Passover 2021
Passover has always been about gathering with family. This year, as students may be far from their homes and unable to celebrate with their families, Penn State Hillel’s role as students’ home-away-from-home is even more important. Whether a student is attending a seder for the very first time or missing their family traditions, our Hillel welcomes them to our table. We’re committed to providing all of our students with a safe and meaningful Passover experience wherever they are.
This year, a committee of students worked with our Senior Jewish Educator, Rabbi Rob Gleisser, to plan our Passover seder. There will be 18 Passover seders, some virtual and some in-person. In accordance with Penn State’s COVID safety protocols, our in-person seders will be limited to ten people and socially distanced or limited to members of the same household. All attendees, both virtual and in-person, will receive a pre-packaged seder meal free of charge thanks to the support of our generous donors.
Members of the freshman class will be hosting an in-person seder in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center limited to ten people, members of Penn State’s Greek life will be hosting five seders of their own limited to their housemates, and Rabbi Rob and student leaders will be hosting a virtual LGBTQIA seder in partnership with Hillel @ Home, a Hillel International initiative. In addition, one of our student leaders will be leading a virtual social justice-focused seder. Rabbi Rob and members of the Passover committee have also prepared a prerecorded seder for members of the Penn State Hillel community to watch at any time. Students across campus will also be hosting seders of their own with their roommates.
You can watch our virtual Haggadah below:
We asked the students who are planning our Passover seders what Passover means to them. Their responses are below.
“To me, Passover is a time to spend time with my friends and family to educate myself and appreciate our history as the Jewish people. I always try to take a lot of time to understand more and more about Passover at the Seder each year” -Sami ’24
“Passover is a time where I can spend time with my family, this includes my extended family” – Rachel ’24
“Passover to me means carrying on the tradition of my ancestors and gathering with my friends and family to celebrate the freedom we are able to have today as Jewish people” -Olivia ’22
“Passover to me means spending time with family” -Danielle ’22
“During Passover, I cherish getting to spend time with my family and friends” -Lilah ’24
“To me, Passover means spending time surrounded by family or friends and honoring traditions that have been passed down to me for generations by my ancestors” -Rachel ’24