The boxes will be on sale starting March 1.
With Jews around the world preparing for their second virtual Passover experience, The Well’s yearly #Friendseder is coming back — with a twist.
This year, the new addition is the #Friendseder Box Experience. The box, available for sale starting March 1, is a physical box filled with curated items. The box has the #Friendseder Haggadah and some other ritual resources, while also including innovative content allowing people to celebrate Passover and the experience of the seder itself in a totally new way, according to Marisa Meyerson, The Well’s operations manager.
Some of what’s in the box is a surprise, and Meyerson doesn’t want it to give it all away just yet.
“What we’re telling people to expect is not any of the traditional ritual items: no seder plate, no box of matzah, no grape juice or anything like that,” Meyerson said. “These are items that you wouldn’t typically assume to be a part of the Passover seder, but once we explain how they’re connected, you’ll never want to experience a seder without them.”
Inspired by “Friendsgiving” (a recent custom of friends sharing a pre-Thanksgiving meal), #Friendseder was created to be a partner to the Passover seder. Friendseder.com, built by The Well, provides resources including recipes, guidebooks, decor ideas, seder activities and more — some from them and some from their partners, including OneTable, Hazon, InterfaithFamily, Reboot, Moishe House, Haggadot.com and Keshet.
One or two live “how-to” webinars will be held to walk people through the whole process of hosting a #Friendseder, with a chance to ask questions and have them answered during the session. The webinars will be recorded and posted for those who miss the initial times.
In order to most effectively prepare, people are asked to submit any questions they may have for the Q&A by sending a message to info@friendseder.com. Dates and times are TBD, but people are encouraged to check back soon or sign up for email updates on the website.
The #Friendseder Box and updated #Friendseder Haggadah are designed with digital needs in mind to accommodate people’s Passover experience in this whole new world.
“Everything we’re going to host on #Friendseder is adaptable to use in-person or virtually, so we’re totally recognizing for a lot of people this is going to be their second virtual Passover,” Meyerson said. “What we’re hoping people get is the message and the reassurance that there’s always a new way to do something, there’s always a way to find some creativity and inspiration and reinvent ritual in a way that’s still meaningful but also fun and exciting.”
The order will be on friendseder.com with the link being shared through The Well’s website and social channels as well.
The boxes will be sold for $36. There will be an option to pay an additional amount of the customer’s choosing — which will go toward supporting #Friendseder overall and sponsoring boxes for those in the community who aren’t able to afford them at full price.