70 Tons of Matzah, 120,000 Bottles of Wine: Ukraine Prepares for 142 Huge Public Passover Seders

Passover 2023: a week and a half remains until the Passover holiday and, in Ukraine, which is still experiencing a severe crisis, preparations are in full swing for seder night. For Ukrainian Jews, this will be the second Passover since the crisis broke out.

On the first night of Passover, Chabad emissaries and the rabbis of the Jewish communities will conduct 142 public seder events in every city of Ukraine with Jewish residents. The seder nights will be attended by tens of thousands of Jewish families, men, women, and children.

During the events, every participant will receive a personal seder plate, with all the symbols of the night along with handmade shmurah matzah and four glasses of wine or grape juice. In addition, the Jews of Ukraine will enjoy luxury dishes during the seder.

In the days prior to the festival, the Jews of Ukraine will receive expanded food packages, which will be delivered by Chabad and the community rabbis. The packages will include meat, fish, basic products, vegetables, and other Kosher for Passover foods. The package will also include a personal hagadah booklet and additional materials.

“We are doing everything so that despite the crisis and challenging situation, the Jews of Ukraine will have the privilege of feeling free this year,” says the JRNU Center, which has been accompanying the Jews of Ukraine ever since the collapse of the Iron Curtain, and operates under the auspices of the Chabad of Ukraine Committee, which represents the countries Jewish communities.

The public seder nights will be held in synagogues and community centers, while in some of the cities, they will be held in protected areas. The major events will be held in the cities of Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Poltava, and Chernivtsi.

“We always leave extra spaces available for those who didn’t register,” says Rabbi Moshe Moskowitz, the Chief Rabbi of Kharkiv. “Experience has taught us that there are always surprises and Jews who hear about the public seder at the last minute and turn up here. Our goal is to make sure that no Jew is left behind and that everyone will have the opportunity to taste shmurah matzah and celebrate with joy and dignity.”