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April 1, 2026
Passover Acknowledges Antisemitism. But It Does Not Center It.
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TL;DR
- Community leaders, like rabbis, often grapple with the prominence of antisemitism in communal life, facing the temptation to make it a central organizing concern.
- The Haggadah, a Passover Seder guide, acknowledges the enmity Jews have faced but does not allow it to overwhelm spiritual sensitivities, serving as a template for leadership.
- The declaration "In every generation, they rise against us to destroy us" functions as both memory and warning, acknowledging recurring Jewish vulnerability throughout history.
- While the Haggadah voices the pain of the community, it teaches to avoid letting anger or pain metastasize into self-destructive fury, pleading for divine justice rather than human vengeance.
- The majority of the Haggadah's text focuses on themes of liberation, education, memory, gratitude, and redemption, with the narrative of oppression serving as a precondition rather than the main story.
- The Seder begins with an invitation to the hungry and emphasizes communal identity and responsibility to those in need, integrating morality with memory.
- The Haggadah is a teaching document designed to provoke curiosity and ensure transmission of Jewish values, with the Four Questions and the Four Children illustrating a theory of education tailored to individual learners.
- The Seder focuses on character formation, symbolized by matzah and bitter herbs, framing the experience of suffering within the context of redemption.
- The Haggadah concludes with playful songs and a hopeful look toward a better future, transcending anger and grievance.
- The primary work of the Jewish community, as suggested by the Haggadah, is to cultivate internal life—educate, transmit, celebrate, and bind members together—rather than solely fixating on adversaries.
- Focusing exclusively on antisemitism misreads the lesson of Passover; Judaism's survival is attributed to tradition, wisdom, and covenant, not animus.
- The Haggadah provides wisdom for contemporary leaders, reminding them that human enmity is not new and that resilience, faith, and hope are the path forward.