Passover is upon us and it is once again time for our community to gather around our Seder tables with our friends and family. It is time for us to reflect on the suffering of our people and rejoice in the sweetness of salvation.  It is also time for us to remember that there are still people, Jews and Non-Jews, in our midst who live under oppressive conditions and are not yet truly free.  It is the duty of all of those who have earned their sovereignty to work on behalf of those who are still enslaved and persecuted.  

In this cause, we should look to the heroes of the Exodus, including Moses, and find strength in their strength. We should be like Nachshon who waded into the Red Sea, up to his nose, trusting that Moses would part the waters and deliver the Israelites to safety.  We should emulate the midwives Shiphrah and Puah - who defied Pharaoh’s orders to kill the Israelite boys they delivered.  We should epitomize the bravery of Yocheved, Moses’ mother, Miriam, his sister, and Pharaoh’s daughter, Bithia, all whom disobeyed the king’s edicts. These courageous men and women changed the history of the Israelites and arguably the world.   

It is in their actions, and the actions of others, where we can find the courage to work on behalf of those in need.  At Passover this year, and at what seems to be a very tumultuous time in our world, we should adhere to the elements that made Passover possible: the belief in freedom over oppression, in  righteousness over wickedness, and in the principle that only collectively will we able to achieve our goal of not only taking care of Jews in need, but of all people in need in a Jewish way.

Chag Pesach Sameach — Happy Passover!

-Todd Polikoff