- What is it? Created in partnership with Hazon, this PassoverPassover is a major Jewish holiday that commemorates the Jewish people's liberation from slavery and Exodus from Egypt. Its Hebrew name is Pesakh. Its name derives from the tenth plague, in which God "passed over" the homes of the Jewish firstborn, slaying only the Egyptian firstborn. Passover is celebrated for a week, and many diaspora Jews celebrate for eight days. The holiday begins at home at a seder meal and ritual the first (and sometimes second) night. Jews tell the story of the Exodus using a text called the haggadah, and eat specific food (matzah, maror, haroset, etc). Turn the Tables guide uses matzahThe unleavened bread eaten on Passover that recalls the Israelite's hasty escape from Egypt when there was no time for the dough to rise. Matzah is also considered the "bread of our affliction," eaten while we were slaves. as a symbol to start a conversation about some of the barriers to food access.
- How to use it: It could be used as a stand-alone discussion for a Turn the Tables meal or incorporated into your Passover sederLit. Order. The festive meal conducted on Passover night, in a specific order with specific rituals to symbolize aspects of the Exodus from Egypt. It is conducted following the haggadah, a book for this purpose. Additionally, there an ancient tradition to have a seder on Rosh Hashanah, which has been practiced in particular by Sephardi communities. This seder involves the blessing and eating of simanim, or symbolic foods. The mystics of Sefat also created a seder for Tu B'shvat, the new year of the trees.. During the Magid section, engage your guests in a discussion about food insecurity through the Israelites’ journey from slavery to freedom.
Just a Taster!
DESSERT:
We opened this discussion with a declaration that matzah is “the bread of affliction,” the bread of oppression and poverty, but it isn’t just a symbol of the hardships that the Israelites endured. In the Passover story, matzah is what the Israelites ate after they became free—making it a symbol of liberation, as well as a symbol of oppression. The barriers to buying, cooking, and eating healthy foods are real. The damage of these barriers, including consequences on health and life expectancy, are far too real for many people in the United States and around the world. Eating matzah at the seder connects guests to cultural memories of barriers to healthy food, as well as the memories of overcoming those challenges as we move from slavery to freedom. Through discussion, learning, and action, we turn our symbols of oppression into symbols of liberation and must support other individuals and groups in their journeys to move from oppression to liberation.
Download the full supplement below and/or go to Repair the World’s Passover page for more!
Repair the World was founded in 2009 to make meaningful service a defining element of American Jewish life. Repair mobilizes tens of thousands of young Jews to volunteer in tackling pressing local needs each year, and Repair equips communities and partners to do the same. These volunteers help transform neighborhoods, cities, and lives through meaningful service experiences rooted in Jewish values, learning, and history.
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