As a second pandemic Passover holiday approaches, Haggadot.com knows there is a dramatically-increased interest in creating innovative Jewish ritual at home.
Whether people decide to host an in-person, all-video or hybrid Passover seder in 2021, haggadot.com will continue offering curated Passover experiences on its website.
This year, Haggadot.com is hosting a series of webinars open to the public to help those embrace virtual Passover storytelling.
On Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. the site is hosting “How to Host a Seder in 2021,” where users can learn and integrate practical tools and creative insights from the past year to tell the Exodus story. On March 2 at 10 a.m. users can learn about breaking the conventional structure of a seder and utilize the alternatives with Breaking the Seder Rules.
While many Jewish institutions felt the weight of the pandemic in 2020, the online ritual website saw exponential growth. The website traffic increased over 300 percent, received 465,550 unique users and reached more than seven million people. Known for its unique personalized Haggadah creations, 84,550 Haggadahs were created on the website’s platform.
In a statement to the Journal, Eileen Levinson, founder and CEO of haggadot.com, said that the haggadot.com team spent the last year trying to invent new ways users could create meaningful experiences online for all Jewish holidays.
“We spent the last year inviting our users to explore new at-home rituals, including home altar making for Rosh Hashanah and designing outdoor light sculptures for Hanukkah,” Levinson said. “Our work gives people permission to make the holiday their own. We may feel fatigued, but our site keeps people spiritually nourished.”
“Our work gives people permission to make the holiday their own. We may feel fatigued, but our site keeps people spiritually nourished.”
On haggadot.com‘s free Passover 101 guide, users can find almost everything they need to host a seder. From learning the basics, the history and what is Kosher for the holiday to creating your own themed haggadah for the occasion, the guide covers all the bases.
If creating a haggadah is too overwhelming this year (even after following their step-by-step outline), you can choose one from a plethora of Haggadah templates in their library. Whether you want a traditional template, a comedy seder template or a coloring book template, haggadot.com has thousands to choose from for every person at your seder.
“We’ve been through a year of virtual Shabbat services, virtual weddings, virtual shofar blowing and virtual shiva,” Rebecca Missel, Haggadot.com’s director of partnerships and operations told the Journal. “In the absence of our traditional ways of gathering, technology has the power to connect us to our most ancient rituals – and to do so in a way that feels authentic to our personal values and experiences.”
“Jewish DIY was the trend even before COVID struck,” said Rabbi Dan Horwitz, CEO of the Alper JCC in Miami. “Now, when gathering in person is a challenge, Haggadot.com continues to empower folks to delve deeply into the structure and form of the Seder, crafting a storytelling evening that is inspired, relevant, meaningful and personal. It’s a powerful way to ensure that the core story of the Exodus passes from generation to generation.”
