A sunflower for Ukraine? A tomato for farmworkers? Here's why I'm sticking to the basics on my Passover seder plate.

(JTA) — Olives. Tomatoes. Oranges. Artichokes. Dates. Cotton balls. And, now, sunflowers.

This list might seem like a setup for a logic puzzle or a grocery run. But it is, instead, a (non-exhaustive) list that I have seen of additions to the seder plate, items to highlight and include stories and histories that are not, at least explicitly, part of the Passover seder.

On its surface, it is a noble goal — why shouldn’t we consider the plight of Ukrainians in spring 2023 (sunflowers), or remember the American history of slavery (cotton ball)? Wouldn’t we want to honor the farm workers who put fo...