Search Library

Present Day Plagues Facing Us Locally and Globally
Contributed by Stephen Wise Temple

  • TOP HAGGADAHS FOR 2023

Plague 1 - Homelessness

Los Angeles has the largest number of chronically homeless people in the nation—nearly 13,000. The lack of affordable housing and limited housing assistance programs have contributed to the current crisis. – Los Angeles Times (2016)

Plague 2 – Mass Incarceration

The U.S. prison population has increased nearly 700 percent since 1972. The incarceration rate for African Americans is nearly nine times higher than for whites, while Latinos are imprisoned at almost twice the rate of whites. – Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics Prisoner Series (2016)

Plague 3 – Inadequate health care

Nearly 3 million Californians do not have health insurance. Latinos and non-citizens are disproportionately likely to lack access to care.  – California Health Care Foundation (2016)

Plague 4 - Food insecurity

An estimated 1.4 million people in Los Angeles County live with food insecurity, which means that nearly 1 in 5 of our neighbors do not know where their next meal is coming from. – Los Angeles Regional Food Bank (2017)

Plague 5 – Environmental Destruction

Earth’s average temperature has risen by 1.5°F over the past century, and is projected to rise by as much as 8.6°F over the next hundred years.  These changes are projected to have profound implications for our water supply, the natural environment, and human health and safety. – U.S. EPA (2017)

Plague 6 – Inadequate Education

Less than half of those who graduate from high school in the U.S. are proficient in math or reading. – Education Week (2016)

Plague 7 – Racism and Xenophobia

Hate crimes in Los Angeles increased 15% in 2016. More than a third of reported incidents involved vandalism expressing hatred based on race, religion, or sexual orientation. – LA Times (2017)

Plague 8 – Refugees and Immigration

65.3 million people around the world have been forced from their homes. Among them are nearly 21.3 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. – UN Refugee Agency (2017)

Plague 9 - Human Trafficking

There are nearly 21 million victims of human trafficking worldwide, one quarter of which are children.  California serves both as an entry point and as a destination for victims. – Polaris Project (2016)

Plague 10 - Economic Inequality

Economic inequality has grown dramatically over the last four decades, and wages have stagnated for the vast majority of workers despite an an expanding and increasingly productive American economy.  – Economic Policy Institute (2016)


 
haggadah Section: -- Ten Plagues

Featured clips


More clips from Stephen Wise Temple