We’re here at the maggid, or the story telling. This is the highlight of the seder: the charoset of a hillel sandwich. Not only because it has major potential for radical, topical rewrites, but also because the story was made for lefty diasporas. 

Standing up to oppression, the failure of liberal diplomacy, collectivisation, increasingly radical direct action, awkward leadership, fun waterside drumming and a long march. Tick tick tick!

Yet if your early Jewish education was anything like ours, the story of Exodus was disappointingly literalised. Look what the goyim always do to us? As soon as you get a whiff of antisemtism, get the fuck out, and by the way your final destination should be Israel. Hmm, bit revisionist? 

Tonight, even more than on all other nights, we revel and delight in collective liberation. In staying put exactly where we are until the struggle is over (apart from going on Birthwrong). In coming together with other oppressed peoples with strong hands and outstretched arms. In overthrowing capitalism. In liberating all of us. In escalating direct actions and vigorously debating the use of violence and/or menstrual blood. In our unity with all humanity and life on earth. In our capacity for peace, justice and freeing ourselves. And in our capacity to go more than a week without beigels.


 


haggadah Section: Maggid - Beginning