Some of my fondest memories of growing up happened during family celebrations around the Jewish holidays and, most specifically, the Passover Seders at my grandparents. Not only do I think it was the first time I was ever drunk (who knew four little glasses of Concord Grape Manischewitz wine could make an eight-year-old so sleepy), but it was also the joy of celebrating Passover surrounded by family. I remember the singing and the food, and while we were going through the Haggadah, trying to figure out where my grandfather would hide the afikoman that year (was it gonna be underneath his plate or had he stuck it right behind him on his chair?). It is no wonder that I have always considered Passover my favorite Jewish holiday.

One challenge I believe people have about Passover is that "it is the same thing year after year." For this reason, over the years, I have tried to find something different to add to the Passover Seders we hold at home. In fact, it is one of the many reasons our Jewish Federation began putting together our annual Passover Resource Guide (along with the ones we do for both the High Holidays and Hanukkah) several years ago. I have been known to show clips of Prince of Egypt or the latest Passover parody videos from groups like the Maccabeats or Six13. My hope is that by adding a little something different, our friends and family can experience the holiday in a more meaningful way than the year before.

For this year's Seder, my wife and I put away the haggadah we have used for the last 15 years or so. It was the one her mom and dad put together many years ago from various haggadot and used JewBelong's 2025 Haggadah. As I was preparing for this year's Seder, I was shocked to see in the haggadah so many of the issues/themes the Jewish world has been facing the last couple of years. And more specifically, the issues I and our Jewish Federation have been addressing locally.

I was proud to be able to explain why we modernized the seder plate this year by adding a lemon (remembering the hostages that Hamas is still holding) and coffee (acknowledging the modern-day plague of antisemitism and hate) to go alongside the traditional symbols of Passover. I think that is why this year's Passover celebration was even more poignant and meaningful for me. Even with Israel already playing a central role in our Passover story this year and last year's, it had added meaning.

As we continue to celebrate Passover over the next several days, I hope you take some time to think about and reflect on how the lessons learned from the struggles our ancestors experienced as they fled Egypt are still relevant and meaningful today.