“PASSOVER.” As we celebrate “the passage” from slavery to liberation of the Jewish people, our thoughts are with the Israelis who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and who today, 18 months later, are still being held hostage in horrific conditions in Gaza.
This year too, Moses' words to Pharaoh, "Let my people go" (Ex. 5:1), take on a special meaning and express the heartfelt appeal of Jews all over the world for the release of the hostages.
At the Seder table (of the telling of the story), while we eat the maror (bitter herb) dipped in vinegar, the bitterness reminds us not only of the slavery of Egypt but also of the sorrow for all those who were massacred on that black Saturday of 7.10.23, for those who were violently seized by Hamas terrorists, others were brutally murdered, and others are being held for 554 days in the bowels of Gaza.
However, on Passover, we also celebrate the "Exodus" to freedom, and we hope that the Israeli hostages will quickly be released and return to Israel, to the embraces of their families.
We wish you a happy Passover, with health, serenity and peace throughout the world.
CHAG PESACH SHAMECAH