An Interfaith Seder for the Hungry

On Sunday, March 29, the 15th Annual Atlanta Interfaith Hunger Seder was held at the renowned Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Buckhead. It is the second-longest running program of its kind in the United States.

The Interfaith Hunger Seder is sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Atlanta, whose valuable and dedicated work serves people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel.

The seder reminds us that, on Passover, commemorating our liberation from slavery, we are instructed to “Welcome the stranger, and feed the hungry.”

Approximately 100 people attended this year’s seder, led by Rabbi Jason Holtz of Temple Kehillat Chaim and assisted by Rabbi Eric Feld of Ahavath Achim. They were joined by esteemed area clergy, partnering with JCRC on the hunger issue: the Rev. Dr. Lisa Heilig; the Rev. Cassandra E. Henderson; and the Rev. Sean B. Smith.

This year’s theme was “Uniting for a Future Without Hunger,” and how the entire community can address the massive problem of food insecurity.

Today, in America, the richest and most prosperous nation ever to exist, some 48 million people go hungry, comprising 14 percent of American households with 14 million children lacking adequate access to food. In Georgia alone, 1.7 million people face food insecurity, according to Ruby Zimmerman of Mazon.

One in five children in Georgia has no access to healthy, nutritious food, according to The Zadie Project, and the rate of food insecurity among seniors has increased by 68 percent over the past decade.

One-quarter of all college students and members of the U.S. military experience periodic hunger, and food pantries operate on or around every U.S. military base.

And yet, there is plenty of food available. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Americans waste and discard 60 million tons (120 billion pounds) of food every year, which amounts to almost 40 percent of the total American food supply, worth about $218 billion, or about 130 billion meals.

Sadly, an astonishing one in eight Americans now rely on the Agriculture Department’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, which serves more than 42 million participants. While this program is essential, it is far from adequate, and recipients receive only about $2 per person per meal.

The seder event began with “The Marketplace,” an assembly of a dozen-and-a-half partners and supporters, offering opportunities to visit and engage with cooperating local organizations that are on the front lines of fighting to relieve hunger, educating the public, and growing, collecting, and distributing food to needy families.

The largest such group is Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger (mazon.org/georgia), which for 41 years has worked to educate and “to speak truth to power and hold our government accountable for addressing the unconscionable levels of hunger in this country.”

Second Helpings Atlanta works to reduce food waste and collect surplus food that would otherwise be thrown out.  Since 2004, it has “rescued” and delivered approximately 35 million pounds to local nonprofits (www.secondhelpingsatlanta.org).

In 2025, The Community Assistance Center (www.ourcac.org), with its 526 monthly volunteers, helped 9,632 clients in 4,440 households, distributing over $2.1 million worth of food, 68 percent of which was fresh from local grocery stores and community partners.

EveryFoodiversity.org year, Community Action Center helps more than 7,000 people, distributing not only food but also providing warm coats and holiday gifts for children.

Other dedicated groups at The Marketplace working to help the hungry included:

Jewish Family & Career Services (jfcsatl.org); Repair the World (werepair.org); Backpack Buddies of Metro Atlanta (backpackbuddiesATL.org); The Zadie Project; Salem Baptist Church; Atlanta Food Bank community grocery stores (acfb.org); Adamah (adamah.org/atl); Intown Cares (intowncares.org); Global Growers Alliance (globalgrowers.org); Metro Atlanta Food Consortium (metroatlantafoodconsortium.org); Bagel Rescue (bagelrescue.com); Food Well Alliance (foodwellalliance.org); and Foodiversity.org.

JCRC points out that SNAP has been able to reduce food insecurity by 30 percent, but now the Federal government is placing more of the costs on individual states.

Much of the discussion at the seder centered upon an urgent issue: current efforts to cut state funding for hunger programs.

Food assistance has been scheduled to be reduced by $69 billion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office, with 382,000 Georgians losing SNAP benefits under new work requirements,

As Leslie Anderson of JCRC and Ruby Zimmerman of Mazon described, the Georgia Legislature had two SNAP issues before it that had to be resolved within four days, before the last day of the 2026 session.

Said Harold Kirtz, chair of the seder, “The event was well-attended and well-received. The inspirational interfaith clergy representing five faiths helped us further understand the importance of uniting to alleviate food insecurity. Everyone left with a sense of urgency and helpful information to advocate with their state representatives on pivotal current legislation.”

A few days later, Kirtz told the AJT exclusively the good news that $46 million had been added to state hunger programs, and the bill adding additional restrictions to recipients did not pass.

Meanwhile, JCRC Vice President Leah Romberg Harrison, a key organizer of the event, called it “important, unifying and empowering. As summer approaches, the JCRC would like to encourage those who are able to donate to the Atlanta Community Food Bank or other local food organizations. Your donations now will help fill the gap for children by providing food during the summer for those who normally receive nutrition assistance through their schools during the academic year.”

Fortunately, no one at this seder went hungry – following the presentations, a well-deserved sumptuous seder meal was served – a great meal for a great cause!