Freedom comes with a price

Pesach (Passover) this year conveys a stark message that is impossible to gloss over or ignore.

As Jews worldwide sit down to their Seder and recite the narrative of the exodus from slavery and bondage to freedom and sovereignty, the reality of current events will be foremost on their minds.

It still remains to be seen whether Israelis will be able to enjoy an uninterrupted evening or whether alerts and sirens will punctuate the evening’s proceedings.

The annual influx of pilgrims coming to Israel for the Festival of Freedom has been severely curtailed as flights are cancelled and Ben Gurion Airport operates on a restricted schedule.

Christian pilgrims intending to visit for Easter have also been affected.

As a consequence, hotels will be empty, although many are filled with evacuees from the north and displaced citizens whose homes have been destroyed or severely damaged by Iranian barrages.

Where will Israeli families celebrate Seder this year?

Large family gatherings will be problematic, especially if there is no reinforced room or shelter nearby. Travelling to and from destinations is fraught with uncertainty, as one never knows when the sirens will blast forth. Stopping your car at the side of the road has its own hazards because, apart from the danger of missile and interceptor debris hitting you, there is also the possibility that some lunatic driver might crash into your car. This has already happened several times.

Communal Seder gatherings also pose a challenge for elderly and physically impaired participants, as reaching a designated space in time can be difficult.

Pesach is traditionally a favourite time for many Israelis to make an exodus in reverse and flock to overseas venues in exotic places where communal celebrations are organised. This year it seems that option will be cancelled.

Numerous people are stuck overseas. They are stranded because airlines have ceased flying to Israel, and EL AL is having trouble repatriating them due to the uncertain situation. Those with families in foreign countries will at least be able to find accommodation, but many others are finding it a daunting task and an economic nightmare.

As reservists are recalled to their IDF units, they leave behind wives and children as well as other dependents. These family members now have to cope on their own and face the challenge of not only organising a Seder without their spouse and partner but also the uncertainty of when they will be able to see them again.

Chol Hamoed, the intermediate days of the Festival, are usually a perfect time for family excursions to nature reserves and other outdoor attractions. It is spring, and the prospect of better weather is a good opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. School is out for a week, and children are looking forward to fun times.

With daily alerts and sirens, it is highly unlikely that barbecues and picnics will be on the agenda this year.

This year’s Pesach celebrations for Jewish communities in the Diaspora will also take place in the shadow of uncertainty and a certain amount of danger.

Since 7 October 2023, the rise of hate and incitement has accelerated beyond most people’s imagination. It has now returned as an endemic and chronic manifestation, infecting vast swathes of humanity worldwide.

This ancient plague, which has mutated into a frenzy of anti Zionist/Israel/ Jew hate, presents a growing and lethal danger to Jewish communities.

As Australian Jews have learnt to their bitter cost, communal celebrations of religious occasions attract the vile attention of those sections of society who have been infected by generations of perverted education and brainwashing.

How are Diaspora Jews going to cope this year?

Communal Seders are a standard feature of many Jewish communities.

Given the current threats lurking in most countries, will these gatherings be held this year? If so, what security arrangements will be in place to ensure safety? Will participants be too scared to gather together in large groups?

What security will be provided by Government agencies? Will they make the usual banal declarations or will they actually take concrete measures to protect Synagogues and communal gatherings?

More importantly, what worthwhile steps will Governmental and local authorities take to tackle the root cause of this rising tsunami of Jew hate and violence?

It is a waste of time to talk about “social cohesion” when those plotting social evil are not dealt with in any meaningful way.

Why is this night different from all other nights?

This question from the Haggadah has real relevance this year.

It focuses our minds on the experiences of our ancestors over the millennia. There have been occasions in almost every century when the commemoration of Pesach has had to be observed in the most trying of circumstances and in many cases at life-threatening moments.

Whether it was the Inquisition or hate-filled pogrom mobs, Nazi genocidal officials or Soviet secret police, the scenario was always the same. Today’s haters, inspired by jihadist agendas to eliminate the nation-state of the Jews, all follow a familiar script.

As we recite, “In every generation there are those who rise up to destroy us” the meaning couldn’t be clearer.

In Israel, this year, this declaration may very well be accompanied by the sounds of alerts and sirens heralding incoming missiles and drones. One cannot have a more dramatic Seder than when those trying to destroy us actually are doing so as we gather together.

Of course, there could be some unforeseen scenario that changes the situation at the last moment. There is talk of “deals” being concocted. One never knows which news might be fake and which might be true.

Whatever the situation might be, however, there is one overriding message at this time that remains constant.

The liberated Hebrew slaves left Egypt behind with one central aim in mind.

It would take forty years of trekking in a hostile wilderness, but that was the time required for them to be prepared to become sovereign in the Land promised to the Patriarchs generations previously.

In the process, they would receive their constitution at Mount Sinai and gradually transform from a collection of individuals into a nation of tribes ready, willing and able to defend themselves.

This lesson of Pesach is generally glossed over when politicians issue their usual quota of banal messages.

The Jewish People became sovereign in their land. They did not need the approval of the UN, EU or any other such group. They settled, built and developed Judea, Samaria, Hebron and Jerusalem well before either Islam or Christianity existed. This is the message which should be hammered home with emphatic clarity.

Chag Sameach. May “next year in rebuilt Jerusalem” be a reality rather than an annual pious recitation.

Michael Kuttner is a Jewish New Zealander who for many years was actively involved with various communal organisations connected to Judaism and Israel. He now lives in Israel and is J-Wire’s correspondent in the region.