Passover Night – 70 Times Exodus Story

Passover – Time of our freedom, זמן חירותנו - Who would think that I would celebrate this Passover somewhere in far away Germany, in the Black Forest with seventy guests from different Christian communities? Natalia Krizhanovski - from Christians for Israel and working in Ukraine - and me representing the aliyah project "First Home in the Homeland" are right now in Germany within the framework of a speaking tour organized by the German branch of Christians for Israel.

So, seizing the opportunity, I am celebrating this Passover not in Israel but in a Community House in Überberg, Germany. We celebrate Seder evening for a very diverse group. Some of them never tasted matzot, others already celebrated Seder in Israel.

The Seder was organized and initiated by Delly Hezel who is hosting us and taking care of us during this speaking tour. Families, some of them with children, were invited over to the Passover celebration. Children from all kinds of religious persuasions and nations are all alike - remarkable! It was amazing to see how active they were during the Seder, how they answered questions and took part in the competitions that we prepared for them.

The hero of the evening was of course the boy who found the afikoman – a piece of matza that was hidden at the beginning of the evening. The guests had a chance to look on the meaning of Passover from two angles – the Jewish and the Christian tradition. We explained about the Pesach symbols and sequence. Many questions and reflections sprang up. We talked about the Exodus in the past and about the Exodus that is happening these very days, in which everyone of us is involved.

This same evening every Jew around the world is reading the same text and telling the story of the Exodus exactly in the same order as we are. It makes us feel like a family, a very diverse family but a very warm, extended and close-knit family!

Next Year in the Rebuilt Jerusalem!
Happy Passover!

Best wishes,

Orly Wolstein
'First Home in the Homeland'
Projectmanager Jewish Agency for Israel

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