Passover is LITERALLY a week away. So let’s consider the issues you may be dealing with.
You have nowhere to go for Passover and you feel awkward asking to be included.
I couldn’t sympathize more! You are not alone; a number of people have brought this up to me. It’s even happened to me. So here are some suggestions – —
Every shul is having a Second Seder, do something small for the first night and jump into the community Second night.
Ask a friend, even if they aren’t a close friend. Just say, “My plans fell through and I’m asking around to see if anyone has a place at their table.”
Talk to your rabbi. A number of shuls do seder matches.
Go ahead and pull out all the stops – just for you.
Invite someone else. Yes, they may seem super connected, but maybe they are having an off year too.
You’ve been invited to a Seder but don’t know the people very well or don’t really like them.
If you’ve said, “Yes,” then you’re going. Determine what things you’re worried about beforehand and plan ahead.
One of the other guests is a bore? Try not to sit next to them or try to engage with others around you.
You know this host goes until midnight before feeding anyone. Eat before you go and let your host know that you won’t be able to stay past X time. Reassure them that you’re not coming to be fed, but to participate in the Seder. They don’t have to serve early, but you will have to leave at the specified time.
You hate reading aloud and fear they will ask you too.
Easy, just say, “I pass.”
You are pondering whether to invite your non-Jewish in-laws, extended family, or friends.
Invite them! It’s like they get a foreign vacation right now! Wouldn’t you want to be invited to a luau by Hawaiians, a Dia de los Muertos by a Mexican family, or Jólabókaflóð (Christmas Book Flood) by an Icelandic family?
Note: You don’t have to invite your cousin who emails you once a year just before Seder to “say hello” and who last time asked your gay friends, “Where did you get your kids?”
You are wondering what dish you can bring to the Seder.
ASK! If you are told “nothing,” take your host’s word for it. If you can’t bear to go empty handed, you can bring a plant or other non-food item. I will say, See’s Candies does carry kosher for Passover candy.
You’re afraid you won’t know enough and will feel foolish.
The entire purpose of the Haggadah is to stimulate questions. Ask questions, your host will be thrilled. If your host is NOT delighted, they are not doing Seder correctly and you can feel free to say, “I was told that questions are the most important part of Judaism…”
You’re hosting for the first (or second) time and you’re nervous.
Invite people you like and enlist them in producing the meal. They’ll feel useful and happy and you’ll have less to worry about.
Decide what kind of Seder yours will be. Got little kids? Make it child oriented.
Don’t want to go too late? Review your Haggadah, decide what to include and what to skip.
You can decide you’re doing most of the cooking so someone else should lead the Seder, or vise versa.
Be flexible and consider this a learning experience as you develop your favorite Seder format.
Feel free to contact me if you have other concerns. I’ll help you come up with a solution.
Dawn
Fun Passover Items
Jews of Color Initiative Passover Resource List
Fascinating article on Passover
Kveller’s free downloadable guide to hosting Passover Seder
Jewbelong’s guide to What’s Kosher for Passover?
Ammud: Jews of Color Torah Academy – Programs coming up that address Passover
Banana Matzah Brie
EVENTS
Sababa Shabbat Mornings (Oakland)
From Ritual to Renewal: Engineering a Transformational Seder (Palo Alto)
JIMENA’s Annual Mimouna Celebration (San Francisco)
On Being Jewish Now: Play (Palo Alto)
Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Day (Tiburon)
Tot Shabbat (San Francisco)
Men in Interfaith Relationships (Oakland) JOIN ME!
Shabbat Under the Oak (Walnut Creek)
Jewish Arts & Bookfest (Berkeley)
Sababa Shabbat Mornings
Celebrate Shabbat in the Temple Sinai Family Center! Created for children ages 0–5 and their grown-ups, we’ll gather for song, story, and joyful Shabbat celebration with leader Allie Silverstein and special musical guest Veronica Fried. This special event is sponsored by PJ Library and is free of charge—everyone is welcome!
Date: Saturday, March 28
Time: 9:30 to 10:30am
Place: Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit St., Oakland
More info here
From Ritual to Renewal: Engineering a Transformational Seder
Is your Seder a recitation of history, or a roadmap for the future? This year, join Rabbi Chaim for an interactive workshop designed to move your Passover experience beyond the “page-turning” and into the personal. We will explore the deep psychology of Mitzrayim (the narrow places), re-envision the Seder plate as a sensory map for growth, and equip you with modern questions that spark vulnerable, soulful conversation at any table. Come discover how to turn the ancient story of our ancestors into a staged jailbreak for your own life.
Date: Sunday, March 29
Time: 10:30am to noon
Place: Etz Chayim, 4161 Alma, Palo Alto. In the Library
Click here to sign-up
JIMENA’s Annual Mimouna Celebration
Celebrate the joyful conclusion of Passover with JIMENA and JCCSF at our annual Mimouna Party — a beloved Moroccan Jewish tradition of hospitality, community, music, and sweet treats.
This festive evening will feature live music, traditional Moroccan desserts, dancing, henna art, and fun for all ages. Bring family and friends and experience the vibrant culture and warmth of Sephardi and Mizrahi heritage. We look forward to celebrating together in joy, tradition, and community.
Enjoy:
- DJ and dancing
- Live belly dancing
- Henna artist
- Traditional Moroccan sweets
- Drinks included
- Family-friendly atmosphere (Ages 8 and under are FREE)
Date: Saturday, April 11
Time: 7-10pm
Place: JCC San Francisco, 3200 California St, San Francisco
Register is required
Thank you to our partners: Value Culture, Consul General of Israel, Malka Productions, JCCSF and Jewish Federation Bay Area
“On Being Jewish Now” by The Braid: A Play
Professional actors bring to life true American Jewish stories of humor, hope, heartbreak, and resilience in a post-Oct. 7 world. See this landmark adaptation of Zibby Owens’ bestseller, On Being Jewish Now. Read about it here. This is the second show in the 2026 season by our friends at The Braid, the Go-To Jewish Story Company.
Date: Saturday, April 11
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Congregation Etz Chayim, 4161 Alma St, Palo Alto
Get tickets here.
Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Day
Join the Marin Jewish community for a commemoration of Yom Ha’Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Together, we will honor the memory of those who perished, recognize the bravery of those who resisted, and reflect on the lessons of the past for our future. This gathering will also pay tribute to the survivors in our Marin community. The program will feature music, poetry, prayers, a survivor’s testimony, and reflections from the generations that follow.
This program is presented in partnership with Brandeis Marin, Congregations Kol Shofar and Rodef Sholom, Jewish Family and Childrens’ Services, Osher Marin JCC & Sinai Memorial Chapel.
Date: Monday, April 13
Time: 6:30pm
Place: Congregation Kol Shofar, 215 Blackfield Drive, Tiburon
Register here
Tot Shabbat
Join us as we welcome in Shabbat by lighting candles, eating yummy Challah, singing and dancing with our amazing clergy and musical guest Tkiya, enjoying a pizza dinner and building community with other families with young children.
Date: Friday, April 17
Time: 5:00 – 6:00pm
Place: Sherith Israel, 2266 California Street, San Francisco
Details and sign up here
Men in Interfaith Relationships:
A discussion for husbands, boyfriends, partners, fathers and grandfathers
Join other men Jewish or not, to examine interfaith relationships in relation to culture and gender. What are the unique expectations and responses that a man encounters as he creates a home and builds a family life in which his religion is not that of his partner? Join a multi-generational discussion about the assumptions and possibilities surrounding the roles society assigns men. Male identifying individuals in any stage of relationship, and any age are welcome.
Date: Thursday, April 23
Time: 7 to 8:30pm
Place: The Baum Center at Temple Beth Abraham, 341 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland
Free, but for security reasons you must register by April 13th.
To register, send your name, email and street address to dawn@buildingjewishbridges.org
Shabbat Under the Oak
Join us for this festive family-friendly, all-ages Shabbat celebration in our amphitheater. We pray, we’ll play. Let’s go summer!
Date: Friday, May 1
Time: 5:30 – 7:30pm
Place: B’nai Tikvah, 25 Hillcroft Way, Walnut Creek
RSVP here
Jewish Arts & Bookfest
The Jewish Arts & Bookfest is back again! A wide-array of sessions will bring authors and artists together including 2026 headliner Ari’el Stachel. From his childhood at a Bay Area Jewish day school to his Tony Award-winning performance in The Band’s Visit, Ari will share his experience of feeling like an outsider within his own community while navigating a mixed Yemeni-Israeli and Ashkenazi-American heritage. Other topics will include Torah in the Tarot; Between Worlds: Jewish, Latin, and Arab Identities in Conversation; Mining History and Ourselves: Creating the Jewish Story; and a special family-friendly programming track. | Learn More
Date: Sunday, May 3
Time: 11am to 4pm
Place: Magnes Museum, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley
Cost: general admission is $40. Youth and students are $5
Use the promo code EarlyB5 for $5.00 off general admission tickets.
Tickets here