Dear Friends,
I would like to wish you, your families, and communities a healthy and happy Passover.
For many of us, this will be the first time since the pandemic hit that we will be gathering together with our loved ones, and we fervently hope that the worst of COVID-19 is finally behind us. Over the past two years, we have all benefited from the wonders of modern technology, which has enabled us to stay connected to one another even as we maintained social distance. How wonderful it is, though, to be able to explore the age-old traditions of Passover as we sit around the Seder table together.
This year, however, we are all deeply saddened by the terrible war being waged in Ukraine. We empathize with those who are enduring such suffering and mourn for those who have lost their lives. We pray for a speedy end to this conflict and for the swift rebuilding of that country.
At one of the focal points of the Seder we recite Ha Lachma Anya: “This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. All those who are hungry, let them enter and eat. All who are in need, let them come celebrate the Passover. Now we are here. Next year in the land of Israel. This year we are enslaved. Next year we will be free.”
Many people across the world have brought these words to life by offering those suffering from this conflict shelter in the safety of their homes or communities. Those who have been displaced have received a warm welcome.
I am especially proud of the work that our affiliated Jewish communities, WJC staff, and JDCorps, all working together, are doing to help alleviate the plight of the refugees, and those Jews still in Ukraine, irrespective of their religious or ethnic background.
Once again, I wish you good health and “Chag Pesach Kasher v’sameach”—a happy and kosher Passover holiday.
Ronald S. Lauder
President
World Jewish Congress
