5 Picks for Passover: From Playful to Powerful
From graphic novels to indie Jewish music to honoring immigrants with intention, here's a Passover glow up.
Let’s carve out sacred time during these wild times.
Before we dive into the pool that is this week’s Drop, I want to invite you to a special learning series on the Omer! It’s my first text study so I’d love for you to join.
During this free, three-part online series, we will explore ideas, texts, and wisdom from Jewish tradition about the Omer—the 49 days we count between Passover and Shavuot—which starts this Sunday! The counting, not the series.
☕ Spend your Sunday mornings with us, take a breath, and do a little learning. Here’s the when and what:
Session 1: Sunday, 4/27 10:30am ET - The Omer: The Practice of Counting Days
Session 2: Sunday, 5/18 10:30am ET - Discipline and Inspiration
Session 3: Sunday, 6/1 10:30am ET - Shavuot: Broken Tablets
No intro here, just jumpin’ into it since I’m suffering from the frenzy that is pre-Pesach stress like I’m sure you are. Except I don’t have to clean since I’m visiting my brother, his wife, and their beautiful baby for Pesach! Yay! Although, I should probably still give my apartment a regular clean…
That said, I hope you have a wonderful start to your Passover, whether you’re spending it with family, friends, or doing solo Pesach - that’s cool too!
I wish for you meaning, delicious meals, and engrossing stories, like how last year, my dad revealed the Exodus-ness of Call Me By Your Name! Okay, now that this is turning into an actual intro, here’s some Passover—or just Jewish—goodness:
1. Graphic Novel: “The Tomb of the Broken Amulet” by Arnon Z. Shorr
One of my favorite Jewish graphic novelists, Arnon Z. Shorr (whose work I featured in “5 Jewish Books I Read in 2023”) just came out with a new book, and it’s a timely Passover adventure! “The Tomb of the Broken Amulet” (written by Shorr and illustrated by Joshua M. Edelglass) follows four Israeli siblings whose Passover turns extraordinary when they stumble upon an ancient tomb hidden in the Judaean desert. Set in the present day during the Israel-Hamas War, the children inadvertently awaken a mummy and must confront their fears.
"With 'The Tomb of the Broken Amulet,' I wanted to set a classical mummy story in a Passover setting. The story isn’t just a fun genre mashup. It's about a post-October 7 family contending with loss, finding courage, and learning that – like the Passover Seder – our stories don't truly end until we've found what's missing." -Arnon Z. Shorr
This Passover mummy adventure is part of a broader comic book series of Jewish holiday stories called Festival of Forgotten Tales. Perfect for children and great for adults too, you can order it here and read it with your family!
2. Video: The Last Passover in the Warsaw Ghetto
Survivors from the Warsaw Ghetto describe the preparations for the final Passover seder in the Warsaw Ghetto on the eve of the uprising. Read their powerful quotes here and perhaps discuss around the seder table.
3. Seder Plate Addition:
Last Shabbos, I had the privilege of hearing Ruth Messinger, former president of the American Jewish World Service, speak at shul in honor of HIAS’s Refugee Shabbat. She spoke about the current refugee crisis in America, and reminded us that as Jews, we have a strong connection to this cause, having once been immigrants ourselves in search of safety and a better life.
Until recently, I wasn’t one for additions to the seder plate. I’m a traditional kinda gal. But a core tenet of Judaism is pursuing justice, and the Torah repeatedly reminds us to not oppress a stranger, for we were strangers in the land of Egypt. Reflecting on our freedom is important and necessary, but it’s equally important to reflect on how we’re making the world a better place with our freedom.
That’s why I love Ruth’s addition to the seder plate this year: an heirloom or personal item from your family that symbolizes their immigrant history, something that connects us to the past and reminds us of our shared responsibility to support those who are displaced. This could be a family photograph or book from the time of immigration, a cherished item passed down through generations, or a document that tells the story of how our families found refuge and rebuilt their lives. By honoring our immigrant roots, we can inspire empathy and action in support of those who are still seeking a home.
What would your family’s item be? Comment below!
4. Album: Common Blue
Okay, this isn’t directly Passover related, but did you know I also write for the publication, Jewish Unpacked? Read my latest piece about an indie Jewish album produced by Havurah, an interview with their music director, Leah Dunn, and listen to the album below while you’re cooking. Ignacio Wer’s cosmic cover of “Avinu Malkeinu” will hit you like starry serenity.
5. Graphic Novel: “One Little Goat” by Dara Horn
“At long last, here is the time-traveling, goat-centric Passover adventure my people have been awaiting for thousands of years.” -Lemony Snicket
I can’t write about hot-off-the-press Jewish graphic novels without mentioning Dara Horn’s new book. The author of People Love Dead Jews, another book I listed in my 2023 post, published her first graphic novel for kids containing important themes of history, memory, and family.
“One Little Goat” (illustrated by Theo Ellsworth) features a boy and a time-traveling goat who try to locate a missing afikomen by visiting Passover seders throughout history. This includes visiting the boy’s dad’s secret seder in Soviet Russia, his grandmother’s seder in 1943 Poland, a medieval seder, and even the seder of Rabbi Akiva in the 2nd century.
If you ever feel like this during the seder, this book is for you:
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,
I love the idea of adding a keepsake heirloom to remember our place as strangers in a strange land in need of constant aid. May we never forget our past sorrows and aid those in need. Thanks.
The last one about time travel to different Seders - that’s brilliant. Have a wonderful visit with your brother and his family. Have a meaningful and fun Passover and please read A Pickles Passover to Eden for me.