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| Lady Liberty Opening the gate to a immigrant Jewish family. Source. |
The United States is a Nation of Immigrants. Each immigrant group brings it unique story.
Passover (Pesach) is the Jewish holiday that celebrates the emancipation of the Jews from slavery in ancient Egypt.
The Haggadah is a Jewish text that is read every year during the Passover meal (Seder).
Here are three haggadahs which remember that the Jews were once refugees, too, and are obligated to seek justice for "the Stranger."
ADL: We Were Strangers Too- A Haggadah Supplement for Your Passover Seder
In this spirit of Passover, ADL — an organization founded by immigrants and children of immigrants, and dedicated to protecting the interests of religious and ethnic minorities — organized Nation of Immigrant Seders bringing together community members, families, and leaders from all corners of the world. We joined together to recommit to our values of liberty and equality and to stand with immigrants and refugees across our country who face fear and bigotry every day.
HIAS: Passover 2018: The Seder Plate and Today’s Refugees
The Passover Seder plate is one of the oldest symbolic representations of the Jewish people’s historic refugee experience. In the face of unprecedented efforts to limit refugees’ ability to seek safety in the United States – even as more people are displaced by violence and persecution than ever before – these powerful symbols of both the unimaginable suffering and the boundless resilience and hope of refugees feel particularly poignant.
JUFJ: Immigrant Rights, Immigrant Roots
This immigration-themed Haggadah from 2012 was made in collaboration with a long list of D.C.-area labor groups, who worked together to create a retelling of the Exodus story that is particularly relevant to the struggles of working people, and immigrants in America. It's probably the only Haggadah you will find with an incredibly detailed, full-page flowchart illustrating the complexities of legal immigration (page 11) or a detailed explanation of the Department of Homeland Security's "Secure Communities" program (pages 17 to 18). Despite being a few years old, this Haggadah feels especially apt for Passover 5777. Their version of the Ten Plagues, as they apply to immigration (pages 20 to 22) is especially powerful.
Also see:
LAist: Ten Of The Best Social Justice Haggadah Supplements For Your Seder Table
VOANews: New York Mosque Hosts Passover Celebrations
POP QUIZ
100:03. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
100:09. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
100:10. What is freedom of religion?
100:51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
100:55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
100:58. What is one reason colonists came to America?
100:76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
100:84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
100:95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?*
100:100. Name two national U.S. holidays.
