This year, several large community Seders (a ritual meal in observance of the Passover holiday) were held using the IJAN Liberation Haggadah (a program for Seder). Many other people held smaller gatherings in their homes using this resource. Passover is traditionally a celebration of the Exodus story, and the IJAN Liberation Haggadah draws on themes that grapple with the concept of liberation as presented in religious text as well as secular traditions that celebrate the human commitment to liberating ourselves.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, approximately 200 people attended a Seder which raised money for IJAN and the Stop the JNF Campaign. Hamilton, Ontario, had two Seders, with a total of about 90 people in attendance. In Atlanta, about a dozen people attended a Seder in an IJAN member’s home.
These Seders were a part of the cultural work of de-linking Zionism and Judaism/Jewish identity. Consistent with the project of rejecting Jewish isolationism, all Seders were well attended by people who are not Jewish. Said one participant in the Hamilton Seder, “The environment, the mix of people and the atmosphere were moving and inspiring.” A participant in the Atlanta Seder reported, “It was an intimate space, and people really opened up. We talked about how to confront power. We laughed and sang and studied together. We parted with a prayer and a challenge, “Next year, may Palestine be free.”
