Apr 10, 2020 2 min read

Last night, Jews would have been gathering with friends and family for a Passover seder, the traditional holiday meal where the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt is retold.

But, like their Christian brethren who are calling off Good Friday services today and Easter celebrations Sunday, Jews in this area and around the world have been marking the eight days of Passover in the privacy of their homes to help curtail the spread of the coronavirus.

The annual community seder that would have happened at the Beth Israel synagogue last night did not happen, and scheduled services have all been called off since mid-March.

“Everybody will have their own separate seder,” said Rabbi David Novitsky.

Marilyn Posner, a former president of the congregation, said she was planning a virtual seder with children and grandchildren located in suburban Chicago and Arlington, Va., as well as her sister and brother-in-law in suburban Philadelphia.

“It is our first try at something like this,” she said.

Washington County Judge Gary Gilman is the president of the Beth Israel congregation and he explained he and his wife would be marking Passover on their own.

“It is hard,” Gilman said. “I can’t wait to get back to normalcy.”

Organizations in the United States and around the world have been offering techniques for having virtual seders, with songs, prayers and Haggadahs, the text that outlines the order of the Passover seder.

Gilman noted the annual meal would have once drawn 35 or 40 people, but the congregation at Beth Israel has been “really dwindling,” and would have maybe only drawn about a dozen participants, “which is really unfortunate.”

Novitsky pointed out “the communal aspect of it is very important, but you can have a seder by yourself. Everybody is going to be observing the Passover holiday in their homes.”

He added, “life takes precedence in Judaism. I don’t think it would be wise to have a seder.”