April 7, 2020
My Seder table, perhaps like yours, will be notably emptier this year — just my husband, our daughters, and me — instead of the usual assortment of family, friends, and people we’ve collected along the way.
For many of us, this is the most difficult Pesach we’ve experienced, as we’re separated — at least physically — from family and friends, and perhaps worrying about those who are sick and mourning those who have died.
Of course, the Jewish people have experienced many difficult Pesachs in our history — too often hiding from those who would expel, forcibly convert, or murder us. In the words of the Haggadah, “in every generation, they rise up against us to destroy us.” In this generation, the threat comes from a virus, not primarily from human enemies.
And, as in other generations, we believe that liberation will come.
This liberation cannot be for us alone. I have been amazed over the past few weeks at how many of you joined T’ruah for virtual actions, calling our governors to demand the release of those detained by ICE, and the release of vulnerable populations in our prisons and jails. You’ve joined us to call for protective equipment for our health care professionals. (If you missed these actions, you can still take action here).
Your willingness to look beyond your immediate needs shouldn’t be surprising. After all, that’s one of the lessons of the exodus. Some of the first laws that God gives the Jewish people mandate care for those most vulnerable in our society — from refugees to low-wage workers.
That’s why even a global pandemic won’t stop T’ruah from bringing a moral rabbinic voice to standing up for the human rights of all people. This virus has exposed and exploited the inequalities that we’ve been fighting against. Our work to protect the agricultural workers still picking our vegetables, the asylum seekers camped out on our border, and the individuals our country has locked up has only become more urgent and necessary.
Nor are we looking away from Israel, where this virus threatens to become an excuse for anti-democratic moves. You can read here our response to efforts to move forward with annexing parts of the West Bank this summer, and imposing a permanent occupation. From the numbers of you who joined us these past few weeks to learn about the COVID-19 crisis in Gaza, and the way rampant corruption in Netanyahu’s caretaker government has endangered the public, we know you’re not looking away either.
As we rebuild from this crisis, we will need a vision of a society and a world that ensures health care, economic justice, and dignity for all people. Thank you for being part of building that world.
Thank you for your continued commitment to T’ruah and to bringing your own moral voice to standing up for the human rights of all people.
Chag sameach,
Rabbi Jill Jacobs
Executive Director
