Chabad Lubavitch and the hands-on Passover turn: after the Model Matzah Bakery inflection point
chabad lubavitch is drawing families into Passover learning through experiences that favor doing over listening, as children in Brighton, N. Y., baked matzah in a model bakery setting while a separate, newly launched “Chocolate Seder” in Peekskill is set to translate the holiday’s story into age-appropriate activities.
What Happens When Chabad Lubavitch puts Passover education in children’s hands?
In Brighton, dozens of children and their families gathered at the Jewish Community Center on a Sunday for a hands-on lesson in Passover traditions centered on baking matzah. The event, presented for the 42nd year as an educational experience called the Model Matzah Bakery, gave children the chance to handcraft their own matzah and witness the full process from start to finish.
Organizers framed it as a family experience, with parents and children learning together while taking part in the traditional mitzvah, or observance of matzah. Rabbi Nechemia Vogel described the model bakery format as a way to help both children and adults understand what matzah is, how it is made, why it is made, and the difference between matzah and bread—while keeping the encounter “fun” and focused on bringing the holiday to life.
The program was modeled on an authentic Shmurah handmade matzah bakery, aiming to provide firsthand exposure to how matzah is made. The underlying message was practical: Passover traditions can be taught most effectively when families can touch, shape, and create the ritual object themselves rather than only hearing about it.
What If early-childhood Seders become more experiential than instructional?
In Peekskill, an interactive “Chocolate Seder” is designed specifically for children ages 0 to 6 at First Hebrew Congregation. Set for the afternoon of Tuesday, March 24, the gathering begins at 5 p. m. and is expected to last at least one hour. Its stated goal is to introduce children to Jewish Passover traditions in a playful and relaxed format, with a focus on the story of Passover and the Seder—a ritual meal whose name refers to “order. ”
The program is structured around hands-on activities, guided storytelling, and participatory exercises intended to directly engage children alongside their families. Organizers emphasize it is not a traditional class; it is designed for learning by doing. The format includes creative activities, object manipulation, sensory exploration, repetition as a learning tool, and structured dynamics meant to translate complex ideas into concepts young children can internalize.
Logistics are built to reduce barriers to participation: the activity is free, chocolate is provided, and alternatives are planned for those with food allergies. Organizers recommend making a reservation in advance because space may be limited. While this is the first edition of Chocolate Seder, the congregation has held similar seasonal activities in previous years and has offered children-focused programs during Jewish holidays such as Hanukkah.
What Happens Next for family-centered Passover programming?
Taken together, the Brighton and Peekskill events highlight a common direction: family-centered Passover programming that relies on interactive design. In Brighton, the focus is the craft of matzah-making inside a model bakery environment that mirrors an authentic handmade process. In Peekskill, the focus is adapting the Seder’s narrative and symbols to the developmental needs of very young children, using playful materials and sensory engagement.
Both approaches position families not as passive audiences but as participants who learn by building and experiencing. The Brighton Model Matzah Bakery demonstrates endurance and repeatability—now in its 42nd year—suggesting that the hands-on format has remained relevant across generations of local families. The Peekskill “first edition” approach signals experimentation within a congregation’s holiday-season programming, leaning into an accessible, child-friendly entry point for the story of the departure from Egypt found in the Book of Exodus.
For families deciding how to introduce young children to Passover, these events propose two clear pathways: a tactile, process-driven encounter with matzah and a story-driven, activity-based introduction to the Seder. For organizers planning future holiday programming, they show how participation can be designed to include multiple ages at once—children learning directly, adults learning alongside them—without presenting the experience as a formal classroom.
In the weeks leading into Passover, the immediate takeaway is straightforward: programs that let children make, manipulate, and explore can anchor the holiday’s ideas in memorable actions, whether the centerpiece is handcrafted matzah or an interactive Seder built for early childhood—an approach now visible in both community and congregational settings, including chabad lubavitch.
