The Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City will not sponsor a second night Passover seder this year, but instead will offer seder Meals-to-Go. Rabbi David Glickman, senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom, which traditionally has hosted the community seder, said it was an idea by necessity.
“According to traditional Jewish law you start the seder after dark and that would be at a time that it would really be very inconvenient for the majority of our users,” he said.
Because of Daylight Savings Time, the seder would not get underway until very late in the evening. This is a way for people to “begin at their own time and their own way,” Rabbi Glickman said.
He also said the rabbis wanted to find a way to help members of the Jewish community who don’t have the ability or the desire to cook and prepare their own seder meal.
“[We want to] empower them on how to be able to have a seder at home or with friends in as easy a way as possible in the way they would want to, so by having the seder Meals-to-Go at a fairly affordable price, it allows people to have a kosher-for-Passover seder and take all the difficulties out of it,” the rabbi explained.
While seder Meals-to-Go replaces the community seder, the meal can be for either the first or second Seder.
The rabbi said seder Meals-to-Go is also a service to the community because the kosher Hen House at 119th and Roe, where many people in the past have had seder meals catered, is under reconstruction.
“While the Vaad HaKashruth has done a great job of trying to accommodate the community’s needs at the Hen House at 135th Street, they aren’t going to have the capacity to do all the prepared foods for Passover like they usually do,” said Rabbi Glickman. “So this also opens up an opportunity for people who relied on those services to be able to get them.
“I don’t anticipate [Kosher Meals-to-Go] replacing the community seder, but it seemed like a nice solution for this year.”
A do-it-yourself seder workshop, “Create an Awesome DIY Seder,” is being offered by the Rabbinical Association from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 10. You do not have to order seder Meals-to-Go in order to attend and there is no charge.
“There will be a few different rabbis who are going to be teaching there and it will be ways of both understanding the pieces of the seder and trying to make it less intimidating to lead your own seder,” Rabbi Glickman said. “Leading your own seder is actually something that is both do-able and very empowering. You don’t need to know a lot of Hebrew. You don’t need to have a tremendous amount of Jewish knowledge.
“But what you do need is some curiosity and some creativity, and this workshop will help people navigate the pieces of the seder and feel empowered to be a leader in their own home.”
People may use whatever Haggadah they have, but during the workshop the rabbis will talk about ones that are particularly user-friendly.
Seder Meals-to-Go are being prepared by Kosher Connection under supervision of the Vaad HaKashruth of Kansas City. The meals will be packed in containers suitable for warming in the oven, along with easy heating instructions.
Anyone may order seder Meals-to-Go and the Rabbinical Association has been receiving a number of phone calls. In the past anywhere from 100 to 200 people have attended the community seders.
“I hope they see themselves as the target audience and I hope other families who either might not have had a second night seder or who just want some assistance in making their first night seder great will avail themselves of it,” said Rabbi Glickman.
For a list of menu items, go to www.kcrabbis.org. Items are listed separately so you can pick and choose what you wish to order. For example, chicken matzo ball soup is $18 and serves four to six people; honey orange-glazed chicken is $27 and also serves four to six; chopped liver, serving eight to 10, is $19.
A ceremonial seder plate for $18 includes chicken neck shank bone, parsley, roasted egg, charoset and bitter herb.
A complete Passover meal for four costs $130 and includes hard boiled eggs, charoset, gefilte fish with horseradish, baby carrots, choice of chopped liver or babaganoush, matzo ball soup, choice of honey orange glazed chicken or herbed salmon, choice of roasted new potatoes and sweet potatoes or apple matzo kugel; and brownies with ganache and strawberry sauce.
As a comparison, last year’s second night seder cost $34 per adult and $14 per child age 4-9; after the deadline, costs increased to $39 and $16.
Rabbi Glickman said it is of course less expensive to prepare your own seder, but if you hired someone to come in and cook for you and do the cleanup, it would cost more than doing it yourself, just like purchasing the food costs more.
“No one is getting rich off of this,” he said. “This is a service to the community. Obviously the staff members who are preparing the seder are getting compensated, but it’s not a fundraiser for any organization. So $35 a head for a seder for takeout may be a little bit expensive, but I think if you were to look at kosher caterers around the country you’ll find that this is extremely competitive.
“This will really allow people to focus on their family and each other and not just on the cooking of the seder.”
Order forms can be found at www.kcrabbis.org, area congregations and on the Jewish Community Campus’ display rack in the front lobby. Orders must be received by Sunday, April 10. Send a check payable to the Rabbinical Association to Rabbinical Association, 5801 W. 115th St., Box 113, Overland Park, KS 66211.
Food orders must be picked up between noon and 2:30 p.m. on Friday, April 22, at Congregation Beth Shalom, 14200 Lamar (kitchen entrance located on northernmost area of parking lot).
For questions or to inquire about confidential financial assistance, contact Annette Fish at or 913-327-4622.