The responsibility of the free
Jews around the world will sit down for their annual Passover Seder Monday night (April 22) and as the ritual meal begins, they will intone the ancient Aramaic invitation, “all who are hungry, come and eat; and all who are in need, come and celebrate Passover.” Indeed, many people will respond to this invitation and find themselves as guests at a host’s Passover Seder. Some; however, will not be given the choice to be a guest at any Seder this year.
About six months ago, and it seems like yesterday, thousands of Hamas militants infiltrated sovereign Israeli territory. Their hours-long reign of terror saw them carry out the most brutal atrocities and humanrights violations imaginable. Their genocidal intentions were only repelled when, after hours of intense fighting, the Israel Defense Forces were finally able to turn them back. The malicious Hamas attack left more than 1,200 Israelis murdered. More than 200 people, soldiers and civilians, men women and children, infants and elderly, were taken captive and hidden in the Gaza strip.
Sadly, the 1,200 murder victims will never again be given the opportunity to respond to a Seder invitation. The fate of the 100-plus hostages still languishing in Hamas captivity, however, hangs in the balance. Forget, for a moment, about their ability to attend a Passover Seder. Other, more basic, questions are at play.
Will they ever be able to speak with a family member again? Will they ever be permitted to send a letter home? Will they ever be allowed even one visit from the Red Cross? These hostages, whose most basic human rights are being violated every second of every day, are being held against their will in violation of international law. Further, they are being held by an organization designated as a terrorist group by the governments of the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, among many others.
The central theme of the Passover Seder is the recognition of the hardships of slavery, and the celebration of redemption. The ancient Israelites were enslaved and oppressed, abused and afflicted, by the Pharaoh of long-ago Egypt. The Almighty redeemed them from their lowly state, exalted them and promoted them to a lofty position. In turn, we sing songs of praise to the Lord as a joyous response to this turn of events.
Will this year’s Passover observance be different? How can we sing the praises of the Lord while innocent captives are being held hostage on foreign soil? How can we sign praises after learning about horrible atrocities perpetrated on children and young women?
The past few months have seen much equivocation and the espousal of false moral equivalencies in the international community in response to Israels military response in Gaza. These sentiments, sometimes understandable, are misguided.
The reality is that Hamas, a nefarious terror cabal, launched the worst type of war possible against a western sovereign democracy. Just like any other nation, Israel is dutybound to protect its citizens from any such future attacks and to recover its citizens that still are being held captive. The international community must rally to support Israel and recognize the true nature of the Hamas terror organization and its allies.
Let’s all direct our calls to end the war at Hamas. If the terrorists really want to end the war, if they really want to end the destruction of their own territory, they have the ability to do so — release the hostages and leave Gaza.
The American civil rights leader Abraham Joshua Heschel taught that in a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible. We, as members of the free world, have a responsibility to the hostages.
Will we continue to shirk our responsibility?
Will this year’s Passover observance be different? How can we sing the praises of the Lord while innocent captives are being held hostage on foreign soil?
Rabbi Peretz Robinson is the leader of Fairfieldbased Congregation Ahavath Achim, a modern Orthodox community synagogue. He can be reached at ahavathachim@gmail.com.