The Orthodox Union (OU), the nation’s oldest and largest umbrella organization for the North American Orthodox Jewish community, is launching a virtual Pesach program offering ideas and inspiration in preparation for the upcoming holiday.
The program commences on March 3 with a pre-Pesach tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s ancient Egyptian art collection with Elana Kaplan where participants will take a virtual tour of the Egyptian galleries to understand the Pesach experience in an immersive forum. On March 8, Chani Juravel and Meira Spivak will offer tips and strategies for making Pesach less stressful including organization tips for the menu preparation and cooking process. Other areas of focus include how to embrace Pesach with positivity, especially during a pandemic. On March 10, Rifki Freundlich, Michal Horowitz, Aviva Orlian, Aliza Weinberg and Tzivi Zuckerman will present different ideas and insights on the Hagaddah.
On March 15, world renowned cookbook author Naomi Nachman will do a demonstration on how to cook smart with quick and easy Pesach recipes. The series will conclude on March 17, with a special presentation from Abigail Meyer as she takes participants on a historical journey looking at the artwork in three pivotal editions of the Haggadah – the Birds’ Head Haggadah (written in the 1300s), the Szyk Haggadah (written in 1940) and the Moss Haggadah (written in 1986).
“Following the success of the OU Women’s Initiative’s Ideas and Inspiration series for the Yomim Noraim, they have created an incredible virtual program focused on getting everyone in the mindset of Pesach through shiurim and interactive experiences tied to the holiday offered by inspiring world-class educators,” said Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Hauer.
“On Pesach, we focus on telling the story of the Jewish exodus from Egypt and it is important that we do so through different media in order to reach everyone in our community, whether it be through a shiur or an immersive experience. Our Ideas and Inspiration series does just that,” said Founding Director of the OU Women’s Initiative Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman. “We are bringing together world-renowned female scholars and teachers to share insights and ideas to inspire us for Pesach.”
To register for the programs, please visit: https://www.ou.org/women/pesach.
Founded in 1898, the Orthodox Union, (OU), serves as the voice of American Orthodox Jewry, with over 400 congregations in its synagogue network. As the umbrella organization for American Orthodox Jewry, the OU is at the forefront of advocacy work on both state and federal levels, outreach to Jewish teens and young professionals through NCSY, Israel Free Spirit Birthright, Yachad and OU Press, among many other divisions and programs.