By Steve Kramer
KFAR SABA, Israel — On the evening of April 12, Michal and I attended a unique Seder – and our Seder memories go back more than 70 years.
A little background: this is the second Seder being held during a war with diabolical enemies who care not at all for the welfare of their own people but are intent only on destroying Jews and the Jewish state of Israel.
Despite Israel having defeated Hezbollah, its most immediate threat, Hamas is still functioning and has great support from Iran and also from deluded Western leaders, like France’s Emmanuel Macron. And, of course, from so-called human rights organizations such as the UN, Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, and so many others.
Hamas still holds 59 hostages, with only 24 still alive. (By the way, have you seen an international outcry against Hamas for murdering defenseless captives?) The captives are mostly innocent partygoers and inhabitants of communities inside Israel‘s recognized borders adjacent to Gaza. Ironically those kibbutzim were home to many left-wing peace advocates who went far out of their way to help Gazans, ferrying them to Israeli hospitals and providing then with good-paying jobs in the communities including in their own homes. As repayment, those peace advocates were abducted or slaughtered (tortured, beheaded, raped, burned, shot, etc.) on 10/7/23 by both Hamas fighters and “civilians” who invaded Israeli territory on motorcycles, vans, bicycles, and even some on crutches, following the initial onslaught by Hamas fighters.
The terrorists had personal detail and plans of the homes and workplaces that were provided to them by the Gazan workers.
So, Saturday night, Seder tables in Israel featured a second empty chair for our tortured, enslaved captives, alongside the traditional chair for the prophet Elijah. Though it wasn’t mentioned at our Seder, which we’ve attended for about 30 years as “adopted” family members of dear friends, the country is riven by those who believe that evacuating Gaza and relying on negotiations with Hamas to free the hostages is the only way, and those who believe that continuing warfare to defeat Hamas is essential to retrieve our brethren.
According to polls, most Israelis favor the negotiating tactic, while those with similar opinions to mine believe that just negotiating with Hamas is a fools’ game because jihadists never fulfill agreements and their overriding goal is the eradication of the Jews (and Christians) unless they accept the yoke of Islam. Israel’s current government obviously prefers the military option+negotiations over the just-negotiations one.
There was an interesting article in the weekend edition of the Jerusalem Post by Jonathan Lieberman, a rabbi and physician living in Netanya, but originally from Manchester, England. He wrote “A time machine of Jewish memory,” describing Seders from past times.
Below are some of those times:
Egypt, 1312 BCE — the first Seder was celebrated as the final plague, the death of the firstborn (of people and animals), descended on the Egyptians. The Jews ate flatbread (matzoh) because there was no time to allow the preparation of the usual bread. Their escape was imminent. The question was asked by the children, Why is this night different from all other nights? The answer: we are leaving slavery to become a free people after centuries of slavery.
Jerusalem, 30 CE — in the heyday of the restored Second Temple. Tens of thousands of Jews made the required pilgrimage to Jerusalem in Judea to bring their sacrifices to the Temple, ranging from small birds to lambs or goats. At that point, they were celebrating their freedom in a free land. (But not for long – in 70 CE the Romans conquered Judea and destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Most of the Jewish population was killed, enslaved, or fled to various locations in the Land of Israel or surrounding regions.)
Galilee, 135 CE — The third war against the Romans, led by the charismatic Bar Kochba, was crushed. By this time a Haggadah (written Seder text) was in use, even in hidden retreats where Jews faced death if found to be celebrating freedom.
France,1146 CE — In northern France during the time of the Crusades, a family gathers in fear but still breaks the middle matzoh. This, amid attacks on Jewish enclaves, when zealous Christians battling the Muslims killed Jews as well.
Spain, 1492 — After the expulsion of the Jews by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, those converted, “New Christians,” celebrated the Seder in secret. These were the anusim, secret Jews, who “converted’ rather than be exiled from Spain and shortly later, from Portugal. The Inquisition followed, murdering those New Christians who were proven, or just accused, of still practicing Judaism.
Ukraine, 1880s — In a shtetl, a family gathered in its small wooden home telling of slavery in Egypt, but also of pogroms. While Cossacks and peasants sometimes left them alone, there was no true security for Jews. It was a time when many left greater Russia and found freedom in America and elsewhere.
Gondar Ethiopia, 19th century — Ethiopian Jews (Beta Israel) celebrated the Seder in their own way, telling the story of the Exodus verbally. They yearned for freedom and above all for Jerusalem, a place which they had dreamed of for centuries but had never seen.
Europe, 1943 — In a barrack in a Nazi work camp, a small group of slave workers sit without food, wine, or a Hagaddah. They recite the Seder prayers from memory. Why is this night different? Because they are still alive to recite the story of liberation. They kept the faith despite their worse-than-wretched conditions.
Jerusalem, 1948–In besieged Jerusalem, families under attack gather for the Seder, while food supplies are limited and matzoh is rationed. Yet, the holiday is celebrated because Jews are fighting for their independence and have the means to do so. Then, with a victory, “Next year in Jerusalem” became a reality, no longer a dream to be read about in the Haggadah.
Moscow, 1970s — Behind the Iron Curtain, in a small apartment a secret Seder is celebrated with a smuggled piece of matzoh. Prayers from a memorized Haggadah are recited. Broken Hebrew is spoken, despite being forbidden by the Soviet authorities. While the regime tries to break the Zionist spirit, the Russian Jews persevere.
(My own contribution) Suburban America, 1950-60s — families gather in homes and synagogues to celebrate the Seder. They are untouched by Jew hatred, campaigns against prominent Jews, or Soviet-Muslim inspired campaigns against Israelis and the State of Israel. It is the “Golden Age of American Jewry.” Applicants to universities, like me, don’t even dream of facing campaigns denigrating or denying them admission. On American campuses, Jew hatred doesn’t exist.
Israel: 2024-25 — Seders with empty chairs, photos of captives, dead and alive, and much less joy because Jews are enslaved in our own time. “In every generation they rise up against us…”, and we are experiencing it in real time. Yet, we Jews celebrate the Seder.
Lieberman concludes: “The Seder is not simply a meal. It is an act of memory. An act of resistance. An act of hope. And so, across the world this year, Jews will once again sit together, lift their glasses, and say with voices steady, or shaking: Next year in Jerusalem … May we all be redeemed together.”
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Steve Kramer is an American-Israeli freelance writer based in Kfar Saba, Israel.