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Bring the Palestinian struggle for freedom to your Passover Seder!

As a courtesy, we are reproducing this event notice from Independent Jewish Voices.

Bring the Palestinian struggle for freedom to your Passover Seder!

I lived in Israel-Palestine from 2004 to 2008. Part of my job was to be present when the bulldozers approached Palestinian homes to to demolish them because their owners did not have an Israeli building permit. In doing this work, I forged deep connections with Palestinian families, only to see their houses and lives destroyed.

When my first Passover in Jerusalem came along, I thought to myself,

“How can I tell the Passover story as if it was me who was delivered from slavery in Egypt when 10 minutes away in East Jerusalem, my friend’s home—and world—has been destroyed?”

freedom-matza-cropped-2

Freedom Matzah’ from Rabbis for Human Rights, Refugee Freedom Seder Hagaddah

I couldn’t do it.

So, when a friend of mine invited me to a Seder, I told him that I simply couldn’t do it unless the situation in Palestine was mentioned prominently. “Then why don’t you mention Palestine?” he asked. And so I did.

The next year, I found that a simple mention of what’s happening on the ground in Palestine was not enough. So slowly, over the years, I created the kind of Seder I could live with and started to share it with others. Through organizations like IJV, I discovered there were not just a handful of like-minded people interested in such justice-oriented rituals. I realized that there were thousands of us!

United against the Wall Aram West Bank

Israelis and Palestinians united against the wall, A-Ram, Occupied West Bank

Support IJV’s efforts to build justice-oriented Jewish communities!

The Seders we have developed commemorate the struggle for freedom of the Palestinian people. Instead of focusing solely on telling our freedom story of the exodus from Egypt, we also tell the story of the struggle for liberation of Palestine. We offer the space to Palestinian voices from all walks of life to tell their own stories in their own words. We go through all the rituals of the Haggadah and savour the organic Jewish, Palestinian, North American, Muslim, Christian, dinner party that follows.

Click here to join a liberation Seder in Toronto, Hamilton or London!

David Mivisair 2017 liberation seder in toronto

Rabbi David Mivasair will be leading this year’s Seder in Hamilton.

Whether at one of our Seders or at your own, I invite you to create an experience that has meaning for you while honouring our friends in Palestine. You can use an existing Haggadah, or you can create your own. You’re welcome to use the Jewish Liberation Theology Institute Hagaddah or choose from dozens of radical Hagaddot and supplements that can be found online.

I also invite you to help IJV create more opportunities and resources to do Jewish in solidarity with Palestine by donating to the IJV Spiritual and Cultural Network.

Lucia photo

Wishing you a meaningful Passover!
Next year may we all be free.

Rabbi Lucia Pizarro, Hamilton
Jewish Liberation Theology Institute
IJV Spiritual and Cultural Network

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