A Passover Message from Gayle Rubenstein

My personal relationship with Passover captures the essence of what makes this holiday so significant. For me, it’s the gathering of family and friends, some of whom we have not seen since Rosh Hashana, it’s a time for connection and love and togetherness. Regardless, there is always a place for all at the Sedar table.

As we begin the seder with a liberation song, so appropriate for what is happening right now, Let my People go! Jews were enslaved by Pharaoh, 3500 years ago, Today we have a different cruelty of kidnapping of our brothers and sisters in Israel. Our prayer now is that Our people will be let go!! How many times can we be persecuted by others, what is the meaning of this? Why do people dislike Jews?

We are .2% of the world population and have experienced injustice and antisemitism throughout history. What can we do as Jews to have an impact on this historic hatred? Jews come from all over the world, and regardless of these differences, we share common values and goals to make the world a better place.

But we share the same problem, one that is common to Jews across the world and across time, Antisemitism.

These stories of oppression and hatred are a testament to our resilience and strength and our Jewish spirit.

This is Our call to action for future generations. As a proud Mom of 3 boys (now grown Men) my husband and I taught them (L’dor V’dor) and we hope they have taught their children to never forget and not shrink away with fear, but to proudly stand up as Jews whenever this occurs. In the face of hatred, we should make ourselves bigger and taller.

We have incredible allies that support Jews and we in turn, support others experiencing opression, whether it is due to race, color religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability! Antisemitism must end. Let us work to stop it. We aim for a world where nobody suffers from bias or discrimination. This year at the Sedar table, we will read the text from the Haggadah. We will open the door for Elijah the prophet, who tradition tells us, will announce the coming of the messiah.

We will read the questions and share our feelings, our fears, and our hope for peace in Israel and the safe return of the Hostages.

Chag Samaech from our family to yours.

Gayle Rubenstein is the Owner/Designer/Decorator for 30 years at Balloons Over Atlanta.