The Liberation of Passover
Jewish Lessons for Combatting Oppression
The story of the Israelite holiday of Passover recalls the resistance and liberation of the Jewish people.
Side note, there really is no thing called “Jews” or “Judaism” in the Hebrew Bible. They are Israelites or Hebrews and were only called Jews when the Israelites were exiled from their homeland Israel in the remaining Israelite area called Judea from the Israelite tribe of Judah. Israelites needed a way to transport their heritage in a suitcase and adapted Judah-ism to do just that. To be able to live as a people and serve their creator outside of their homeland, even if temporarily. Today’s “Israelites” are a combination of people from the tribe of Judah, as well as Hebrews from other tribes, dispersed across the globe, but now are all called Jews given 2,000 years of exile and the need to maintain their peoplehood when their indigenous homeland Israel was closed to them.
On the evening of March 27 this year, Jews of every color around the world will gather with family, hopefully in vaccinated at least somewhat larger numbers than last year, to partake in a Seder, or ritual feast, to retell the story of the Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt. To repeat the story of how God led their ancestors out of brutal bondage and oppressive conditions.
