Special Sections: Holiday Issues

You sit down at the seder table, start the holiday meal with Kiddush, then déjà vu hits you: didn’t we do this last night?

For many people, the second seder — Yom Tov Sheni Shel Galiuot, which takes place only in the diaspora — is a challenge. Going through the same readings and rituals seems repetitive. Those who already asked “why is this night different from all other nights?” strain to make the second seder different from the first.

Every spring, after she finishes scrubbing and scraping the kitchen for Passover, Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder can’t help but rejoice. But for her, the celebration isn’t merely a private utterance of gratitude, but a full-blown party: an annual matzah-baking bash, which includes a dozen or so friends and their children kneading and rolling and pricking and baking — and a fair amount of nibbling too.

Keeping the kids entertained well past their bedtimes at the Passover seder is no simple task. While you were busy scouring the floors and cleaning out the cupboards, The Jewish Week scoured the Internet for affordable gifts that will keep the tots focused on the story of the Exodus — without leaving you wistfully planning your own. Order some extras — you just may want to “borrow” a few of these masks, finger puppets, and punching bags, too. After all, who says that fun at the seder is just for the kids?

Afikomen Mambo

As April nears every year, it is not only accountants who find themselves in an annual crunch. The month between Purim and Passover is the busiest period of the year for those who work in the ever-growing kosher wine industry. Wine producers and importers rush to get their new wines to market, and many wine merchants will sell more kosher wine during this four-week period than they sell in the other 48 weeks of the year combined.