Saturday Night Seder
The Saturday Night Seder was a Passover Seder held on April 11, 2020 by StoryCourse in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; to provide relief and support to the public in an effort to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The seder was sponsored by BuzzFeed and aired on their Tasty YouTube channel.[2]
| Saturday Night Seder | |
|---|---|
| Created by | StoryCourse |
| Written by | Alex Edelman (head writer) Hannah Friedman Sas Goldberg Josh Harmon Adam Kantor Michael Mitnick Benj Pasek Mark Sonnenblick |
| Presented by | Jason Alexander |
| Opening theme | Dayenu! |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original languages | English Hebrew |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Erich Bergen Talia Halperin Adam Kantor Benj Pasek[1] |
| Producers | Rebecca Halpern Jen Snow Rachel Sussman |
| Production location | Virtual |
| Editors | Ellen Callaghan Shirley Chan Lindsay Gordon Mark Hall Andrew Keenan-Bolger David Mishler Nick Shakra Khaled Tabbara Kelly Teacher Jake Wilson |
| Camera setup | Videotelephony |
| Running time | 71 minutes |
| Production company | StoryCourse |
| Distributor | YouTube |
| Release | |
| Original network | BuzzFeed YouTube StoryCourse |
| Original release | 11 April 2020 |
Overview
The seder was hosted by Jason Alexander on the fourth night of Passover. The Saturday Seder coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in many physical seders being canceled throughout the world.[3] The seder aimed to raise funds to benefit the CDC Foundation's Coronavirus Emergency Response Fund. In total, the seder raised more than $2.9 million for charity.[4]
The seder covered the story of the Jewish Exodus from Egypt in a humorous light. It featured both Jews and non-Jews.[5]
Participants in The Saturday Night Seder
Appearances
- Pamela Adlon
- Julie Klausner
- Fran Drescher
- David Wolpe*
- Kendell Pinkney
- Mayim Bialik
- Dana Benson*
- Ilana and Eliot Glazer
- Debra Messing
- Richard Kind
- Judith Light
- Amichai Lau-Lavie*
- Michael Solomonov
- Dan Levy
- Andy Cohen
- Nick Kroll
- Finn Wolfhard
- Joshua Malina
- Judy Gold
- Michael Zegen
- Jimmy Wolk
- D'Arcy Carden
- Billy Eichner
- Reza Aslan
- Tan France
- Beanie Feldstein
- Isaac Mizrahi
- Sarah Hurwitz
- Jessica Chaffin (as Ronna Glickman)
- Chuck Schumer
- Nina West
- Mordechai Lightstone*
- Alex Edelman
- Sharon Brous*
- Sarah Silverman
- Bette Midler
- Harvey Fierstein
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Dulcé Sloan
- Liz Feldman
- Adam Kantor
- Camryn Manheim
- Milo Manheim
- Busy Philipps
- Seth Rudetsky
- Ari Shapiro
- Leigh Silverman
* Rabbis who appeared in the seder.
Performances
| Artist(s) | Song(s) |
|---|---|
| "Dayenu!" | |
| Alan Menken | "Kiddush" |
| Ben Platt | "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" |
| Idina Menzel | "Ma Nishtanah" |
| "Go Down Moses" | |
| "When You Believe" | |
| Mark Sonnenblick Shaina Taub Skylar Astin |
"Next Year" |
Broadcast
The Saturday Night Seder could be seen on BuzzFeed's Tasty YouTube Channel and was simulcasted on Saturday Night Seder's website and the CDC Foundation's website. In total, more than 1 million people watched the Saturday Night Seder.[6]
See also
References
- Gray, Ellen (April 10, 2020). "Ardmore's Benj Pasek sets the table for an all-star 'Saturday Night Seder'". Philadelphia Inquirer.
- "Virtual 'Saturday Night Passover Seder' featured star-studded acts like Ben Platt's hauntingly beautiful rendition of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'". Insider. April 12, 2020.
- "What Can You Do for People in Crisis? Put on a Seder Show". The New York Times. April 9, 2020.
- "Actors, Singers Raise Money For CDC Charity With Virtual Seder". NPR. April 13, 2020.
- "Seinfeld's Jason Alexander, Fran Drescher, Billy Porter and more raise $1.5m for CDC with remote Seder". The Independent. April 13, 2020.
- "Stars' Saturday Night Seder: 1m viewers, $2.6m in charity, 4 big Jewish insights". The Times of Israel. April 15, 2020.