Ten ways to make Seder 2025 contemporary

We were strangers in a strange land... and we still are. At a festival celebrating freedom, it's appropriate for Australians to acknowledge that our freedom in this country comes as a result of the historical and, in many ways continuing, oppression of Indigenous Australians.

Starting with an acknowledgement of country also positions your Seder as a contemporary evening sensitive to current issues and encourages participants to feel safe introducing non-traditional elements.

Reconciliation Australia has good explanations of how and why to acknowledge country and, if you don't already know, your local council will have information on the traditional owners of the land where you are holding your Seder.

The Seder plate is replete with symbolism: salt water for tears, eggs for life, greens for spring and charoset for forced labour. Creative minds have come up with plenty of new possibilities to recognise contemporary issues and honour those previous generations forgot. Consider adding:

Matzah is "the bread of affliction", the symbol of slavery, but you can extend your reflection on oppression and liberation beyond the Jewish slaves in Egypt. When you raise the matzah, ask participants to suggest who is oppressed today and what is required for their liberation.

One striking way of approaching this is to position Yachatz, the breaking of the matzah, as a symbol of the need for shared liberation among all peoples of the world. The US-based Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) has produced a short 2025 Seder supplement which observes, "It is when we seek to keep the matzah whole, holding it only for ourselves, that it becomes the bread of oppression. But when we break it, proclaiming what we have to share, announcing our willingness and our desire to be in relationship with others, it becomes the bread of freedom."

For anyone with children, the Ma Nishtanah or Four Questions are a highlight of the Seder and something you won’t want to mess with. But these should only be the first questions of the night. Encourage everyone to ask questions during the evening, whether about the Seder itself or as a way of stimulating broader discussion on related themes.

You could also prepare a quiz, hide a question for each participant under their chair or create a “lucky dip” style question box which allows participants to select and answer a random question. Most of all, ensure questions are seen as enhancements not interruptions.

Looking for inspiration? Deborah Harel has written four humanistic questions suitable for all ages; Rabbi Michael Lerner has written four self-reflecting questions suitable for an adult seder; and the American Union for Reform Judaism has four questions focused on the war in Gaza. 

The section dealing with four children of different characters has tempted rewrites and imaginative illustrations for generations. But for something completely different, Noam Zion from the Shalom Hartman Institute suggests balancing the four children with a conversation about four different types of parents.

Ask the children what they think makes a parent wise, wicked, simple, or unable to ask (or answer). Their answers may be revealing and the opportunity to turn the spotlight around is sure to pique their interest.

The popular highlight of Dayenu gives thanks for the many ways in which we have been saved. Every year, the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous produces a Haggadah supplement to honour one of the Righteous Among the Nations who saved Jews during the Holocaust. This year's honouree is Magdalena Maria Ana Stroe, who gave her own identity documents to a Jewish woman, at great risk to herself. You can access her story through the supplement here.

For a more contemporary take, ask participants to name people who inspire them or share the stories of the Arab-Israeli heroes who saved Israelis on October 7; modern human rights heroes nominated by the Holocaust Museum in Houston; or inspiring Jewish women who have made a difference.

"All who are hungry, let them come and eat" is not just a line to recite on our way to the chicken soup. Inviting guests to our Seder, especially those without their own families nearby, is standard practice.

But the reality of social division means we don’t necessarily know those people who are literally short of food in our society. Make sure your Seder banquet also helps them eat. While shopping for the festival, drop some extra provisions in the charity bins at the supermarket. Buy fair trade ingredients. Add a virtual “guest” (or two) to your Seder and donate the cost of feeding them to a charity such as OzHarvest or Foodbank. Ask guests to donate to a food charity rather than bring flowers.

Find songs that reflects the style and substance of your Jewish life. Tzedek Tirdof: The Jewish Social Action Songbook on Spotify has lots of good examples from the peace movement – from classic Shir Leshalom, to a blessing for social justice written by American cantor Jeff Klepper in Hebrew and English, to the touchy-feely Join Hands for Justice of cantor-cum-yoga-prayer-facilitator Lisa Levine. If your observance allows for musical instruments, ask the musicians among you to perform something relevant – especially the learners.

Pesach is not only the Festival of Freedom, it is also the Festival of Spring. Like most Jewish festivals, it has roots in our existence as an agricultural people tied to land and dependent on climate and seasons. Traditionally at Pesach, we stop reciting the prayer for rain and acknowledge the beginning of (northern hemisphere) summer with the daily prayer for dew.  

In our times, the seasons are changing as a result of climate change. The climate coalition Dayenu has several suggested readings that can be woven into your Seder to raise climate consciousness through conversation, ritual, song and imagination.

We used this one last year, but it is no less needed now. The polarisation over the past year and the fear over growing antisemitism, combined with a concurrent election campaign in Australia, risks dinnertime conversation deteriorating into acrimony as families come together.  

Rabbi Amy Eilberg suggests we understand conversation as a spiritual practice and not just an opportunity to blow off steam, and advises hosts to set the parameters in advance, encouraging kindness, curiosity and self-control. 

“Make it clear that you hope for robust and honest conversation — not awkward and fearful avoidance — about Israel and Palestine (along with the more general issues of freedom and liberation that lie at the heart of the seder). 

“Convey that you want to talk about what is real for people and, at the same time, attend to the humanity of each person at the table. Share your conviction that it is more than possible to communicate across differences in caring and productive ways and that such communication can actually build relationships as well as contribute to everyone’s learning.” 

She also has useful advice for the frustrated: "If you cannot stay in productive conversation, excuse yourself for a quick trip to the bathroom or kitchen."

IF YOU WANT MORE... most of last year's ideas are just as relevant this year. Read Ten ways to make Seder 2024 relevant.