FORT WORTH, Texas — Under normal circumstances, Jewish people across the Dallas-Fort Worth area would be preparing to invite loved ones into their homes for a Passover Seder Wednesday and Thursday nights.
"Passover is one of our favorite holidays because it’s so much about tradition, about family, about being together," said Carole Greisdorf of Plano.
But this year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders, people like Greisdorf are having to find alternative ways to share the holiday with loved ones.
"This year we’re going to get to be with our family, via Zoom," she said.
That's right; their family, and likely many others, will sit at the Seder table and go through the Passover traditions over video chat with family members across the country, knowing that staying apart is keeping people safe.
"I think a lot of people are going try to do it, there’s no question about it," said Bob Goldberg, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County.
WFFA asked Goldberg what he envisioned Seders looking like around North Texas this year.
"They’re going to be small, intimate gatherings," he said. "They’re going to be very unique. They’re going to be small family units and they’ll have laptops and iPads, Zooming and FaceTiming with multiple families."
He said area congregations have also done great work in getting people to engage virtually during this time.
"You’re still going to have an experience of bringing people together. It’s just going to be different," Goldberg said.
"The holiday is all about connecting... being together and revisiting the story of our tradition," Greisdorf said. "And so I love the fact we’re not just sitting at home, my husband and I, alone doing this, which we would, but we’re getting to do it with our family. It’s very special."
