Poster for Freedom for All Passover Seder
Hastings Jewish group invites town to share Passover meal
Hastings Jews for Justice will be marking Passover this year with a community ‘seder’ meal and everyone is invited. Gabriel Carlyle reports.
Hastings Jews for Justice is hosting a ‘Freedom for all’ vegan Passover meal on Wednesday 16 April at Stade Hall from 6pm, inviting community members to share this special evening.
Hastings Jews for Justice organiser Shelley Feldman explained: “The Passover meal is an important cultural event in the Jewish calendar.
“It is an ancient festival marking the exodus of enslaved Jewish peoples from Egypt. Over the years Jewish diaspora communities across the world have adapted and interpreted the ‘Seder’ to create their own local traditions.
“For our group, we focus on ‘freedom for all’ and the Passover injunction to ‘let all who are hungry, come and eat’. We interpret this, not just as giving food to the hungry, but as inviting ‘strangers’ to have a seat at the table.”
The Freedom for All Seder was launched last year by a global coalition of Jewish groups in the UK, USA, Switzerland, Italy and Israel/Palestine.
On their website, the coalition notes: “By celebrating Passover together in a unified, explicitly liberatory way, we say to the world that we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people because of our Judaism, not in spite of it.”
Shelley said: “Our guests can expect a warm welcome on the night in an inclusive space where we will discuss the Passover story and eat together.
The Seder night hosted by members of Hastings Jews for Justice in April 2024
“We will be serving only vegan food, and have an accessible venue, but would love to hear from you if you experience particular barriers that might limit your involvement and enjoyment.
“We just want people to come, whatever your background, political views or religious beliefs, come, share an evening with us, we look forward to meeting you.”
Co-organiser Katy Colley added: “Many families have their own Passover traditions but for this service we will be reading from a service order – called a Haggadah – that has been specially created to meet this moment and involves everyone taking an active part. Children are very welcome and make up an important part of the evening so we hope families will join us.”
Tickets are £5 and there will be a collection on the night for Hastings Friends of Al Mawasi.
The Freedom for All Seder is at Stade Hall on Wednesday 16 April from 6pm. To book tickets visit: tinyurl.com/HJ4J-Seder-25
To find out more about Hastings Jews for Justice visit: hastingsjewsforjustice.org
A page from the ‘Freedom for all’ Haggadah
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