More Jews observe Passover than any other holiday, giving us a sense of strength as unity as millions of us recline at our seders tomorrow to mark our history, our freedom, and our peoplehood. Through our individual actions, we come together as families and as a community at Passover more than any other time in our calendar. And while the seder is rooted in the past, it is not by accident that we end with a proclamation about our future. Looking ahead and maintaining hope has always been a core part of who we are. 

It is also a driving force in our work on behalf of our community and world Jewry—work that you bring to life. You see the commitment to Jewish continuity at the seder, just as you do through our work and of our beneficiary agencies.  

Just as we give the youngest at our seders a starring role, we witness them shine in the incredible impact of our agencies like Talmud Torah and Camp BB Riback and the programs Federation supports or delivers, such as PJ Library, Birthright Israel, March of the Living, BBYO, and Hillel. From babyhood to young adulthood, Jewish children, teens and young adults are strengthening their Jewish identity and sense of community through these programs. 

When we invite all those who are hungry to come and eat, or when we recall the seders celebrated in hiding during the Holocaust, or when we honour our the generations before us, we see parallels to the deeply important front-line efforts of agencies like Jewish Family Services and the Jewish Seniors Citizen’s Centre. Their contributions, our shared work, and the initiatives you support strengthens our community, ensuring no one is left behind.  

One of the most remarkable aspects of the seder is that we do not simply retell our history, we bring it to life and relive it as best we can. Why? Our future depends on a past that we treasure and protect. We are incredibly fortunate to have an organization dedicated to preserving our community’s heritage, the Jewish Archives and Historical Society of Edmonton and Northern Alberta.  

This Pesach, Jews in war-torn Ukraine will sit down to a seder because our trusted international partner in rescue in relief, the Joint Distribution Committee, remains active on the ground there. In our partnership region in northern Israel, where families are just beginning to return after a year and a half of displacement, seders will once again take place, thanks in part to the longstanding collaboration between our communities. And all across Israel, new olim will celebrate their first seders in their new communities, thanks to programs you support through our partner, the Jewish Agency. 

We also support several upcoming programs that I hope you will join us for, because when you attend you do more than just “show up”, you create community by being involved. Mark your calendar for the Edmonton Jewish Film Festival, the commemorations of Yom HaShoah and Yom Hazikaron, and the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration.  

I also want to acknowledge the enormously valuable role played by the three Edmonton synagogues that provide a spiritual home and sense of community for so many of us. Involvement in synagogue life has been a significant part of how Erin and I have created and maintained Jewish connections for our family. We know firsthand the vital role they play. 

Community isn’t something we create only for others; we create it for ourselves. SO much of what makes us a thriving community is work you support with your United Jewish Appeal (UJA) gift, and we are deeply appreciative of your generosity and the impact we are making together.  

As our seders conclude, we look ahead, and that brings me to two other crucial aspects of our endeavors.

With the federal election three weeks away, our advocacy agent, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, invites you to ask “Four More Questions” of candidates to better understand how they will (or won’t) support issues that are important to our community. As antisemitism continues to rise and permeate our schools, our workplaces, and our society, I encourage you to take action and to exercise your right to vote. Raising awareness provincially resulted in a grant to combat antisemitism that the Government of Alberta announced today.  

We also look ahead to the future of Jewish Edmonton as our dream of a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) moves closer to becoming a reality. We believe that developing this community asset today will be a cornerstone of our community’s strength for many tomorrows. 

While bitterness always tempers the joy of Passover at the seder, it seems unfathomable that we are once again marking this holiday while 59 hostages remain in Gaza, with 24 alive and in the most horrific bondage we can imagine. We no longer need to extrapolate what it means when we say, “in every generation they rise up against us and try to destroy us.” We commemorate this night because God freed us from slavery in Egypt. 

After listening to Dan Senor's Call Me Back podcast with guest Rachel Goldberg Polin, The Paradox of Passover 2025, I will incorporate a lemon into our seder plate, not only yellow in colour, but something bitter and hard to swallow, as I remember the hostages currently in bondage. 

I wish you have a meaningful seder. I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming ceremonies, commemorations and the Edmonton Jewish Film Festival, and hearing about the actions you have taken to honour your freedom this year.