Making Friends on Passover

Passover or Pesach in Hebrew is the story of a nation that overcame slavery, it’s a reflection of the strength of the Jewish people as a nation and ultimately leads to G-d solidifying that nationhood. That nationhood is something that brought the Jewish people together forever. 

Every year all over the world Jewish people celebrate the exodus of the Jewish nation from slavery to the eventual freedom of receiving the Torah from G-d. People sit together with family and friends and celebrate this incredible miracle, and it’s kind of an amazing story to be retold. 

Some people stay home for Pesach, some go to their parents or in-laws, and others celebrate with a group of friends. One of the most enjoyable ways to spend the holiday is in a larger group of families at a Pesach Program, and there are a few different reasons that this is more enjoyable, but one of the reasons is because of the relationships that can be built among strangers over the eight-day holiday, especially if you are spending the time at a nice resort where stress is minimal and every aspect of the experience is seamless. 

Many of the people at Pesach programs are looking to make new friends, and there are so many opportunities to meet other people. Many meals are plated dinners in which you are sitting at the table with your family and perhaps other families as well, but there are other more relaxed environments in which to meet people. 

During the span of a single day, there are quite a few opportunities to eat, to talk with other people from the program, and of course to show off the outfits you curated especially for the program. There are various desserts, drinks, and other snacks placed in a place called the tea-room where diets go to die. The tea room is almost always filled with people at various times during the day, and it can be a great opportunity to introduce yourself, have a conversation, or connect with people you already know. Also, there are delicious treats at all hours in this magical place, so that’s a pretty good way to bond with new people anyway.  

Side note: I remember having a really fun conversation about technology and investments with another person at a Pesach Program because we both went to the table with the same chocolate mousse, and the person I spoke to became someone I spent time with throughout the rest of the program. 

And the truth is, that there are so many people at these programs, that it’s hard to not make friends because when there’s a lot of people in a place for an extended period of time, it’s quite likely that there are common interests among them. 

So this year when you are looking around the room at a Pesach Program and thinking that you may not know anyone, just know that strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet. And remember that if nothing else, you can always bond with new friends over all the yummy snacks in the tea room!