The Ten Plagues Relay Races

As Passover approaches, I’ve been thinking about the reasons why I’m a religious Jew, sparked significantly by a recent Reconstructionist pilgrimage to civil rights sites in the south. I’m wrestling with how to incorporate this powerful, painful and staggering experience into our celebration of freedom, in a way that respects the experiences of Black people—and Black Jews.

We’d like to share this video message for Passover 2021 from Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., the president of Reconstructing Judaism.

Usually, on Passover, we ask “How is this night different from all other nights?”. This year, many of us are asking, “How does this Passover resemble any we’ve ever experienced?” While social distancing has seemingly changed everything, Passover is still about telling the story of going from oppression to freedom.