Matzah Movies And TV Shows

Passover and spring is a time of renewal; an opportunity to reevaluate life and choose better ways for oneself and others. Passover reminds us to seek freedom from any kind of enslavement, for every day of our lives.

Every year, millions of people attend a Sedar and read the tale of Passover, but if are not in a situation to explain the reason behind the four questions or what the heck gefilte fish is...you can watch some of these great Passover-themed movies and TV shows that Hollywood has already made...just for you:

The Ten Commandments 

This is THE classic Passover movie starring Charlton Heston (in a Pre-Dynasty/The Colbys role) as Moses. This epic Cecil B. DeMille film was filmed on location in Egypt, Mt. Sinai, and the Sinai Peninsula. DeMille actually made a silent version in 1923 that you can read about HERE. The 1956 film was his second attempt to tell the biblical story of the Jews' exodus from slavery in Egypt and at that time, it was the most expensive film ever made. It also won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, particularly for the effects used in parting the Red Sea.

The Prince of Egypt

The opening of this film states that this is what the creators believed was as close to the story of Moses as could be depicted. But being a cartoon they weren’t above throwing in a few gags here and there to make people laugh and ease the tension of the story a bit. This 1998 kid-friendly animated version of the Passover story from Dreamworks focuses on two brothers — Moses and Rameses, the eventual Pharaoh of the Passover story. Moses knows Rameses and the royal family better than he knows his brother, Aaron, and sister, Miriam. Imagine Moses’ inner conflict. He is being pulled in opposite directions as his Jewish and Egyptian identities wrestle for control of his destiny.

Curb Your Enthusiasm -"The Seder"

To absolutely no one's surprise, Larry David took the opportunity to incorporate a whole new set of elements into his Passover themed "The Seder" episode from 2005. Bringing together newspaper theft, sex offenders, and accusations of kids cheating in their search for the afikoman, this episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm gives everyone a taste of the awkwardness and discomfort found at actual Seders held around the world each year.

Family Guy -“Family Goy”

Season 8, Episode 2- After Lois discovers she is actually Jewish, Peter is influenced by the ghost of his dead stepfather and becomes Anti-Semitic. Tensions come to a head for the couple when Peter arrives at her Passover Seder dresses as the Easter bunny.

A Rugrats Passover

When's the last time you saw a mainstream U.S. TV show devote an entire storyline to a Jewish holiday? That's what beloved '90s cartoon Rugrats did when its third-season finale focused exclusively on telling the story of Passover - and became the highest-rated show in Nickelodeon's history.

Gossip Girl - "Seder Anything"

The episode’s tagline is pretty great: “No tradition is sacred.” But 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?)

South Park - “Jewpacabra”

Season 16, Episode 4- Cartman learns the history of Passover after initially telling the citizens of South Park about a blood-sucking creature called the Jewpacabra in an effort to get them to cancel the annual Easter Egg hunt.

The Animated Haggadah

This half-hour short film covers some of the high points of both the story of the exodus from Egypt and the Haggadah...in claymation.  Nothing better.

Shalom Sesame: It's Passover, Grover!

This Passover special delivers what is essentially an episode of Sesame Street, complete with a main story in which Grover and his friends have to find some maror for their seder plate. It also features adorable parodies of popular culture (like Les Matzarables, in which puppets sing about searching for the elusive afikomen) and video of first-person experiences in which children visit the homes of Israeli children of Ethiopian and Iraqi origin to show their unique traditions.

Exodus: Gods and Kings 

This 2014 movie starring Christian Bale as Moses was awful, trying to make you empathize more with Rameses than with Moses. Like The Prince of Egypt, the two brothers are set on a collision course for control of the dynasty. Moses does not want the position, but he is superior to Rameses in every way. Rameses is fueled by jealousy, which turns to rage.

The best Hollywood filmmakers are some of the greatest storytellers in the world, so this year watch some Hollywood retellings of our ancient religious stories...I bet you will ❤️it as much as we do.  Happy Passover.