Action Tips: Make an Impact With Your Passover Celebration

Spanning eight days, the Jewish holiday of Passover commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt (Nickelodeon classic Rugrats does a good retelling of the story). Give your holiday a little more meaningful with these helpful tips.

1. Donate the "chametz." Removing all chametz (bread products, including items and utensils used to make bread) is a big part of Passover. You don’t have to throw your beloved carbs away, though. Give your chametz to a food bank or soup kitchen so others can put them to good use.
2. Volunteer some time. A few days before the start of the holiday, people are supposed to clean their home of all chametz. Help out those who are incapable of doing the dirty work by themselves (such as the elderly or disabled) and volunteer a little bit of time to make their home Passover-ready.
3. Have an organic Seder. On the night on the Pesach Seder, you and your family are supposed to eat foods that are associated with the story of Passover. A majority of these foods can be located at your local farmer’s market. Not only does going organic shrink your ecological footprint, but the food’s also more delicious!
4. Make the Seder gender-neutral. Often the Haggadah (the book used at the Seder that tells the story and order of Passover), highlights the males in the story as opposed to the women. Show a bit of equality by having both Elijah’s Cup and Miriam’s Cup on your Seder table. Also, say prayers that focus on both genders. After the Seder is said and done, go around the table and talk about Jewish figures (both men and women) that each person admires.