The story of Passover — and the lessons that we draw from the story of Exodus — is at the heart of the values that connects many of us to the New Israel Fund. What does it mean to be truly free? How should we relate to the strangers who reside in our communities? What are the obligations of those in power to the weak, the marginalized, and the dispossessed?
As the Passover Seder approaches, we have collected below a series of readings and Haggadah supplements that bear special significance to us this year. We encourage you to peruse them and consider including them in your Seders.
A project of NIF Australia, written by Naomi Chazan Fellows, this Haggadah supplement includes readings about the people who are left behind in Israeli society, those who are marginalized, and whose voices are often unheard.
This supplement — produced by our partners at T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, BINA – The Jewish Movement for Social Change, and Right Now: Advocates for Asylum Seekers in Israel — offers a Jewish discourse on the situation of people seeking asylum in Israel.
This supplement, prepared by our partners at HIAS, explores the symbols of the Seder plate in the context of the contemporary refugee crisis.
A remarkable Haggadah produced during the 50th year of the occupation features original texts by Jewish and Israeli luminaries – including NIF board member Achinoam “Noa” Nini and International Council members like Avrum Burg, Stephen M. Cohen, Rachel Elior, Rabbi Rolando Matalon, Amos Oz, Rabbi Susan Silverman, and Michael Walzer.
By Madeline Cooper, a 2017-18 Elissa Froman Fellow and HUC-JIR Rabbinical Student.
This year on Passover, as we remember the Exodus from Egypt, the injunction to care for the stranger feels particularly relevant. As we remember our own pain in Egypt, we cannot forget about people seeking asylum in Israel.
A supplemental Seder reading from J Street poses questions about what the lessons of Passover mean for us today and what actions we can take for peace and democracy.