Search Results for "Passover"

Passover, the ultimate refugee holiday, ties ancient Jews to modern struggles
As Jews in South Jersey and worldwide do without chametz to celebrate Passover, the plight of modern refugees is on the minds of many Passover, after all, is the ultimate refugee holiday. Every year we retell the ancient story of our flight from oppression, reciting the words “Arami Oved Avi,” sometimes translated as “My father …
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Richmond Jewish congregation welcomes refugees to Passover ritual
They lit candles, praying that those suffering around the world find light in the darkness. Dipping karpas into salt water, they saw the tears of all who suffer injustice. Abdul Jalal Hashimi then watched the congregants of Temple Beth-El in Richmond break the matzah, the bread of affliction, symbolizing the deep brokenness in the world …
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Why add a banana to the Passover table?
Next week, between 150 and 200 people will gather for a Passover seder at Temple Beth-El in Richmond, Va. When the traditional Passover question is posed — “Why is this night different from all other nights?” — there’s a new answer. Guests at the Seder, co-sponsored by the refugee aid agency ReEstablish Richmond, will include …
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In First Passover Since Travel Ban, Groups Respond To Refugee Crisis With Pointed Readings
During the breaking of the matzah at the beginning of the seders next week, Jews and non-Jews at the table will be able to read a text about “refugees across the globe [who] experience the consequences of having their lives ruptured.” And in the section of one Haggadah that describes the Exodus from ancient Egypt, the …
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In Every Generation, Change is Possible
This piece is part of AJWS’s Chag v’Chesed publication series. As Passover approaches, I am contemplating the ancient Israelites’ journey from slavery to freedom and thinking about the journeys that lie ahead of us. While today, American Jews aren’t facing the shackles or hard labor experienced by our ancestors in Egypt, our collective memory of …
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How To Bring Social Justice To The Forefront Of Your Passover Dinner This Year
Every year at Passover, Jews around the world revisit the foundational story of their ancient ancestors’ journey as refugees to the promised land. With a modern-day refugee crisis sweeping the globe, the holiday has taken on new significance for some of those observing it. Passover, which falls between April 10-18 this year, is a Jewish …
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5 Social Justice-Themed Seder Supplements To Try This Passover
At Passover, Jews around the world gather around their dining room tables to remember their past plight as slaves in Egypt. But the seder can also be a time to learn about the hardships facing others today. For those looking to incorporate social justice themes into their seders — Passover starts this year on the night …
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Passover guides serve up a side of social justice for the seder table
Why is this Passover different from all other Passovers? For some Jews focused on social justice issues, it’s because of the world’s greatest refugee crisis since World War II. For others, it’s because this June marks the 50th anniversary of Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank. And for some it’s the mere fact that …
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New Video for Passover!
At our Passover Seders, we sing “Dayenu” (It would have been enough) to express gratitude for each stage of liberation and to recognize that each stage would have been “enough.” And yet, we know there’s much more work to do to ensure that people around the world are fully free. What does “Dayenu” mean today? …
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