In the United States alone, more than 240,000 children are receiving age-appropriate books related to Passover, courtesy of PJ Library.
New this year, families will also receive an illustrated “Matzah Mania” fold-out that includes recipes for homemade matzah, matzah trail mix and matzah pizza lasagna, along with ideas for serving a Passover seder grazing board. The keepsake includes culturally inclusive information about seder traditions and the “Four Questions,” which are printed in English and Hebrew.
Passover begins on the night of April 15 and lasts until the evening of April 23.
“PJ Library books help families around the world celebrate Jewish holidays, traditions and values,” says Alex Zablotsky, managing director of PJ Library. “We’ve created supporting materials and resources, including the Haggadah and a podcast, to help families celebrate Passover and other holidays in an inclusive, family-friendly way.”
Families across the country will also find PJ Library co-branded Yehuda Matzos boxes on their supermarket shelves. Each package will include information about how families may sign up to receive free books for children from birth through age 8. For kids ages 9 and through 12, PJ Our Way allows kids to select and review books on their own each month.
In April, two Passover-themed episodes of the PJ Library Presents podcast network will launch, bringing Jewish traditions, culture, holidays and values to life through audio storytelling. On April 4, “Kiddo Learns About Passover” will be the latest Afternoons with Mimi audio story; and “Humpty Dumpty and the Passover Feast” will be the newest tale in the Beyond the Bookcase series. Families may listen to the 2022 NAPPA Award-winning podcasts on major streaming sources. Click here for more information.
PJ Library has also become one of the leading sources for family-friendly Haggadahs across the United States and beyond with In Every Generation: A PJ Library Family Haggadah. Since 2018, the organization has shipped more than 675,000 individual Haggadahs to some 110,000 PJ Library families at no cost (for non-subscribers, the printed Haggadah is available via Amazon).
More than 45,000 of those families have indicated that this is their first Haggadah. A digital version can be downloaded in five languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and French. This Haggadah is filled with songs, blessings and explanations, and is available as a free printable PDF.
This year, PJ Library is updating its Passover hub with new book lists and dozens of fresh ideas and resources for families, including stories and songs, games and recipes.
Passover Fluffy Frittata (Dairy)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 sweet onion, sliced 1 leftover baked russet potato, thinly sliced* 10 large eggs ½ cup half-and-half or whole milk 1 cup shredded cheddar jack cheese 2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 12 cherry tomatoes Handful of Italian parsley, chopped
*Don’t have an already-baked potato on hand? Grab a russet potato, use a fork to prick the skin all around, then cover it tightly in plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes. Let the potato cool completely before handling.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large oven-proof nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and swirl to coat the skillet.
Cook the onions in the skillet until they are translucent, about 5-7 minutes, and add the potato slices. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cheese and remaining salt and pepper. Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the onions and potatoes.
Use a spatula to evenly distribute the cheese. Add the tomatoes on top.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the egg is set.
Let your frittata sit for 2 minutes before taking it out of the pan.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Recipe from PJ Library “Matzah Mania” recipe guide, April 2022.
