Plagues, games and more: Passover gifts for a year unlike any other
Some will find such gifts to be not in the best possible taste, but if you take them with a grain of salt – or maybe salted water – they could be fun.
By HANNAH BROWNTHE ‘CORONA’ Haggadah by the Association for Children at Risk-The Center for Autism Treatment and Research. (photo credit: Courtesy)
The real Passover gift this year is that we can celebrate with our families and friends once again. But you can also help make this year’s Passover Seder different from all other nights by bringing a gift that no one else will have thought of, and manufacturers have gotten quite creative this year.One option is plague-themed gifts, which are particularly appropriate since this Passover we can celebrate – we hope! – the conclusion of a plague year of a very different kind.Some will find such gifts to be not in the best possible taste, but if you take them with a grain of salt – or maybe salted water – they could be fun.The Rite Lite Passover Can of Plagues for Seder is something you might just want to look up online and laugh about rather than actually buy, but if you are interested, it features one toy for every plague. These include a red cup, frog, small toy bug, lion finger puppet (for swarms of wild animals or flies), sticky hand with dots for boils (ick!), bouncy ball for hail, toy locust, a pair of sunglasses for darkness and puzzles for pestilence and for the killing of the firstborn.If cans are not your bag, try a Bag of Plagues as well, which is the same basic idea.Rite Lite also sells face masks that are embroidered with the words “Why is this plague different?” and “What Happens at the Seder Stays at the Seder.” It may well be too late to order online, but stands in the center of Jerusalem are selling many similar masks, including ones with a matzah pattern.There are quite a few Passover games and toys to choose from, if you want to get your children a holiday present. You can give the brainiacs in your brood Sederdoko, a Sudoko game with characters from the holiday. It’s sold at Nisha Gifts and Intira in Jerusalem.If your kids are into Chutes and Ladders, Nisha also sells a Passover version of that board game, as well as a game called Exit Mitzrayim (Egypt) and a Passover-themed memory card game.For a truly unique gift, and one that those who receive it will treasure, you can buy a Hebrew-language Passover Haggadah called “Haggadah Without Borders” from the store run by Shekel, an organization that provides work and living services in the community for Israelis with special needs, at store.shekel.org.il or in person at 11 Yad Harutzim Street in Jerusalem.This Haggadah is illustrated by artists with special needs from the Shekel community. The book was published by the Between the Lines graphics studio and Koren Publishers.The Shekel gift shop sells all kinds of crafts, including embroidered cloths and colorful candles, which are made by artists with special needs, as well as beautifully decorated face masks.The Association for Children at Risk-The Center for Autism Treatment and Research is offering the Corona Haggadah (Hebrew), written and illustrated by Chen Abelu, an 18-year-old girl from Tel Mond on the autism spectrum.Her Haggadah celebrates the freedom that we can now enjoy as the pandemic ends, a parallel to the traditional Passover story, as well as emphasizing some of the funny moments that have come up during the struggle against the virus in the past year. All proceeds from the Haggadah will go to the organization.In the realm of Passover snacks, if you look back fondly on the haroset-flavored Ben & Jerry’s ice cream that was sold in previous years, you’re out of luck, but the ice-cream company has a number of kosher-for-Passover flavors, including its new banana with walnuts ice cream.
