[Salon] Passover



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The Verity Courier

Passover

By Ron Estes

23 April 2024

22 April, marks the first day of the Jewish religious celebration of Passover, commemorated with great pomp and ceremony the Israelite escape from slavery in Egypt. In the Biblical book of Exodus, Moses describes his leading the Israelites from Egypt, where they had reportedly been slaves for 430 years, across the Nile to the Sinai peninsula where they would roam the desert for 40 years before finding their way to Canaan.

It is incomprehensible that with all the great minds practicing the religion of Judaism, there is no recognition that  a century of research has found no evidence  relating to the existence of Israelite slaves or Exodus activity.

Archaeologists and Egyptologists deny the veracity of the Exodus story. No evidence has ever been discovered in Egypt, or elsewhere, to support the fact of Israelite presence in Egypt or their Exodus from Egypt. In addition, exhaustive archaeological surveys throughout the Sinai region have thoroughly discredited the possibility that any population movement as massive as the Exodus described by Moses ever occurred in the Sinai.

The Egyptians kept meticulous records of everything, even the number of bushels of wheat they harvested each year. But there is not one single note of any kind in Egypt of the presence of Israelite slaves.

As Jews across the world celebrate Passover, the Exodus from Egypt and  the beginning of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem,  Jewish writers and thinkers are reflecting on the holiday's significance in current events. With the U.S.-Israeli chill making headlines, this week is a unique  opportunity for American Jews to reflect on the role of Jews in American politics, the status of the Jewish state, and the American President’s attitude toward the Jewish community. The significance of this Passover may carry  more weight than most.

At Sinai Temple in west Los Angeles, there are row after row of seats marked off with blue ribbon. Each  represents a hostage taken during the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas.  The congregation has removed the names of those released. Still, more than 130 seats remain set apart to remember those who remain captive.

This year, Jews around the world celebrate Passover in a moment of profound trauma and discord brought on by the  October 7th attack and the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Supporters of the war in Gaza are separating themselves from those who oppose it. They no longer sit together.

Passover is often celebrated on the first night with a special family meal called the seder. At the seder, foods of symbolic significance commemorating the Hebrews' liberation are eaten, and prayers and traditional recitations are performed


For many Israelis, it’s hard to celebrate an occasion focused on freedom when some of their compatriots are still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. The hostages’ plight has reverberated worldwide, with some families in the Jewish diaspora asking rabbis to give them additional prayers for this year’s Seder. Others have created a new Haggadah, the book read during the Seder, to reflect current realities.


Many Seder tables, in Israel and elsewhere, are expected to have empty seats, representing those killed or taken hostage on Oct. 7, as well as soldiers unable to return home for Passover. Light a candle for your Jewish neighbor during this Passover.


Ron Estes served 25 years as an Operations Officer in the CIA  Clandestine Service.

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