How Hillels Celebrated Passover
Over the last few weeks, Hillels around the country have organized all kinds of creative and innovative events to connect Jewish college and university students with the ancient traditions of Passover. From hosting over 25 simultaneous seders in the same building to setting up October 7 memorials, campuses across North American found unique ways to celebrate the holiday.
At Hillel at Dartmouth College, students stepped up to cook all of the seder food for over 400 of their peers. The team hand-rolled over a thousand matzah balls for their biggest seder yet! Fourth-year student Lauren Azrin felt extremely connected to the Hillel seder this year. “The experience felt very reminiscent of doing a seder with family, and it was sentimental to be doing it for my last time at Dartmouth,” Lauren said.
A little farther south on the East Coast, Grinspoon Hillel at Cornell University hosted their annual F. Warren and Pamela Ellish Cornell Hillel Super Seder on the first night of Passover, which included over 25 unique seder experiences happening simultaneously. Each seder was hosted by students and planned around a different theme, including musical, traditional, social justice-focused, Sephardi, Israeli, and multifaith! More than 300 students were able to choose the seder that was the best fit for them, and the space was full of celebration. “As a first-year student, it was incredibly meaningful to lead a table full of fellow freshmen—it made me feel empowered and connected in a way I never expected,” said student Ann G.
Out West, Hillel at ASU (Arizona State University) celebrated the first night of Passover with their “Saturday Night Seder,” a twist on “Saturday Night Live.” The seder, planned with the theme of “from our family table to yours,” was led by Associate Director Taylor Silverman and her husband, and each member of the Hillel team shared their favorite rituals with students as the seder progressed. One of the most special moments of the night was when Vita, an ASU Hillel staff member, created a memorial table for those killed on and since 10/7, and in honor of the hostages still in Gaza.
Similarly, University of Florida Hillel’s Passover celebration greeted students with a memorial that served as a reminder of the 59 hostages still held in Gaza. Students wrote reflection notes which were displayed as part of the memorial. In an interview with WUFT, student Jacob Tastensen reacted to the event, saying, “The story of escaping Egypt is still relevant because there are still Jews that aren’t free [today].”
At Ohio State University, Hillel focused on welcoming students of all backgrounds to their seders, including a multifaith seder. “Interfaith relationships are more important now than ever and we are committed to finding ways to break bread and engage in dialogue with other communities,” said Naomi Lamb, OSU Hillel CEO, in an interview with the Columbus Jewish News. OSU Hillel also invited community members to join their student seder, sending everyone off with “seders-to-go,” which help Jewish students host individual seders later in the holiday.
Across the country, Jewish students experienced one-of-a-kind seders with their Hillel communities, ate tons of matzah ball soup, and recounted the story of our liberation. Visit @hillelintl on Instagram to see even more Passover celebrations from Hillels around the world.