Passover Guide
Dear friends,
A piece of midrash, or rabbinic storytelling, about Passover reads:
When the ancient Israelites were crossing the sea [to freedom, during the Passover story] and a child started to cry, the child’s parent only needed to reach out a hand and pluck an apple or a pomegranate out of the sea. God led the people through the depths in the same way that God would later lead them through the wilderness—and just as the people lacked nothing in the wilderness [where they ate the manna that was mysteriously provided for them], so also they lacked nothing in the depths. (Shemot Rabbah 21:10)
In these challenging times, many of us may feel like we are navigating the depths, unable to see very far ahead. Even in the midst of difficulty or narrowness, how can we reach out for each other and the fruits of community, just as the people in the story picked fruit out of the sea?
We’re grateful to be in community with you and glad to share this guide, full of resources, information, and events to welcome in the holiday. Not sure how you want to celebrate ? Rabbi Gray is available to take you to coffee (in-person or virtual!) to chat more about Passover offerings and where you might find your place.
Did we miss your event? Take ~2 minutes and submit it to our online calendar, and we’ll get them posted in the guide.
We’ll be updating this guide as we hear about more events in the Bay Area, so check back often.
Chag Pesach Sameach, wishing you a meaningful Passover,
The GatherBay team (R’ Gray and Caroline)
Passover Seders in the Bay Area
Saturday, April 12
First night of Passover
- 4:45 p.m. Kehilla Community Seder: Compassion and Belonging in These Times
- Register by 5pm on April 8
- In-person, space is limited, NOTALOF and there are volunteer options
- 7:30 p.m. Anshey Sfard Sephardic Seder
- Starts with services at 7:30, followed by seder at 8:00 and stories about Exodus at 11:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 13
Second night of Passover
- 4:30 p.m. Or Shalom Community Pesach Seder in San Francisco
- Family friend, all ages, with separate kids programming
- Pescatarian potluck
- No set cost to attend
- 5:00 p.m. Temple Sinai Community Seder in Oakland
- All ages
- “Finances are never a barrier to participation at Temple Sinai’s programs. If you would like to attend but the pricing does not work for you and your family, please call or email Sarah Turtletaub. (510) 451-3263 x302.”
- 5:00 pm Beyt Tikkun’s Passover Liberation Seder
- Hybrid, in-person in Berkeley and online
- Some sliding scale tickets available
- 5:00 p.m. Congregation Emanu-El’s Young Adult Second Night Passover Seder
- In San Francisco — “Traditional, interactive, and joyous event where we will read the Haggadah and learn Passover traditions from around the world”
- Space is limited, they will sell out
- 5:30 p.m. Pomella and Bishulim SF’s Community Seder
- At Pomella (not a kosher restaurant) in Oakland
- Not-so-traditional and family style, for all ages
- 6:00 p.m. Base Bay Second Night Seder
- Suggested donation of $36 and they request volunteer support
- Outdoors in their backyard in Oakland
- 6:00 p.m. The Kitchen Social Club 2nd Night Seder
- 6:00 p.m. welcome / 6:30 seder begins
- For Kitchen members and one guest
- Space is limited — register early!
Other Seders
- April 3 (in San Francisco) and April 6 (in San Jose): Freedom Seders with the Jewish Community Relations Council
Note: GatherBay highlights experiences and events that will be for/with young(ish) adults. If you’re looking for seders or events for families or young children, J Weekly has an excellent list of more family-friendly experiences. Their list also includes seders in the North Bay, San Francisco, and the South Bay/Peninsula.
Passover Events, Celebrations, & Classes
- April 3-6, various times: The Broken Seder installation at the JCCSF
- April 6, 1:00 p.m. Whys and Hows of Kosher for Passover at Base Bay in Oakland
- April 6, 3:30 p.m. Split, Open: Finding Hope & Strength in the Narrow Places with Jewish Studio Project at JCCSF
- April 9, 6:00 p.m. The Jewish Studio Process: Passover Edition in Berkeley
- April 9, 7:00 p.m. Seder Run of Show with The Kitchen in San Francisco
- April 13, 1:00 p.m. Pesach in the Park with The LUNAR Collective in Berkeley
- April 15, 7:00 p.m. Passover Movie Night at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto
- April 17, 7:00 p.m. Songs of Freedom with Sacred Music Fellowship in Berkeley
- April 18, 6:00 p.m. Let My People Pho: A Vegan Passover Shabbat Dinner Experience at JCCSF
- April 20, 8:00 p.m. Mimouna with The Kitchen in San Francisco
- April 27, 7:00 p.m. Mimouna with JIMENA at the JCCSF
Hosting, Seder-Matching, and Local Resources
Financial Support
Looking for a way to subsidize your seder? OneTable is an organization that provides financial support to folks aged 21-39ish who host Shabbat dinners. This year, they’re also supporting first and second night seders at $10/per person.
They’ve also pulled together new resources to support you and are Nourishing Seders on April 12 + 13 and Passover Shabbat on April 18. If you’re hosting a Seder or Passover Shabbat this year (and we hope you are!), here are the key dates:
- For Seders (first or second night — your choice), post your dinner by April 8 + get your RSVPs in by April 9.
- For Passover Shabbat, post your dinner by April 15 + get your RSVPs in by April 16.
- If you’re not already a OneTable host, you’ll need to apply by Thursday, April 11.
Have questions about OneTable? Email the Senior Bay Area Field Manager, Maya Katz Ali: maya@onetable.org.
Seder Matching
From Minyan Dafna in Berkeley: “Pesach is approaching, and we’re coordinating seder matching! Are you are hosting a seder and have some extra space? Are you looking for a seder to attend? We’d love to help connect you! Please fill out this form by Sunday, April 6 if you would like to host or attend!”
From Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley: “Are you looking to be hosted or to host others at your seder table? Seder matching is being coordinated again this year by Mindy Berkowitz. Please email Mindy at sedermatching@netivotshalom.org and indicate if you want to be a host or a guest, as well as any needs such as: first night or second night seder, or if you’re vegetarian or have children, etc. Let’s make sure everyone has a place at the seder table.”
Where to get Passover Food in the Bay
From J Weekly, their guide on where to order food, wine, and more! This is just a starting point and they’ve got info for all across the Bay Area.
Also some recipes!
- Haroset from around the world
- Tons of Passover recipes from the Nosher
Haggadot & Resources
The Haggadah (book describing the order of the Seder) and beyond:
- Passover Resources, Haggadot, and Rituals for This Moment and Beyond from national Jewish nonprofit Avodah
- Keshet, a national organization supporting LGBTQ+ Jews, has Passover resources
- Matir Asurim, a Jewish Care Network for Incarcerated People, “connects Jewish spiritual, cultural, and communal resources to people who have experienced incarceration,” and has a number of resources for Passover (including a haggadah!).
- The Jewish Community Library in San Francisco lends out sets of up to ten haggadot in a wide variety of versions at no charge. The haggadot are available on a first come, first served basis, and should be reserved in advance by writing to info@jewishcommunitylibrary.org. They may be picked up from the Library, which is open on Sundays 12-4, and Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays 11am-5:30pm.
- Dancing In-Between (2023 edition) from The Lunar Collective—“Created by a committee of 17 Asian Jews, this new Haggadah is a joyful celebration of being both Asian and Jewish amidst powerful Passover rituals.”
- Find or make your own Haggadah from Haggadot.com (by Recustom)
- Check out Honeymoon Israel’s Reimagined Rituals for a Seder Table Cheat Sheet or use the Four Glasses of Wine hosting guide to host a mini-seder with meaning. Plus more to fit your family’s unique style for this season of reflection. https://honeymoonisrael.org/passover-2025/#inspiration
- What is Kosher for Passover? (including what kitniyot is!) from The Nosher
- Diasporic and Decolonial-Aspiring* Jewish Land Tending Passover Zine from local Bay Area folks Leora Cockrell, Austin Weisgrau, & Alex Voynow
- Come and Learn: A Modern Immigration Midrash is an immigration-related resource from T’ruah: the Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
- Moroccan Customs at a Berkeley Passover Seder (by locals Lena and Mel Sibony!)
- Passover resources from HIAS, including a haggadah that connects the “foundational liberation story of the Jewish people with the reality of the refugee experience in the 21st century.”
- Passover resources from Keshet, a Jewish nonprofit that “works for the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and our families in Jewish life.”
- Mimouna: A Post-Passover Celebration from My Jewish Learning
- Passover’s Infinite Questions, a blog post by GatherBay’s Rabbi Gray Myrseth
The views and opinions expressed by the organizations featured on this guide and on this website are solely those of the original organizations. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the organization GatherBay, the Gather Inc team, the Gather Inc board, and/or any/all contributors to this site.