First Seder - March 25th - Plainview Jewish Center

EDUCATION Sharon Kunoff - Education Vice President
ORBIT Page 24
We always say, when Purim comes, can Pesach be far behind? Even though I am writing this
with almost 2 feet of snow on the ground, by the time you are reading this, Purim will have come and
gone. In fact at this writing, Shoprite has had it’s Passover shelves stocked for over a week already!
The holidays are not as seasonal as usual. The first seder will be on Monday evening, March 25 th .
Pesach is always such a nostalgic holiday. There are certain customs that we observe every year but
then someone says or does something differently and new memories are created. We often have
guests who tell us that their family does things differently than our family does. One thing we do differently
is the afikomen search. We have a double search. It works for us!! It is always fun to learn new things
which we sometimes add to our celebrations and sometimes not.
The best thing about the holiday is being together with family, but even when not all the family can
get together, the holiday has it’s special moments. Last Pesach I found particularly heart -warming. We
celebrated with cousins whose two grandchildren are slightly older than ours and the other children
were all quite close in age. All were old enough to be a real part of the seder. At one point some of us
adults looked around and realized that the kids had sort of taken over. They were singing the songs,
using many tunes, all of which they knew well and were having a wonderful time. This year, circumstances
will have us more scattered, but we expect to have some great experiences anyhow. With less family
around, I expect there will be more friends.
Try to think of your favorite Pesach moments and share them at your seder. Ask the others what
they remember and like the best about the holiday. It can lead to interesting discussions and can
involve the children in many ways. Pesach is a time to create memories. It is nice to reinforce them by
remembering!! Spend some time thinking about what you might like to share this year.
Have a sweet and meaningful holiday!! See you in Shul!! Sharon
Sisterhood Special Project - M’yad L’yad by Sharon Kunoff
Fortunately our family came through Sandy with no more than the loss of power that affected
most of us. We were able to send them a small Chanukah package, although a little late. We hope to
make up for it by sending a nice Purim package with gift certificates to enable them to shop for Passover.
By that time, you or your children may know which spring clothes no longer fit your sons or grandsons
and which winter clothes you feel will not fit next year. If you have anything that may fit our family, please
try to get it to me (call at 515-694-1896 or email skunoff@optonline.net) and we will arrange to get it
from you. Cash for gift certificates is always welcome. If you want to purchase the cards yourself, she
shops at Stop and Shop and at Target.
Following is a recap of sizes, but remember, young boys grow, so if you have a size larger you
can send it on. If it doesn’t fit now, it will soon. The mom wears 18, 20, XL or 2X pants and XL dresses.
Her shoe size is 8 ½ or 9 and she enjoys reading romance novels and walking. The dad wears size
small shorts/pants, size 8 shoes and enjoys the computer. Ernesto wears size 6 pants, 8, 10 or medium
shirts and size 12 shoes. He enjoys Thomas trains, Angry birds, Spiderman and Lego. If you have a
child who has outgrown any of these items that are still in good condition, Ernesto would like them. If you
are thinking of winter items, coats, sweaters or hoodies would be nice along with the spring items that
we hope will be needed soon.
Thanks to all of you who keep our family in mind!! It is a wonderful mitzvah and is appreciated!