Who will you be this Passover?
The Exodus is a story of resistance and liberation that has resonated with Jews and non-Jews throughout history, especially anyone facing persecution, oppression, or tyranny. As we study the story for lessons for our present moment, we see that no one person or act freed the Israelites from Egypt. Resistance required many people, each playing their role, all working together toward liberation.
Resistance today also depends on many of us taking actions, big and small, to advance freedom and safety for all of us. We take these steps together, for each other, knowing our liberation depends on it.
Below you’ll find the characters in the Passover story and different ways they resisted. Who reflects your personal forms of resistance? Do you play one role, or several? Discuss at your seders as you retell this ancient story today.
Shifra and Puah
Are you in a position to block the enforcement of cruel, unjust policies? Shifra and Puah were Egyptian midwives who did not comply with Pharaoh’s order to kill the male infants of Israelite women. Their courage to reject the order — to not obey in advance — saved many lives. You can reject immoral decrees and embody the bravery of Shifra and Puah.
TAKE ACTION: Click here to learn your rights and how to be an active bystander when confronted with ICE. |
Zipporah and Jethro
Do you have resources to spare to support the physical or financial needs of fellow activists? Look to Zipporah and Jethro for a model of how to care for community members targeted by those in power. When Moses had to flee the authorities in Egypt, Zipporah and Jethro welcomed him into their home with safety and hospitality.
TAKE ACTION: Let our people go! Learn about how you can support local bail funds through Community Justice Exchange. |
Moses
Does your heart break when bearing witness to suffering? Do you think our political leaders need to be held accountable when they’re responsible for that suffering or when they can do something about it? Moses went right to the source of tyranny — the Pharaoh — and demanded he release the Israelites. You can channel Moses, who didn’t stop until his people were free.
TAKE ACTION: Make your demands! Petition your elected officials on the issues we care about most. |
Aaron
Are you comfortable debating at the dinner table, sharing your viewpoints on social media, or holding a mic in front of a crowd? You might be like Aaron, who served as Moses’s "mouth" and spokesperson. Movements need orators, storytellers, writers, poets, and more — people like Aaron who can find the right words, speak truth to power, and inspire leadership in others.
TAKE ACTION: Nothing about us without us! Learn how to talk about — and dismantle — antisemitism using our guide. |
Nachshon
Do you step up first in moments of uncertainty, even when others are scared or despairing? You may be like Nachson, who was the first to walk into the Red Sea, with Pharaoh's army at his heels. The water came up to his knees, his waist, his shoulders. Then, when the water covered the very top of his head, the sea finally split to show the Israelites that a path through was possible.
TAKE ACTION: Be a sign of hope! Print a Jewish sign for your next action to inspire the people around you. |
Miriam
Do you bring joy to your community through music or movement? If so, you may be like Miriam, who led the Israelites in song and dance as they crossed the Red Sea. Under threat from those who use cruelty to get their way, joy and celebration are vital tools of resistance. Our movements need Miriams to make our activism irresistible along the journey to our liberation.
TAKE ACTION: Sing of love and justice! Create and share a liberation playlist, like this one for Black Futures Month. |
The Erev Rav
Do you feel powerful and connected when marching shoulder-to-shoulder with your neighbors? The Erev Rav, or mixed multitude, was a diverse group of Jews and non-Jews alike who left the narrow place of Egypt together. They knew their liberations were connected, just as we organize today in solidarity toward a multiracial democracy with freedom and safety for all of us.
TAKE ACTION: The people united will never be defeated! Save the date to join us in the streets for May Day, 5/1. |
