So, it’s that time of year again – cleaning, cooking, shopping and eating — must be a Jewish holiday!

Unlike the “They tried to kill us, we’re still here, let’s eat!” of some of our holidays, Passover is a time for us to remember. What are we remembering? The time when we were slaves, an oppressed people, strangers in a strange land.

That’s why I find Passover to be a very “Ve’ahavta” kind of holiday.

Our name – so difficult to spell and to remember – is Hebrew and translates to “….and you shall love”. It comes from the most oft repeated commandment in the Torah (bible) “…and you shall love the stranger among you as you love yourself”. This word appears 36 times in the Torah where it frequently is completed with “…because you were strangers in a strange land”.

In other words, you know how it feels.

Ve’ahavta is about loving the people among us who have been dealt a difficult hand, face hard circumstances, and who must navigate the challenges of life without benefit of a safety net.

As a supporter of Ve’ahavta, it doesn’t take a seder table to remind you to love the stranger. You practice empathy all year long. You go out on the van on a dark and cold winter night. You turn your kitchen into a sandwich assembly line. You give funds to make sure that life-changing programs can run. You don’t talk about loving the stranger — you do it.

So, this Passover, as you remember and retell the story of the Jewish people’s experience of being freed from slavery, my hope is that you will also remember all that you do year-round to help to free others from the bondage of poverty, hopelessness and invisibility that they are facing right now.

Thank you for being you.

On behalf of everyone at Ve’ahavta, Chag Pesach Sameyach – Happy Passover!

Cari Kozierok,
Executive Director, Ve’ahavta