• This week, Jewish people around the world are celebrating Passover, a major holiday that celebrates the exodus from Egypt.
  • The holiday runs for eight days, and people usually gather for traditional meal service, called a “Seder,” on the first two nights.
  • But this year, the major Jewish holiday is being celebrated in isolation, as strict coronavirus lockdown measures remain in place around the world, preventing social gatherings.
  • Here are some of the ways that people around the world are celebrating Passover under lockdown.
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This week, Jewish people around the world are celebrating Passover, a major holiday that celebrates the exodus from Egypt. As part of the eight-day holiday, families usually gather together for a traditional meal service called a “Seder” and eat special foods like matzo, while singing songs and telling stories from a Jewish text called a “Haggadah,” which lays out the order of the evening.

But this year, the major Jewish holiday will be celebrated in isolation, as strict coronavirus lockdown measures remain in place around the world, preventing social gatherings.

In the UK, people have been advised to avoid gatherings with friends and family and are being told to keep in touch using remote technology. In Israel, the entire country was placed on lockdown orders and a strict curfew was enforced ahead of the holiday.

Despite the limitations, people found technologically savvy ways to celebrate with family and friends, showing determination in the face of struggle, much like the message of Passover itself.

Here are some of the ways that people around the world are celebrating Passover under lockdown.

Eliana Neustadt, 26, celebrated Passover from her home in Tel Aviv, Israel with her family in Munich, Germany, using Zoom.

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Sarah Gray, 32, set up a traditional Passover table in Los Angeles, California.

Foto: Sarah's cat Milton perched in a window overlooking her Seder table.

"It was really nice to celebrate with family from around the country in our Zoom Seder," Gray said. "Though, we'd usually celebrate with family in California, this way we were able to celebrate across time zones."

Gray celebrated with her family and friends across the US.

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David Slotnick, 30, celebrated with his friends across New York from his home in Brooklyn.

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"We usually do a friendsover Seder, a fun excuse for a dinner party, so this year we tried to recreate it on Zoom," he said. "And of course, we had a lot of fun playing with backgrounds."

Writer and performer Erin Foster wrote on her Instagram story that she celebrated her first Passover as a Jewish wife with her family on Zoom from Los Angeles.

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User Ariella Minden participated in a "virtual afikomen hunt" from her home in Firenze, Italy. The afikomen is a piece of matzo that is hidden and eaten after the meal.

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Lisi Tesher from Ontario, Canada, posted photos of her family meeting over Zoom. "A Passover to remember..... what really matters? Family, health, delicious food," the caption reads.

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http://instagr.am/p/B-vvOsyAsby

Marti from Maryland, who goes by the Instagram handle @everydayjewishmom, showed off some creative swaps for her traditional Seder plate. A Seder plate displays all of the traditional foods of the Passover Seder.

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http://instagr.am/p/B-vJR_tlFRJ

Abby from Boston, Massachusetts, said "seeing" her family for the Passover Seder was the highlight of her week.

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http://instagr.am/p/B-x7lhXALdh

Sports journalist Jay Jaffe from Brooklyn showed off a creative swap to his Seder plate.

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New York news anchor Bill Ritter of WABC-TV posted photos of his Passover essentials.

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And Instagram user Mollie S. called her virtual gathering a "zeder."

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http://instagr.am/p/B-x6ug4j_oh