24 | MARCH 17 • 2022 

P

assover can be one of 
the most expensive 
holidays on the 
Jewish calendar, and for 
the Orthodox community, 
who purchase many more 
kosher-for-Passover specialty 
products and carry out 
extensive additional cleaning, 
the cost can be thousands 
of dollars, causing financial 
stress. 
Even for those who 
consider themselves to be 
less observant, the costs 
associated with putting on 
a seder — especially with 
a large family or group of 
friends — can be alarming. 
JVS + Kadima joined 
forces with Jewish Family 
Service and Lev Detroit to 
offer “Planning Your Pesach 
Budget: Simple Steps for a 
Stress-Free Seder.” This free, 
interactive Zoom workshop 
on Thursday March 24, 
from 8-9 p.m. will provide 
tips on creating a budget 
for an affordable Yom Tov 
celebration and is presented 
by JVS + Kadima’s Julia 
Tapper, a financial educator 
and housing counselor 

who is certified by the U.S. 
Department of Housing and 
Urban Development. Tapper 
is also a trained Mesila 
coach (a financial coaching 
program for Orthodox Jews) 
with 10 years of experience 
counseling Orthodox 
families on financial issues.
Tapper explained the 
thought process behind the 
event. “We were looking at 
what holidays were the most 
expensive for the Jewish 
community, and Passover 
is a one of those holidays 
which is both long and has 
many components,” she said. 
“If you are religious, there 

are potentially many foods 
and products that you need 
to purchase, which can be 
overwhelming if you don’t 
have a budget or know how 
to save money.”
For a family with six 
adults, Tapper estimates it 
could cost upwards of $5,000 
for an Orthodox family to 
celebrate Passover. During 
the program, she will discuss 
budgeting and having 
shopping lists for different 
categories of expenses. 
Tapper’s shopping list covers 
everything from tomato 
sauce and baking chocolate 
to plastic tablecloths and 
scouring pads. Expenses and 
prioritizations are similarly 
detailed, including sections 
for Erev Pesach, Aliyah 
Laregel, food, clothing and 
shoes, and expenses on 
Yom Tov. Participants in the 
program will be encouraged 
to look at expenses in several 
different ways: as a necessity, 
a possibility or a luxury.
Part of the program will 
also include money-saving 
tips, such as encouraging 
people to examine the use 

of packaged foods compared 
with cheaper alternatives for 
many meals. An example 
might be comparing the 
cost of pre-packaged kosher 
waffles for Passover with 
sticking to matzah and 
cream cheese for breakfast or 
making homemade matzah 
meal pancakes. There will 
also be time to discuss 
applying the budgeting 
knowledge gained from 
this year’s holiday to next 
year’s; for example, storing 
disposable items, looking 
at foods that weren’t used 
and can be saved for the 
following year, and noting 
which products weren’t 
needed at all.
“Although our program 
focuses on the Orthodox 
community who may have 
greater costs at this time 
of year, Pesach is still an 
expensive time for everyone, 
so we hope the advice will 
be helpful to others in the 
community, too,” Tapper 
said. 
In addition, Jewish 
Family Service recognizes 
that the Yomim Tovim can 
sometimes be a financial 
strain, so is providing food 
gift cards to help qualifying 
families prepare for Pesach. 
Applications for assistance 
are at www.jfsdetroit.
org/Passover. For more 
information, contact Lev 
Detroit at (248) 970-2040 
or passover@jfsdetroit.org. 

To join the Pesach budget workshop, 

go to Zoom Meeting ID: 824 0078 

8052; Password: chametz; Call-in 

Number: 1-646-558-8656. For more 

information, call Lev Detroit at 248-

970-2040 or email passover@jfsdetroit.

org.

OUR COMMUNITY

Zoom seminar will 
help you plan your 
Pesach budget.

 A 
Stress- 
 Free 
 Seder

ALISON SCHWARTZ SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS 

Julia 
Tapper