Passover is the Jewish holiday that commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery. Each Spring, Jews are demanded to tell the story of Passover as if we ourselves are literally escaping the cruelty of slavery. Unfortunately we don’t need to look far to see and hear oppression in our present world. These stories sound too similar to the one we tell. In this moment, people are not free.

Tonight we acknowledge that our liberation as humans and as Jews is tied up together with the liberation of all people: we know that that none of us is free until all people are free. We take responsibility for the work of collective liberation, and we create space for the personal growth and healing we need to get there.

This Haggadah is a written guide to our ceremony together, the most important words are those that we will share and hear from each other. In our collective work of healing and liberation, our voices matter.

Let us begin...

[[Go around the table and introduce yourself. Everyone should say their name and gender pronoun preferences. If you’d like, share your intention for our time together tonight.]]

By stating our preferences at the beginning of our time together, we take the pressure off individuals to find space and courage to identify themselves to strangers. Even if there are no transpeople at your Seder, this is a chance for non-trans folks to think about something they take for granted – that their gender will be seen and respected.


haggadah Section: Introduction