Remember the Israelis being held hostage in Gaza

Rabbi Adam F. Miller

Dear Reader – The article below is one that appeared in the March 2024 issue of Temple Shalom’s monthly publication, “The Voice.” It is rare for me to repeat a piece like this, but these are unusual times. This message connects the celebration of our freedom at Passover with our related responsibility to redeem those who are oppressed. I hope that you will join in the effort to keep those who are being held in captivity in our hearts and minds, particularly around our seder tables this year.

In a few weeks, Jews around the world will gather to observe the holiday of Passover with festive seder meals. Rabbi Manny Gold, one of my mentors, taught that few religious traditions are as malleable as the Passover Seder. For the authors of the Passover Seder, the slavery in Egypt and fight against Pharaoh were used as code to discuss the oppression of Rome (which also explains why one reclines at a seder and eats an egg, customs that the Romans used to observe).

In every generation since that time, the story of the Exodus, and the fight for freedom, has been adapted to fit the needs of the day.

Over the last half-century alone, the seder table has included texts and conversations about the civil rights movement, the modern state of Israel, equality for women, Soviet Jewry, genocide in Darfur and refugees. In this way, Passover demonstrates each year that the theme of freedom is universal while also reminding us that being free comes with responsibility. As long as others still suffer under the yoke of oppression, we adapt our story to include their struggle for freedom and equality. As Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “No one is free until we are all free."

This year those words feel even more sharp, as our thoughts are with our Israeli brothers and sisters being held as hostages in Gaza. Though I pray that by the time you read this they will be free, in my heart I fear they will still be in captivity, held against their will and unable to feel the loving embrace of their family and friends. Sadly, our media cycle in America has mostly forgotten the hostages — those individuals who were ripped out of their homes by terrorists on Oct. 7. We, however, do not have the luxury of forgetting. We know they were taken simply because they, like us, are Jews. We identify with them and feel the intense pain of their families yearning for them to return home.

“No one is free until we are all free." ~ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

At your seder this year, remember the Israelis being held hostage in Gaza. Here are some ideas to keep those being held by Hamas in your hearts at the seder:

• When you find the Afikomen, hold the Afikomen in the air and say: “While we are free, we have a responsibility to remember those who are not free. Just as the seder cannot end without finding and eating the Afikomen, we will not end our efforts to release the hostages until all are found and freed from their captivity.”

• Go online and find the hostage posters that you can include around your seder table.

• The Times of Israel has a section dedicated to those who are still missing and captive (https://www.timesofisrael.com/ spotlight-topic/those-we-are-missing/). Print out some of their stories and ask those at your table to read them aloud, bringing the spirit of those being held to your celebration of freedom.

• Invite those at your seder table to use their electronic devices to send a message to a local or national media outlet demanding they cover the hostages. Ask your guests to also contact civic leaders at all levels to ask that they work toward freeing those held in Gaza.

Every year, our seder ends with the same fervent words of hope, “L’Shana Ha’Ba’ah b’Yerushalyim — next year in Jerusalem!” May that prayer come true – that next year, all those being held hostage will be able to sit around their seder tables with loved ones, free at last.

Rabbi Adam Miller serves at Temple Shalom.