6 Things You Should Watch to Get in the Passover Mood

By Anne Cohen March 30, 2015

Passover is now five days away. That means matzo, matzo, and more matzo — kind of a mood killer, I know.

But if hours and hours of Seder, an inevitable family fight over which kid (ok, adult) found the Afikomen, and stuffing your face with coconut macaroons aren’t enough to get you excited for the holiday, we’ve got you covered. After all, what better way to fully enjoy the miracle of the Jews breaking the shackles of slavery than by sitting on your couch?

Here are 6 things you should watch this week to get you revved up for the upcoming bagel-less days. And if that doesn’t work, remember: matzo pizza.

1) The Prince of Egypt

The best Passover movie ever. HANDS. DOWN. Choosing a clip for this was almost impossible. All the songs are good. But in the end, the spine-tingling “When You Believe” won out. (Check out the Mariah Carey-Whitney Houston duet here).

2) A Rugrats Passover

I honestly had never thought about how Jewish “Rugrats” was until now. This is definitely worth 20 minutes of your time.

3) Shalom Sesame: Les Matzarables

Ok, so this isn’t the best Jewish Les Mis parody, but points for effort. For extra-credit, check out this gem from the 1990 episode “”Jerusalem Jones and the Lost Afikoman.”

4) Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Seder

Only Larry David could publicly shame a child for cheating while finding the Afikomen, invite a sex offender to Seder and accuse a man of stealing his newspaper — all in the same night.

5) The Ten Commandments

It’s no “Prince of Egypt,” but still, a classic. Ol’ Stoneface Charleton Heston takes on a heavily self-tanned Yule Brenner.

6) Gossip Girl: Seder Anything

The episode’s tagline is pretty great: “No tradition is sacred.” But as The Wire points out, the best line is: I don’t even know how to say half the words in this prayer-book that’s named after Lieberman’s wife.” (Her name is Hadassah. Get it?)

BONUS

You’re welcome.

Anne Cohen was the Forward’s deputy digital media editor. When she’s not looking for the secret Jewish history of Voodoo in New Orleans, or making lists about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, she writes for The Assimilator. She graduated from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism with an M.S. magazine concentration in 2012.

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