it''s seder time

Latifa Berry Kropf photographs by Tod Cohen... Latifa Berr y Kropf photographs by Tod Cohen... The children loved having another opportunity to dip parsley in salt water, have charoset a

Latifa Berry Kropf

photographs by Tod Cohen

Latifa Berr y Kropf

photographs by Tod Cohen

Thank you

For my parents, Zelda Sheeskin Berry, of blessed memory, and Seymour Berry

L.B.K Most of the photographs in this book were not taken until a month after Passover The children loved having another opportunity to dip parsley in salt water, have charoset and matzah for snack, sing Dayenu and act out the Passover story

Many thanks to Congregation Beth Israel: the staff for their support and enthusiasm, the parents for sharing their wonderful children and, of course, the children, who always remind me of the joy in life

Thanks to Ellen Dietrick, whose behind-the-scenes encouragement and cre­ ative solutions were to the making of this book what matzah is to Passover For my precious children Gemma and Henry I love you!

T.C

Website address:

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kropf, Latifa Berry

It's seder time! / by Latifa Berry Kropf ; photographs by Tod Cohen

p cm

Summary: Photographs and easy-to-read text portray children in a Jewish preschool as they prepare for and

1 Seder—Juvenile literature 2 Passover—Juvenile literature [1 Seder 2 Passover 3 Holidays.]

296.4'5371—dc22

Manufactured in the United States of America

Spring is here!

sunshine

It’s time to play in the It’s time to get ready for Passover

We’ve collected the cookies and crackers we do not eat on Passover We’ll take them to the food bank

Let’s make

We roll out the dough and punch holes

with a fork so it won’t rise

We chop apples and nuts for

which reminds us of the mortar the Israelite

slaves used to make bricks in Egypt

Elly is filling Elijah’s cup with grape juice Samantha will fill Miriam’s cup with water

with a special cloth

Sherry is covering the three matzah

The seder plate has a bone, an egg, parsley, bitter herb, and charoset

To begin the seder, we light candles and sing a blessing over the grape juice

We dip parsley in salt water and remember

the tears of the Jewish slaves

Michael breaks the middle matzah Cantor Alan will hide the bigger piece,

Megan is chanting the Four Questions

“Why is tonight different from other nights?”

Let’s tell the story of Passover

Pharaoh’s daughter found Baby Moses

floating in a basket in the river

free the Israelites

he told Pharaoh Pharaoh refused When Moses grew up, God sent him to

“Let my people go!”

God sent the Egyptians many punishments One day when Pharaoh woke up, millions of frogs were jumping all over the place

Finally, Pharaoh told the Israelites to leave When they got to the sea, Moses raised his walking stick and the sea parted

When they got to the other side, they sang, danced, and thanked God for their freedom

Our story is finished Now it’s time to eat Matzah and charoset make the best sandwich!

Dina is happy because she found the afikomen!

Caitlin opens the door to see if the prophet Elijah is coming

We finish our seder with our favorite songs

Happy Passover!

Large face The

What you do:

would be

Torah Masks Torah masks are great props to use at classroom seders and at home They encourage even the shiest child to take part in acting out the story

holes are more child-friendly than traditional masks with small eye holes face holes also allow everyone to see the child’s facial expressions

On a piece of 24" x 36" poster board, draw each character in the story We have made masks for Baby Moses, Grown-up Moses, Miriam, Pharaoh, the Princess, and the Burning Bush You could also include Yocheved, the Jewish slaves, the Egyptian taskmasters, and frogs, wild animals, and other plagues

Decorate each mask using paint, markers, glitter, and fabric pieces You can make them simple or elaborate

Laminate the masks and cut out large holes where the faces of the characters

You’re ready to go Lights, camera, action!

Here is a

hametz

hametz Often packages of unopened hametz are donated to food banks

The matzah recalls the haste in which the Israelites

The seder continues with songs of praise and a festive meal

About the Passover Seder

Passover is a week-long holiday, celebrated in the spring, when we remember the exodus of the Jews from Egyptian slavery It is ushered in with a seder, a festive meal of prayers, readings, songs, and the tasting of symbolic foods

brief explanation of Passover rituals:

week of Passover Hametz includes foods made from a mixture of flour and water that has been allowed to ferment or rise, such as bread, rolls, cookies, and pasta Before Passover, many Jewish families engage in spring cleaning to remove all

The centerpiece of the table is a seder plate with the following symbolic foods:

Bone—recalling the Passover sacrifice in Biblical times

Egg—a symbol of spring and renewal

Parsley—a symbol of spring It is eaten dipped in salt water which recalls the

tears of the slaves

Maror—a bitter herb (often horseradish) to remember the bitterness of slavery

Charoset—a mixture of chopped apples and nuts that symbolizes the mortar

used by the slaves to build Pharaoh’s palaces

There are also three pieces of matzah—unleavened bread—on the seder table, covered by a decorative cloth

fled Egypt One matzah is broken into two pieces The larger piece, the afikomen, is hidden to spark the interest of children Later, it is ransomed and eaten for dessert

An extra cup of wine is set aside for the Prophet Elijah Tradition says that Elijah will

During the seder the door is opened to invite him in new tradition is to fill a cup or bowl of water for Moses’ sister Miriam whose efforts merited the spring of fresh water that followed the Israelites through the desert After the traditional blessings over candles and wine, the Passover story is told, introduced with the Four Questions asked by the youngest at the seder