Pesach (Passover) is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in Jewish life, commemorating the biblical story of the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt and their journey toward freedom. The festival begins with the seder, a ritual meal where family and friends gather to retell the Exodus story using the Haggadah, symbolic foods, songs, and discussion, while throughout Pesach we avoid chametz (leavened foods) and eat matzah, recalling the haste with which the Israelites left Egypt.

More than a historical remembrance, Pesach invites each generation to reflect on the meaning of freedom, responsibility, and the enduring hope for a more just and compassionate world. As the festival approaches, we invite you to prepare and celebrate with us at Shtiebel — join us for Shabbat HaGadol, our Pre-Pesach Matzah Workshop, and our Pesach morning festival service, explore the Shtiebel Haggadah and other resources, take part in our Queer Seder, and conclude the festival together with Yizkor, Havdalah, and our beloved “Yeast Feast.”

Preparing For Pesach

On Friday evening, 27 March, we will host a family-focused Pesach preparation gathering, including our annual matzah bake together with a lively Pesach song session.

The aim is to help ensure that our youngest members and friends arrive at the Seder confident, curious and ready to help bring the story of Pesach to life around their family tables.

During Shacharit on Shabbat morning we will explore some of the rites and rituals of the Seder, ensuring that everyone leaves with fresh ideas and meaningful ways to enliven and reimagine their own Seder experience.

We will also reflect on how these rituals invite each generation to see themselves as part of the story of freedom.

As we begin clearing chametz from our homes ahead of Pesach, we invite our community to turn that preparation into an act of generosity by bringing unopened, non-perishable chametz items for the Shtiebel Street Pantry. In this way, food that might otherwise be discarded can support members of our wider community experiencing hardship, reflecting the Pesach values of dignity, compassion, and care for one another.

We’re thrilled to share the inaugural edition of the Shtiebel Haggadah with you — a family-friendly, accessible guide designed to enrich your seder with contemporary reflections, clear transliteration and translation, and thoughtful readings that help everyone participate. Beautifully illustrated and created for tables of every size, it is available now as a free digital download, or physical copies can be collected from the Shtiebel office ($36 for a pack of 10).

Community Celebrations