JNS
Organizers and event planners share their tips with JNS.
For many, Passover planning begins the day they sift through bags of Purim goodies. Then faced with the inevitable panic, especially this year, when seder falls on a Saturday night, they have to get organized.
Israelis usually do not have to deal with two-day holidays, but that’s what makes this year different from most all other years. Outside Israel, Jews get a three-day holiday bonanza.
JNS consulted with professional organizers and event planners to help readers get a leg up this year for Passover cleaning, shopping, and getting ready for the eight-day matzah-fest.
Organizing a seder for 20? Hosting guests? Managing cleaning and Passover may feel impossible, but according to Batsheva Reinitz, an event planner for B7events who lives in Efrat, breaking the tasks down into steps will make it more manageable.
“Instead of writing lists,” she suggests, “work backward. Create a timeline and task breakdown. Begin with the day you will set your seder table. The earlier I set my table, the less pressure I feel. It feels like I’m finished and there is just one less thing to worry about.”
Decluttering
Karen Furman, a home organizer and decluttering expert who calls herself "The Klutter Koach," says, “Take photos. What do your cabinets look like pre-Passover? What do they look like after the kitchen is turned over? Photograph where you are stashing things, as relying on memory leads to misplaced items.”
She refers to the photos when flipping the kitchen back after Passover. She also recommends labeling everything—cookware—indicating meat, dairy or parve; the cabinets.
“Things shift around for Pesach and by habit one tends to go where things usually are,” she explains. “No need to delay your morning coffee because the mugs, coffee, and sugar are in a different place.”
Miriam Gold, a professional organizer at Jerusalem-based Gold Standard Organizing, suggests using the evening of Bedikat Hametz (the Search for Leaven) that takes place the Thursday before Passover this year, as your timeline final point, then working on “menus first, then shopping, then cooking. Schedule each step to stay on track.”
One of the first steps, she asserts, is to “declutter.”
“Decluttering first makes cleaning much easier—once the clutter is gone, all that’s left to do is clean. Organize your kitchen and pantry. Move hametz into bins and designate a space for kosher-for-Passover food. If possible, create a permanent storage area for Passover essentials.”
“Don’t bother with spring cleaning,” Reinitz advises. “That creates anxiety. Just search for food. Bedrooms generally shouldn’t have food in them, so clean them first. Figure out when you need to have the house ready to host guests and get the guest rooms done. I always shop for dry goods early. This includes packaged Passover products. That way I’m out of the stores well before the stores become impossible.”
One area at a time
The key is to not take Passover-cleaning so seriously, according to Penny Hirsch Rabinowitz of Penny & Co. Events.
“Break the cleaning down into room segments," she says. "If you tackle one area at a time for no more than one hour you will be in great shape before Pesach. Kitchen: Let’s say all dairy dishes and pot drawers/shelves on X day. It’s the actual starting that makes people anxious!”
Rabinowitz is a huge fan of paper goods, she adds, because they are so beautiful today. “You can have a different color scheme for every meal and people 'excuse' it on Pesach.”
Reinitz said that she shops in two shifts. Dry goods early on, then within the final week for dairy foods, chicken, meat, fish and vegetables so the food will be fresh. She does her fresh food shopping locally instead of going to the chaotic large stores.
“Even if you do not turn over early,” she says, “there are ways to freeze chicken or make meatballs and freeze them ahead in aluminum tins well before Passover. Put a clean table cover down, wear gloves and do your work in a staging area where there is no leavened products nearby. Freeze them in special bags indicating they are kosher for Passover.”
Gilda Posner, president of event planning company Epic Events Israel suggests starting early, cleaning one room at a time, getting your children to help you.”
“Stick to cooking the basics and focus on healthy. Lots of vegetables and salads do not need to be made ahead,” she explains. “To decorate your table, buy some nice flowery plants that can last all Pesach and create a lush, elegant design to your table.”
“If your mains are cooked than the side dishes are just roasted vegetables,” Reinitz said. “Anything you can freeze ahead, do. Plan to eat outside on Shabbat. Have one little hametz corner for that last week if your children can’t live without cereal or bread.”
Since the war began, it is harder to find help in the home in many neighborhoods in Israel. Reinitz suggests that teenagers love to make money for schlepping and moving things and can be good at helping do harder tasks like taking apart the kitchen.
“A staging table where you store your Passover dry goods is helpful,” she says. “Use that table for staging at the seder as well, for grape juice, wine and matzah. Wash your vegetables and have your seder foods ready by Thursday, in ziplock bags so you can access them easily on Saturday night.”
She takes one full day before Passover to do all the baking and freeze the cakes and cookies. “That will free you up from the kitchen for trips on Hol Hamoed [the intermediate days of Passover],” she says.
“Set realistic goals and update your lists as you go,” Gold suggests. “Reuse it next year.”
Klutter Koach's Furman puts hers in an online document.
“Title one of them 'Pesach 2025 To-Do List' and the other 'Grocery List for Pesach 2025.' The moment Pesach ends, change the year to 2026 and then edit the list. Add all the items for next year and make notes. How many boxes of matzah were needed? Cans of tuna? Cartons of eggs? Note if a certain product needs to be reduced or increased. Are additional kitchen items needed?”
Finally, Posner advises: “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Focus on the people and loved ones around you. Get out of the house and go on some nice walks and hikes to de-stress and stop and smell the roses. Remember, if you missed something this year, there is always next year.”
