Celebrate Passover with Har Zion

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What’s on this Page

  • A brief introduction to Passover (“A Short Story of Passover”)
  • Preparing for Passover with Har Zion
    ✡️   Purchase prepared kosher-for-passover food
    ✡️   Sell your chametz to Rabbi Glick
  • Seders (1st and 2nd)
    ✡️   Arrange host/guest pairs for home-based 1st Seders
    ✡️   And information and registration for the Annual Har Zion 2nd Seder
  • Har Zion Passover Services
    • NOTE: The Erev Passover service on Wednesday, April 1, is at 5:30pm, not 6pm. 
  • Office, building, and schools schedule changes for Passover
  • And finally, links to other Passover information and resources on the internet
    ✡️   Passover 101 and a bit more.

For details and registration/purchase links, see the “Passover 5786/2026 Timeline” page listed in the left sidebar. For a one-page printable summary of Passover services and resources: click here. (Note: The orange, underlined text strings on the summary are active web links when you view it online. Also, earlier versions of this page had the Wednesday, April 1, service starting at 6pm, not 5:30pm as is correct.)

Printable Passover Resources:

  • For a one-page printable summary of this page: click here. (Note: The orange underlined text strings in this summary page are active web links when you view it online. Also, earlier versions of this page had the Erev Passover service that is on Wednesday, April 1, starting at 6pm, not 5:30pm as is correct.)
  • For a printable form to sell your chametz to Rabbi Glick, click here. (Or fill it out online; click here.)
  • For the Conservative Judaism Rabbinical Assemble’s 5786 / 2026 Passover Guide, click here. This is a 19 page PDF file. But if you have a question, your answer is likely in here, somewhere.

A Short Story of Passover

During Passover, Jews recall how our ancestors were lead out of slavery in Egypt by Moses. To convince Pharaoh to allow the Jews to leave Egypt, God inflicts ten plagues of increasing severity on Egypt, with the final and most devastating being the death of the firstborn. Obeying God’s command to mark their doorposts with lamb’s blood allowed the Angel of God to “pass over” the Jew’s homes to spare their firstborn sons.

After the night of the plague of the firstborn, Pharaoh sent for Moses and his brother Aaron, telling them that the Jews were free to leave Israel.

Today, during eight day holiday (seven in Israel) of Passover, the Jewish people remember this time as if they are experiencing it themselves. Jews will prepare their homes for the holiday by removing all chametz—products made with leavened grains, barley, oats, rye, spelt, and wheat.

Note: While Ashkenazi Jews traditionally did not eat kitniyot—legumes, rice, seeds, and corn—during Passover, the Rabbinical Assembly—an international group of Conservative rabbis—has ruled that it is okay to add rice, beans, and corn and other kitniyot to the Passover table.

Preparing for Passover with Har Zion

While much of the celebration of Passover occurs within the home, Har Zion can also be an important part of your Passover preparations and celebrations.

✡️ Kosher for Passover Food from Zelda’s Catering

We are once again delighted offer you the option to order Passover food from Zelda’s for pickup here at Har Zion. If you prefer to pickup directly from Zelda’s, there are options for that as well.

You can order kosher-for-Passover food for a large or small seder, or for a selection of individual items.

Instructions and Links

You must place your order with Zelda’s by Friday, March 21, to ensure that everything you want will be available to order. After March 21, you might still be able to place an order, but the selection of foods will be limited.

About Picking up Your Food

If you are having the food you purchase delivered here to Har Zion, you will have to sign up for a pickup time. There is (or will be) a spreadsheet on our Zelda ordering instruction page to reserve this time.

AND WHEN YOU PICK UP YOUR FOOD: When you arrive at the temple to pickup your food, please park in the south lot near the kitchen door. Ring the intercom at the kitchen door, and someone will come to assist you. It may take us a few minutes to get from other places in the building to the kitchen to meet you. We will be with you as quickly as we can! As always, please email or call the office 708-366-9000 with any questions. Thank you!

✡️ Selling Your Chametz 

Sell ChametzYou will probably have chametz (leavened foods) left over in your home that you can’t use before Passover begins. You can seal this chametz in a closet or room in your home, then transfer its ownership to Rabbi Glick. Rabbi Glick will “sell” it to a non-Jew for the duration of Passover. 

Use this form:    Sell Chametz  

Passover Seders (1st and 2nd)

Passover begins with a ritual meal, or Seder—two Seders outside of Israel—which recounts the events of the Exodus from Egypt. Seder means order, because the Seder meal follows a specific order. 

✡️ 1st Seder, Wednesday, April 1

Passover begins on the evening of Wednesday, April 1, with (an evening ma’ariv service and) the 1st Seder.

Can you host additional people at the 1st seder in your home—or—do you want to find a 1st seder to attend?

In either case, please fill out this form by Friday, March 20:    1st Seder Guest/Host
(We will take into consideration the hosts’ and guests’ kosher/allergy/dietary preferences.)

✡️ 2nd Seder, Thursday, April 2

On Thurday, April 2, the Passover evening service is at 6pm, followed by the seder at 6:30pm. Both are in person as well as streamed; please join us!

Registration is required to attend the 2nd Seder in person:  Register  
The last day to register is Monday, March 30.

Passover Services at Har Zion

Ma’ariv evening services: 5:30pm on Wednesday, April 1 (Zoom only), and 6pm on Thursday, April 2 (in person and streaming).

Passover morning services: 10am on Thursday-Friday, April 2-3, and  Wednesday-Thursday. April 8-9. All are in person and streaming. These 10am services will replace the 8am minyan.

See the Passover timeline for details and for information on the Fast of the Firstborn (Wednesday, April 1).

Siddur: The Passover services use the Saturday morning Siddur, which can be found here.

Attending the Services:

All the Passover services are in person and streaming Facebook, Instagram, and Zoom. The only exception is the evening service on Wednesday, April 1, which is Zoom only.

For the Zoom ID#s, see Passover 5786/2026 Timeline or the printable listing of Har Zion’s Passover 5786/2026 resources, services, and celebrations. If you need the Zoom password, make sure you ask for it at office@wsthz.org or 708-366-9000 when the temple office is open. (See below.)

Passover Closings for the Office, Building, and Schools

✡ Temple Office/Building:

  • Closes at 1pm, Wed, April 1
  • Closed except for services and 2nd Seder: Thu–Fri, April 2–3 & Wed–Thu, April 8–9.

✡ Har Zion Preschool:

  • Spring Break, Mon–Fri, Mar 30–April 3
  • Closed Thu–Fri, Wed‑Thu, April 8–9.

✡ Koven Religious School Passover Break:

  • Begins on Sun, Mar 23; classes resume Sun, April 12

Do you have questions? Do you want to learn more?

Passover customs and traditions are fascinating subjects!

If you are new to Passover, a good place to start is at the 18Doors Passover Cheatsheet. 18Doors is designed for “interfaith couples and families in formation,” but its website—and this cheatsheet—has much information that can be useful for everyone!

And there is a vast collection of Passover information, on the The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ)’s website: exploringjudaism.org
The USCJ has a vast collection of information explaining Conservative Judaism and how it is observed in the United States. Its pages on Passover can answer questions and give you new insights.

✡️ Passover 101 (and maybe a bit more!)