by Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski

Passover (Pesach), which falls in late April this year, celebrates the divine intervention that led to the liberation of the Israelite slaves from Egypt and the start of their desert journey to the Promised Land.  The story is recorded in the Book of Exodus.

Pesach is the festival of Jewish peoplehood.  It marks the transition from slavery to distinct national and religious identity.  While most Jewish festivals involve ‘replaying’ historical events to some degree, Pesach is in a league of its own.  Traditional families fulfil the biblical requirement of avoiding even the minutest quantity of leaven by preparing their homes rigorously for a ‘leaven-free’ week.  We only eat special Pesach foods cooked in a Pesach-ready environment achieved by cleansing or replacing kitchen equipment and tableware.

But the centrepiece of Pesach is the Seder, which is celebrated on the first night (and outside of Israel by traditional families on the second night too).  This is an extended meal with family and friends at which the saga of the Exodus is retold and distinctive foods – matzah (unleavened bread) and bitter herbs are eaten to bring the ancient story to life.  Each of the four phases of the Exodus story is marked with a cup of wine and the occasion is interspersed with songs, questions and a delicious feast.

Seder (which means ‘order’ – as the evening unfolds in a particular sequence) remains one of the most widely observed practices among Jews worldwide, even among those who’d define themselves as non-religious.  For many, even those of a secular bent, it’s an annual opportunity to reconnect with Jewish history and the shared destiny of the Jewish people.

This year, the festival of Jewish peoplehood and freedom from slavery comes at a very difficult time. Just last Pesach, it would have been hard to imagine that this year Israel would find herself many months into a war started by those who are once again committed to a genocidal elimination of Jews both in and beyond the Jewish state.  Many UK Jews feel under siege, with our commitment to Israel as a core part of our Jewish identity under threat, unprecedented levels of anti-Jewish hostility and some even questioning whether Jews have a future in the UK.

It will be hard to banish these thoughts at this year’s Seder, especially at the moment when we sing the short text that reflects on the vicissitudes of Jewish history – we raise a cup of wine and sing that despite the attempts by our enemies in every generation to see us off, with God’s help we have prevailed.

Despite its Jewish particularism, Pesach carries a universal message of hope and liberty.  God works in strange ways to bring about the ends (and beginnings) of history for all peoples.  Wrong will be vanquished and right will prevail through a human-divine partnership.  God intervened in history to rescue the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, but then expected them to partner with Him in bettering the world, an expectation and opportunity that each of us can and should grasp whenever we can.

Rabbi Dr Harvey Belovski is emeritus rabbi of the Golders Green Synagogue and chief strategist and rabbinic head of University Jewish Chaplaincy.