Ding, dong… Who’s there?
The Israel Philharmonic!

A full orchestra crashes a family Passover Seder

By Byron Toben

The eight-day holiday of Passover, which began Saturday, has been celebrated by Jewish families for thousands of years, ever since the Jewish slaves fled ancient Egypt around 1300 BCE.

The parting of the waters during the passage over the Red Sea, the unleavened bread (Matzoh), the bitter herbs, the giving of the Ten Commandments, the youngsters asking the four questions as prescribed in various Haggadah books at the “Seder” dinners is well known.

A real treat this year is the Israel Philharmonic “crashing” a family seder to the classical music joy of all.

In recent years, with the advent of the Internet, more song and dance complements have been added.

For instance, in my 2020 Passover/Easter article, I included the jazzy mash-up dancing of the Chicago-based Kev Tov orchestra.

A real treat this year is the Israel Philharmonic “crashing” a family seder to the classical music joy of all.

See for yourself below.

Feature image: frame from the video A Musical Seder From the Israel Philharmonic

More articles from Byron Toben

Byron Toben, a past president of The Montreal Press Club, has been WestmountMag.ca’s theatre reviewer since July 2015. Previously, he wrote for since terminated web sites Rover Arts and Charlebois Post, print weekly The Downtowner and print monthly The Senior Times. He also is an expert consultant on U.S. work permits for Canadians.