Toby Belfer's Seder: A Passover Story Retold

Welcome to the Belfer house, the
only Jewish home in a small South Louisiana town. The celebration of Passover
is coming and Toby Belfer's best friend, Donna, is coming over to share in the
festivities of the Seder supper. Donna does not know much about the celebration
of the Seder because at her church they celebrate Easter. During one magical
night she will experience the traditions and learn the history of the Jewish
feast of deliverance.
This Passover tale recounts not only how Toby and her friend help the family
prepare for the festival, but also it tells the story of how the Israelites
came to freedom more than three thousand years ago. Donna comes to understand
the symbols of the Seder supper, the legend of the prophet Elijah, and why
Jewish people only serve certain food like unleavened bread during the
celebration.
Told within the frame of a friendship between a Jew and a Gentile,
Toby Belfer's Seder is appropriate for all faiths. As the story
unfolds it helps children understand the relationship between Passover and
Easter. The special activities in this book include rhymes children can use for
their own celebrations, an example of how to join in the search for the
afikoman, and a lesson in the striking parallels between Passover and Easter.
Whether teaching the faith or bridging cultural differences, this book is an
entertaining way to show young readers how Passover is a festival of peace.

Gloria Teles Pushker is also the author of A Belfer Bar
Mitzvah and Toby Belfer Never Had a Christmas Tree -a
Hanukkah story for children of all religions. She holds a master's degree in
education with a concentration in children's literature and teaches children's
literature at Loyola University in New Orleans. She is a member of the National
Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling and the
Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education.