Innovative Pesach programming ideas from successful synagogues.
Events
Trees and Tea
Although this isn’t strictly a Pesach event, it is a Nissan one! Find someone in the community who has a fruit tree. Have everyone meet at that person’s house for birkat hailanot. The host can serve cake and tea or the shul can sponsor some other refreshments.
Submitted by Rabbi Yona Gross, Congergation Beth Maedrosh (Wynwood, PA)Rygross@gmail.com
Pesach Wine-Tasting and Sale
As a lead-up event to Pesach, the shul can host a wine-tasting where congregants can come to socialize and sample kosher wines. The advantage of this event is that in one sitting, participants can purchase wine for Pesach and raise funds for the shul in the process. By ordering wine directly from a winery (or a wholesaler), one can get a discount on cost so that when sold at retail price (or at a small discount) the difference becomes a donation to the shul.
Submitted by Rabbi Judah Dardik, Beth Jacob (Oakland, CA) rabbi@bethjacoboakland.org
For more ideas visit the OU’s Resource Bank!