Israelis prepare for a Passover overshadowed by war and loss

[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnJERUSALEM (RNS) — As the normally joyous communal holiday of Passover approaches this year, many Israelis say the war in Gaza has dampened the prospect of holding a Seder — the communal retelling of the ancient Israelites’ escape from Egypt from enslavement based on the Bible’s Book of Exodus. “I think that over 50% of the people I know won’t be up to it.” said Naomi Efrat, a Reform rabbi who lives in Israel. “They will either be demonstrating at Hostages Square,” a public plaza outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, so-called because it’s where families of Oct. 7 hostages have gathered, “or simply avoiding the Seder because it’s too difficult emotionally.”
The eight-day (seven in Israel) holiday begins Monday night (April 22) at a time when more than 230 Israelis or their remains are in Hamas captivity after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre and as Iran and Israel have been trading attacks over recent weeks. 
In Israel, some households are limiting the number of Seder guests out of fear that Iran or one of its proxies will attack Israel during the Passover Seder. While many homes and apartment buildings in Israel are equipped with bomb shelters, they are not large enough to accommodate guests. Many have no shelters at all.

Deborah Mintz, a resi …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]