Passover: The Festival of Freedom & The Duty of Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam)

Tomorrow night, Saturday, April 12, Jews around the world will be gathering together around the “seder” table to celebrate the first night of Passover. The seder dinner is a ritual meal involving prayers, songs, reading, and eating symbolic foods to recount the ancient story of the People of Israel's exodus from Egypt and celebrate their transition to freedom. For the Jewish people, the telling of the Passover story is an annual reminder that freedom is the essential birthright of every human being. And freedom cannot be obtained without peace. The resonating message of the holiday is to inspire and move us to promote peace and uphold freedom in the world. These values must be fostered, nurtured, and preserved, especially in dark times. It is our very freedom that allows us to choose empathy and compassion for all humanity.

What makes the seder such a lasting and powerful ritual is that every year, we get to reflect and see ourselves in this story in a different way. Sadly, this year there are hostages still held by Hamas, and a significant percentage of the world’s population doesn’t have basic civil and political freedoms. Libertas Council reports that only in about 20% of the countries people have the freedom to speak, write, think, associate, worship, marry, and work as they choose. Every life matters. Every child matters. But in 2025, despite the vast human progress, too many people are experiencing the terrible suffering that is the reality of war in many regions of the world. We have not been able to crack the formula to creating a more peaceful and just world. Passover is a call for personal action, a reminder that as we commemorate the Festival of Freedom, we must work to ensure more people are free from injustice and oppression. By focusing on individual choices, we can each take proactive steps in our daily lives and communities to make a difference and collectively create a ripple effect of positive change.

The Jewish people are indigenous to the land of Israel, achieving self-determination there 3,000 years ago. The State of Israel was forged from out of the ashes of the Holocaust. As we support Israel’s undeniable right to defend itself against armed attacks, we must advocate for democracy. As humanists, we must uphold democracy as a fundamental value, in Israel and worldwide.

And so, this year, as we celebrate Passover, let us re-commit to taking action in the name of tikkun olam – repairing and healing the world.

Let each of us make a commitment to take one action to make the world a better place, to be the change we want to see in the world?

To those who celebrate Passover, I wish you a happy, healthy, and meaningful Passover.

May this festival of freedom bring peace and freedom to all of humanity.

May we live to see all children live in peace.