Pesach (Passover)


Pesach begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nisan

 

Passover 2023 begins at sundown on Monday, April 22, and ends Tuesday evening, April 30. The first Passover seder is on the evening of April 22, and the second Passover seder takes place on the evening of April 23.

 

Pesach celebrates the Biblical exodus from Egypt. The seven- or eight-day holiday (depending on whether one is celebrating in Israel or elsewhere) begins with a festive meal called a seder ("order," because the evening follows a specific ritual pattern) on the first and/or second night. The accompanying guide is called a Haggadah, or "telling." Specific foods are eaten during the seder and throughout Pesach to commemorate various aspects of the Exodus. Because dough did not have time to rise while the Jews fled Egypt, matzah (an unleavened bread) is eaten instead for the duration of the holiday, while leavened items made of wheat, rye, barley, oats or spelt (bread, pasta, etc., collectively known as chametz) are avoided.

 

Other symbolic foods include a green vegetable (signifying the coming of spring) dipped in salt water (like the slaves' tears), a bitter herb called maror (to remember the bitterness of slavery), and charoset, a pasty mixture of fruit, nuts, and wine that resembles mortar used by the slaves to make bricks. Z'roa, a lamb shank bone, represents the animal sacrifice whose blood was painted on Jewish doorposts so the Angel of Death would know to "pass over" those homes during the tenth plague on Egypt (Death of the Firstborn) and later the animal sacrifice brought to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

Find Out More at MyJewishLearning

Pesach Resources

 

Indianapolis's local synagogues can provide a wide variety of resources and support to help make your Passover meaningful. Below you will find contact info for synagogues as well as a curated list of resources to help you celebrate Passover at home this year.


Chabad Center for Jewish Life: Orthodox | 2640 W. 96th St., Carmel | 317-251-5573 | chabadindiana.org | rabbi@lubavitchindiana.com


Congregation Beth-El Zedeck: Reconstructionist/Conservative | 600 W. 70th St., Indianapolis | 317-253-3441 | bez613.org | bez613@bez613.org


Congregation Beth Shalom: Reform | 849 W. 96th St., Indianapolis | 317-306-5644 | bethshalomindy.org | info@bethshalomindy.org


Congregation B'nai Torah: Orthodox | 6510 Hoover Rd., Indianapolis | 317-253-5253 | btorahindy.org | office@btorah.org


Congregation Shaarey Tefilla: Conservative | 3085 W. 116th St., Carmel | 317-733-2169 | shaareytefilla.org | office@shaareytefilla.org


Etz Chaim Sephardic Congregation: Sephardic Orthodox | 6939 Hoover Rd., Indianapolis | 317-251-6220 | etzchaimindy.org | president@etzchaimindy.org


Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation: Reform | 6501 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis | 317-255-6647 | ihcindy.org | info@ihcindy.org



View an extensive listing on updated and currated resources from Jewish Federation of North America including virtual seder resources.

Fill the shelves at Popsie’s Pantry with kosher-for-Passover food for local families in need! Jewish Family Services is seeking shoppers, donations, and financial contributions to help support our community during Passover.

A variety of fun activites and games for younger participants (in age or at heart) including the full-color downloadable PJ Library Haggadah.

Cannot find the perfect haggadah for you? Then create your own. Haggadot.com is a resource for the Passover haggadah with thousands of options for blessings, artwork, songs, and more.

"Travel" to Jewish communities around the world from the comfort of your seder table. Downloadable recipe cards and community profiles so we can celebrate the global Jewish community, in all its diversity.

Sedering alone? Just you and a roommate? OneTable has great resources to make your social distancing Passover as meaningful and lively as ever.

18 Doors (fromerly Interfaith Family) offers tips for interfaith families in preparing a seder as well as supplemental readings and activities for the whole family.

Seder resources, haggadah inserts, and additions from one the leading Jewish service organizations to spark meaningful conversations at your seder.

Tips and Tricks from Rabbi Yossie Goldman, founding director of Hillel Israel, Hillel in the Former Soviet Union and Europe, for creating a family/community Seder in the age of the coronavirus

From Passover songs, readings, and even skits, JewBelong offers a variety of resources including a downloadable haggadah.

Put social justice on your Seder table withthe AJWS Global Justice Haggadah. Spark meaningful conversations at your Seder and connect our shared story of liberation with people fighting for freedom around the world today.

Interactive games and learning more your style? Check out Jewish Interactive (JI)'s library of games and interactive features about Passover for ages 3-11.

COMMUNITY CELEBRATIONS

Mar

27

PJOW Passover Supermarket Sweep

Meijer Carmel 1424 W Carmel Dr,
Carmel, IN 46032

Apr

09

Women's Seder

Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation 6501 North Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46260