“As Jews, we all have a responsibility for one another regardless of our denomination, place of origin or level of religious observance,” said IAC co-founder and CEO Shoham Nicolet. “Therefore, as part of our innovative digital programming, we wanted to make sure that those who are unaccustomed to celebrating Passover alone - or have never had a Seder before - had the option to celebrate together with the rest of the Jewish community, at a time when Jewish unity and togetherness is so important.”
Participants were able to join an existing seder or lead their own. Those hosting were provided with a booklet with tips for hosting a virtual communal Seder, a link to a Haggadah, instructions on how to open a Zoom meeting and manage a Seder, a Passover activities booklet for kids and an invitation to join a special virtual meeting for Seder leaders in order to learn tools and different ways to lead the Seder.
The digital seders were done as part of the new IAC@Home initiative, created to give Israeli-Americans and American Jews a virtual option for Jewish and Israeli life during the coronavirus outbreak.
The IAC quickly prepared for the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on Jewish and Israeli life in America, organizing virtual experiences for all ages, including digital Kabbalat Shabbat services.