For thousands of years, we have come to each other’s table to celebrate Passover, our holiday that commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. It is the oldest of our traditions, first outlined in the Torah (Exodus Ch. 12) as the night Jews huddle together awaiting redemption. We gathered at the seder table under prophets and kings and under the shadow of Alexander and Caeser. We gathered around tables under Christian emperors and Muslim caliphs. We gathered in ghettos, in fields, and deep in the forests. We even came to secret Passover tables in concentration camps during the Holocaust.
In every generation, wherever we have lived, Jews gathered on the night of the full moon to remember the Exodus and joyfully pray for a better future.
Resilience means strength in the face of great uncertainty and adversity. The challenges Jews are facing today are unrelenting. And like our ancestors before us, we come to this year’s seder table with a hole in our hearts. There are 133 Israelis held in real captivity, in tunnels and holes, fettered from freedom. Please, join us in honoring them.
This year, there will be empty chairs at the table for the first time, in memory of those we lost on October 7th. There will be missing places for soldiers sleeping in the trenches. But like our ancestors, we, too, are resilient. Our community has exhibited enormous strength by raising funds, supporting survivors, advocating for the release of hostages, and supporting Israel.
We can’t forget that our greatest strength is when we use our resilience to create joy.
This Sunday at BAR Center, older adults will come together to sing Passover songs and enjoy a festive meal. This annual event, organized in partnership with Jewish Family Service LA, is always a magical evening that lifts the spirits of all who attend.
On Tuesday, we held our annual Interfaith Seder, wrapping our arms around our neighbors to let them know how valued they are as together we shared the joy of Passover. When our friends experience what Passover means to us, we all learn and grow. Hosted together with the Museum of Tolerance and LA vs Hate, our guests retold the story of our Exodus from Egypt with an emphasis on the universal theme of freedom from discrimination. Our guests were also inspired by the beautiful musical partnership of the First AME Church and Temple Isaiah choirs.
Next week, we celebrate Collective Escape — a creation of our young adult initiative, NuRoots. Our annual citywide celebration of Passover innovatively reimagines the holiday in ways that embrace young adults. It all gets started on Sunday with “Our Burn” in Verdugo Hills, when we will reinvent the ritual of burning chametz (leavened bread) with a spiritually purifying bonfire.
The event ends with the promise of future redemption for all people to live together in joy. There is joy in honoring our traditions. There is joy in overcoming hardship. And there is joy in being Jewish. And like Jews have done for generations, we will always leave a seat at our table for you.
Chag Sameach,
R’ Noah Farkas
