Welcome
For thousands of years across the globe, the Jewish people have celebrated Passover and told the story of Exodus as a reminder that we have not always been free.
This year, we have witnessed the violence of terrorism against Israelis, andthe continuing violence and destruction of Palestinian life in the name of Jewish safety. It is clearer than ever before: if our freedom is to be dependent on the oppression of other people, we will never truly be free.
Since the massacre of Israelis on October 7, 2023, many thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by the Israeli military in a punishment that is continuing into mass starvation.
We call for an end to this killing. We demand a permanent ceasefire now, a hostage deal, an end to the siege on Gaza, and hopefully the start of a long-lasting and permanent peace, and freedom for all.
This Passover, we recommit ourselves to fighting for true freedom – collective liberation for Jews, Palestinians, and all people.
The word Yisrael (Israel) comes from the name given to Ya’akov (Jacob), meaning (in one interpretation) “one who wrestles with G-d”. When we say the “Yisrael” in blessings or tell of the “Israelites” in the story of Exodus, we are not referring to the modern state of Israel. Rather, we are connecting to our history as a people who embrace wrestling with overwhelming mysteries and contradictions, with the traditions we inherit, with systems of power, and with injustice.
We also want to acknowledge the distinction between Mitzrayim – ancient Egypt – where the story we tell at Passover takes place, and Egypt, and the modern-day nation-state. We are not conflating contemporary Egyptians with the pharaoh and taskmasters that appear in the Passover story. Worldwide, anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia are widespread, and we must be vigilant to oppose it and interrupt it at every turn.
The word Pesach (Passover) means passed-over. The story of Exodus tells how the Source of Life and Death passed over the homes of the Israelites during the tenth and last plague that compelled the Pharaoh to “let these people go” from bondage to freedom. It is a festival celebrating a great theme in human life – freedom.
The word Seder means a ritual in a particular order, an array of things from beginning to end. It is designed to sharpen awareness of the deeper meanings of slavery and freedom. It grew out of the splintering of the Jewish community into disparate sects after the destruction of the Temple in the year 70. From then on, Jews, in whatever part of the world, have come together annually to recall their past, explain their present, and envision their future.
At Pesach, all guests, whatever their backgrounds and beliefs are, are warmly invited to fully participate in this story and its rituals with its meanings for all humanity.
Lighting the candles
May the light of the candles we kindle together tonight bring radiance to all who still live in darkness, for with every holy light we kindle, the world is brightened to a higher harmony.
Tonight, we light an extra candle to recognise all the victims since October 7 — the hostages and their families, the fallen soldiers and all the innocents of Gaza. We light this candle for those who have died, that their memories will be for the blessing of peace, and in their names we work together to shed light because we cannot defeat darkness with more darkness.