Torah Talk with Rabbi Jon

Home > Learn > Torah Talk

Rabbi Jon’s Reflection on This Week’s Torah Portion

4.26.2024

Passover: A Story of Slavery, Hostages, and anti-Semitism

Telling our story – that’s a key element to every Passover Seder. But, if we only read the text as given in our haggadot, we fall short of telling our story, because we are only sharing our past. While our past is key to understanding how we came to be, our story continues. So, if you did not speak about the hostages that remain under Hamas control while recollecting slavery, you did not fully tell our story. If you did not speak about modern day anti-Semitism while recollecting the hatred spewed at us over the past three thousand plus years, you did not fully tell our story. If you did not speak about having a drop of empathy for the innocents caught in the crossfire of war while recollecting the plagues and taking ten drops out of our kiddush cups, you did not fully tell our story. But it is not too late to tell our story. It needs to be told repeatedly and not just at our seders. The story we need to tell and continue telling is not an easy one. It is filled with pain. But, it is one that we must share with family, friends, those that agree with us, and even those that disagree.

The tragedy of October 7 occurred when I was away from the temple due to medical treatments. When I returned on January 26, 2024, I was months behind in commenting on the hostage situation and the war. I prayed that the conflict would end and that our hostages would be returned. But, since I’ve come back, the situation has not been remedied. It has only worsened. A story of hostage taking, terrorism, war, displacement of innocents, famine, and anti-Semitism continues to grow.

Since the war began, we have offered our prayers, and we have done programs on Zoom focused on these issues under the leadership of congregant Adam Friedman. It is important to keep the hostages, the war, and the battle against anti-Semitism at the forefront of minds. In the coming months, it is my goal to continue speaking about all of these issues and to provide additional resources where you can find more information on the hostage situation, the war, anti-Semitism, and so many other issues (See links at bottom of document).

As you enter our Yom HaShoah service on May 3 you will see pictures of the remaining hostages. It is time for us to look upon their images and bear witness to the months of agony they’ve endured. These images need to be seen and remembered.

At our May 10 Yom Haatzmaut service, we will honor the establishment of the State of Israel and reflect on its importance to the Jewish community and to the world.

We live in a difficult time that forces us to react. Let us continue to work together in order to support the efforts to free the hostages and to limit the anti-Semitism found not just on college campuses but throughout this nation.

May you find time during the remaining days of Passover to reflect on your role in the continuing story of the Jewish people.

***

For past Torah Talks go to https://www.koltikvah.org/torahtalk

***

Key Websites:

Images of the Hostages

https://www.kidnappedfromisrael.com/

ADL (Anti-Defamation League)

https://www.adl.org/

Jewish Federation of Los Angeles

https://jewishla.org

Campus Impact Network