6 Things You Should Watch to Get in the Passover Mood
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Anne Cohen March 30, 2015
Passover is now five days away. That means matzo, matzo, and more matzo — kind of a mood killer, I know.
But if hours and hours of Seder, an inevitable family fight over which kid (ok, adult) found the Afikomen, and stuffing your face with coconut macaroons aren’t enough to get you excited for the holiday, we’ve got you covered. After all, what better way to fully enjoy the miracle of the Jews breaking the shackles of slavery than by sitting on your couch?
Here are 6 things you should watch this week to get you revved up for the upcoming bagel-less days. And if that doesn’t work, remember: matzo pizza.
1) The Prince of Egypt
The best Passover movie ever. HANDS. DOWN. Choosing a clip for this was almost impossible. All the songs are good. But in the end, the spine-tingling “When You Believe” won out. (Check out the Mariah Carey-Whitney Houston duet here).
2) A Rugrats Passover
I honestly had never thought about how Jewish “Rugrats” was until now. This is definitely worth 20 minutes of your time.
3) Shalom Sesame: Les Matzarables
Ok, so this isn’t the best Jewish Les Mis parody, but points for effort. For extra-credit, check out this gem from the 1990 episode “”Jerusalem Jones and the Lost Afikoman.”
4) Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Seder
Only Larry David could publicly shame a child for cheating while finding the Afikomen, invite a sex offender to Seder and accuse a man of stealing his newspaper — all in the same night.
5) The Ten Commandments
It’s no “Prince of Egypt,” but still, a classic. Ol’ Stoneface Charleton Heston takes on a heavily self-tanned Yule Brenner.
6) Gossip Girl: Seder Anything
The episode’s tagline is pretty great: “No tradition is sacred.” But as The Wire points out, the best line is: I don’t even know how to say half the words in this prayer-book that’s named after Lieberman’s wife.” (Her name is Hadassah. Get it?)
BONUS
You’re welcome.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
