Passover Around The World

It's fun to dip your finger in the wine when reciting the 10 plagues, and hiding the Afikomon, but they are not the only playful customs Jews have created for Passover.

  • Ages 8-11
  • HONORABLE MENTION Jewish Book Council, Sydney Taylor Awards 2008
  • PJ Library Selection 2

Do you know that Jews in Gibraltar crush a small piece of brick into their kharoset? That Jews in Turkey put on a small play using costumes to begin the Seder? And that Iranian Jews hit each other with a scallion when they recite Dayenu? Take a trip around the world and read stories about different Passover customs. Even better, when you finish reading this book - that also has matching recipes - you'll be able to create your own unforgettable Seder.

Reviews

  • "In this vibrant picture book, Lehman-Wilzig (Tasty Bible Stories) invites readers to travel the globe as she explores how Jews from different cultures celebrate Passover...the author provides a child-centric anecdote or family story, a sidebar containing basic historical, political and geographical information, and a recipe from the area...After reading this book, families may well want to add a new twist - or dish - to their own traditions."

    Publishers Weekly
    December 18,2006

    ***

    "‘The strategy--developed by God--was to hit Egypt with plague after plague, until the ruler Pharaoh finally gave up and let the Hebrews go.' In casual prose and full-page, handsome paintings, this picture book about how Jews celebrate Passover also takes a quick look back at the Jewish Diaspora and its history in the U.S., Gibraltar, Turkey, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Morocco, and Israel. For each country, there is a large clear map; a short history of when, where, and why Jews settled there; and a fictionalized story, illustrated with a painting of a contemporary family seder. The back matter includes a few more traditions, lots of recipes, and a glossary...For kids slightly older than the usual audience for holiday picture books, this accessible title will encourage families to talk about the diverse traditions and connections."

    Hazel Rochman
    Booklist
    American Library Association

    ***

    "This global exploration of the Passover celebration takes a multicultural look at the Passover Seder, examining the customs and traditions associated with the holidays in eight different countries on four different continents. This is an intriguing idea: it makes perfect sense, in light of the way traditions hold sway at holidays, to use the holiday focus to explore the different traditions of Judaism in a number of countries."

    The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
    March, 2007

    ***

    "After briefly telling the story of Passover: a celebration of freedom, and devoting a double-page spread to the special foods and objects which go on every Seder table worldwide, Lehman-Wilzig explores different Passover customs in eight countries around the world. There is a boxed paragraph of facts about each country, and individual stories showing families following their traditions in: America, Gibraltar, Ethiopia, Morocco, Turkey, India, Iran, and Israel, with a Seder on a kibbutz. She includes Passover recipes from around the world, such as "Diane Ben -Efraim's Kneidels" from Israel, "Good Morning Matzah Brie," "Yummy Mashed Potato Kugel", and "Granny Fanny's Cold Egg Soup," from America, as well as "Savta Mazal's Stuffed Dates" from Morocco, and "Madre's Burmelos" from Turkey. A section called Passover Potpourri provides more interesting brief information about different Passover customs in Egypt, Hungary, Poland, Ashkenazi customs from Europe, and customs practiced by possible descendents of Crypto Jews in Texas and Mexico. Handsomely illustrated with colorful maps and gently muted paintings which support the informative, well-organized text, the book ends with a Glossary in which most of the words are translated from Hebrew, as well as Yiddish, Farsi, and Spanish. This can be used by teachers with their classes, and by parents to give them new ideas for recipes and traditions to add to their Passover celebrations. For ages 8 - 12.

    Jewish Book World
    August, 2007

    ***

    "Jewish-American children will be intrigued by the practices in Ethiopia, India, Turkey, and Gibraltar, among other places that are not known for their Jewish populations...Unusual facts and recipes are included."

    Lisa Silverman
    School Library Journal
    April, 2007

    ***

    "An actual brick on the Seder plate? That's only one of the intriguing Seder traditions that Tami Lehman-Wilzig has gathered for Passover Around the World, her delightful new book."

    Jewish Woman Magazine
    Spring, 2007

    ***

    "Tami Lehman-Wilzig's book uses short story vignettes, easy-to-digest maps, inviting illustrations and simple recipes to draw young readers into the topic of how Passover customs differ around the world."

    Jewish News Weekly of Northern California
    March, 2007

    ***

    "Children a little older will be interested to learn of Passover customs in different communities, and will enjoy the descriptions in Passover Around the World by Tami Lehman-Wilzig, illustrated by Elizabeth Wolf...It can be used as a source book, and no doubt parents will learn from it as well. Each of the eight countries can serve as a separate story, and will pique interest and discussion. They let young children know that although the Passover story is the same for Jews all over the world, details of the rituals vary."

    Chicago Jewish Star
    March 23-29,2007

    ***

    Amazon Reader Review

    "Thought this was a lovely and interesting way to learn about Passover around the world. The recipes make it a fun book for the parents. The illustrations and maps make it very real for any age. They are very beautiful and educational. This book makes a great gift for grandparents to give to their grandchildren."

    R. Fishman
    January 23, 2007

    ***

  • It's fun to dip your finger in the wine when reciting the 10 plagues, and hiding the Afikomon, but they are not the only playful customs Jews have created for Passover.

     It's fun to dip your finger in the wine when reciting the 10 plagues, and hiding the Afikomon, but they are not the only playful customs Jews have created for Passover. Do you know that Jews in Gibraltar crush a small piece of brick into their kharoset? That Jews in Turkey put on a small play using costumes to begin the Seder? And that Iranian Jews hit each other with a scallion when they recite Dayenu? Take a trip around the world and read stories about different Passover customs. Even better, when you finish reading this book - that also has matching recipes - you'll be able to create your own unforgettable Seder.

Shabbat Around the World

We Jews are a diverse people, with communities all over the world creating engaging Shabbat customs.

You can learn about them through my unique,
digital-story / lesson-plan series that
It Gets You and Your Students Involved!
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