16 | MARCH 11 • 2021 

J

Family’s yearly Matzah 
Factory will take place at 
home this year — featuring 
a bag of Passover goodies with a 
virtual twist. 
The bag will include “every-
thing you need to make matzah 
at home,” according to Mikki 
Frank, JFamily’s senior director.
Each bag includes a 10 plague 
finger puppet project, afikoman 
bag project, rolling pin, a dough 
docker, measuring cups, two 
aprons, a Passover activity book, 
flour, a feather to search for 
chametz (unleavened bread), a 
seder plate puzzle and a Passover 
headbands game. 

 
The bag is offered at no 
cost with the support of 
Barbara and Douglas Bloom.
 
Drive-through bag 
pick-up will take place on 
Sunday, March 21, at the fol-
lowing locations: 9-9:45 a.m. at 
Temple Emanu-El in Oak Park, 
noon-12:45 at Congregation 
Shir Tikvah in Troy, 3-3:45 
p.m. at Isaac Agree Downtown 
Synagogue, and 3:30-4:15 p.m. 
at the JCC in West Bloomfield.
 
Kits are only available to 
residents of the tri-county 
area. Shipping is available for 
$20. If you live more than 20 
miles from a pick-up location, 

shipping is complimentary. 
Registration is limited to one 
bag per family.
JFamily made 300 bags made 
for Passover. “We know there’s 
a lot of interest in this,” Frank 
said. “Our families are really 
looking for ways to bring Jewish 
experience and learning home 
to their kids during COVID.” 
Register online at jccdet.
typeform.com/to/lB6M44kZ. 
 Rabbi Shneur Silberberg from 

the Bais Chabad Torah 
Center will be doing two 
virtual programs using 
the bag: a matzah-making 
experience and a profes-
sional-grade video on the 
Passover story. Both will 
go live on JFamily social 
media. 
 PJ Library, who pur-
chased the rights to the 
“All-Star Seder’’ with musi-
cian Ric Recht, will pro-
vide an interactive Zoom 
seder experience. It will be 
offered at three different times 
to any community family want-
ing to take part. Information 
will be in the bag. 
Every registered family 
will also receive a pdf of the 
PJ Library family Haggadah, 
Frank said.
“We’re hoping through this 
experience, families can have a 
really meaningful Passover like 
we always do together, hopefully 
connected through this bag.
” 

COURTESY OF JFAMILY 

‘Let My People Celebrate!’
Time-travel to Egypt while in your car 
at Chabad theatrical Passover event.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
I

n a year of Zoom and virtual 
events, Chabad Lubavitch of 
Michigan will instead be offer-
ing an in-person, in-your-car, 
immersive Passover experience 
called “Freedom” from March 
21-23 at the Southfield Town 
Center.
“Freedom” will present a live 
theatrical cast, special effects 
and festive lights while telling 
the story of Passover as guests 
“time-travel to Egypt from the 
comfort of their car.
”
The experience is approxi-
mately 30 minutes long for each 
car upon entering the site, and 
guests can choose a specific time 
slot on the “Freedom” sign-up 
page. Tickets are $65 per vehicle, 
with each ticket good for one 
vehicle with up to eight people. 

If guests are late, tickets will be 
honored up to a half hour after 
their designated time slot. Guests 
must remain in their vehicles at 
all times during the experience. 
Every part of the event is done 
from the safety of the guest’s 
own car. Masks are required if 
windows are rolled down at any 
point. 
Chabad Lubavitch of Michigan 
has been proactive for the past 
year in making sure Jewish 
families can connect with the 
holidays in new and creative 
ways while still being COVID-
compliant — with events like 
Shofar in the Park for Rosh 
Hashanah, Sukkot in the Park 
and a virtual Menorah in the D. 
According to Rabbi Kasriel 
Shemtov, vice-president of 
Chabad Lubavitch of Michigan, 

several Chabad centers joined 
together to make “Freedom” a 
reality for the community. 
“This is the most attended 
Jewish holiday of the year, the 
day that gives the Jewish people 
its message of who we are, what 
we’re about and how we set our-
selves free,
” Shemtov said. “We 
said we have to find a way to cel-
ebrate and, this time, we’re going 
to have to be even more out-of-
the-box and creative.
”
According to Shemtov, the 
goal was to find a fun, relat-
able, family celebration that 
overcomes all the challenges 
of COVID. With the planning 
of the goal executed, Shemtov 
hopes “Freedom” brings nothing 
but great things for the commu-
nity.
“I hope it brings the commu-

nity together for our holiday, 
gives an uplifting message and 
brings people out in a fun, mean-
ingful, safe way and in a way of 
connection to the holiday, our 
roots and to each other.
” 

TIMES FOR THE EVENT 

Sunday, March 21: 
11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-8 p.m.
Monday, March 22: 
2-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. 
Tuesday, March 23: 
2-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. 
Sign up at freedomdetroit.com.

OUR COMMUNITY

Makin’ Matzah
JFamily of
 ers in-home 
“Matzah Factory” kit.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Lots of surprises
for the little ones

