Residents In Recovery Get Passover Miracle

Some meals can be whipped up quickly, but making a proper feast for Passover – with all its dietary restrictions – can be an intimidating task for even the best of cooks.

And, with the luxuries of off-the-shelf matzo and ready-to-eat meals unavailable during the current pandemic, it was feared that many under quarantine wouldn’t be able to properly celebrate the holiday.

So, two south Palm Beach County organizations – the Jewish Recovery Center (JRC) and Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services (JFS) – teamed up to tackle this issue in the local community. The groups connected with local behavioral health centers, recovery residences and those living independently to pull off a Passover miracle in less than a week. Working with caterers, local kosher food vendors and Judaic wholesalers, they provided Passover Seder kits and more than 100 meals to the households of Jewish individuals in recovery right before the holiday.

“A large percentage of these recipients usually partake in a communal Seder. Most of them are dependent upon outside support for the holiday of Passover,” says Rabbi Meir Kessler, founder and spiritual director of the JRC.

The organization is a key resource for Jews with substance abuse issues and their families in Palm Beach County.

Adds Sharon Burns Carter, substance use outreach coordinator for JFS: “This holiday is a special time for family gathering, celebratory meals and reflection. Our hope was that this program served as a source of comfort for those residents who have embraced a true journey of freedom from active addiction.”

For more information, visit ralesjfs.org or jewishrecovery.com.