate the parting of the Red Sea. She also recommends giving permission for kids to draw on the dining room walls — covered carefully with butcher paper — to depict scenes from the Haggadah. “The more experiential you can make your seder, the more meaning it will have for your guests, no matter their age,” Newman said. YES, YOU CAN EAT Nibbling is permitted during the first half of the seder after reciting the blessing for karpas (green vegetable, often parsley). Pass around bowls of dried fruits and nuts, even crudites with guacamole to stave off hunger during the seder. TEENS, TWEENS, YOUNG ADULTS Prior to the seder, get them invested by www.stonesfinejewelry.com =P]PK*VSVYZ 5H[\YHS-HIYPJZ 0TWLJJHISL;HPSVYPUN :\P[PUNÇ*HZ\HSÇ,]LUPUN :HVW0HUULOO6WUHHW6XLWHÃ%LUPLQJKDPÃ :HVWRI/LEUDU\&RPSOLPHQWDU\SDUNLQJRII0DUWLQ6WUHHW 0²)²2SHQ6DWXUGD\0D\DPSP (YHQLQJV ZHHNHQGVE\DSSRLQWPHQW 1HZ