Welcome to our Passover Seder.

Together we celebrate the festival of liberation of the Jewish people, who are linked throughout history with all peoples in the passion for justice and human liberty. We have come together today for many reasons:

  • because we are a people with deep historic roots and memories
  • because many centuries ago, our ancestors left slavery and began their march toward freedom
  • because the struggles for freedom never stop, and because they provide inspiration in our time
  • because spring is all around, the earth is reborn, and it is a time to celebrate with family and friends

As we retell this ancient story, let us remind ourselves of those people around the world who are living this story today. Let us celebrate our freedom and strengthen ourselves to join the fight against injustice wherever it exists. For as long as one person is oppressed, none of us are free. For it is said: Every person, in every generation, must regard his, her, or themselves as having been personally freed from bondage in Mitzrayim, the Hebrew name of ancient Egypt and a metaphor for a time of enslavement.

We imagine for ourselves today: What would the world look like if everyone was free? In the narrative of the haggadah, we wonder: what is the moment of freedom? Is freedom achieved? Are liberation and freedom the same? And: at whose expense does Israelite freedom come? Is the exodus of the mixed multitude from Mitzrayim a moment of collective liberation, involving Egyptians and other non-Israelites suffering under Pharaoh’s rule? Or does collective liberation also demand the liberation of Pharaoh from his hardened heart and the fortress of power around him?


haggadah Section: Introduction
Source: Workman's Circle (Boston) & Jews for Racial and Economic Justice)