This year, that weight feels especially present. As war with Iran<\/a>, rising antisemitism, the ongoing devastation in Ukraine<\/a>, and deep uncertainty shape Jewish life and the wider world, the seder asks us to do what it has always done: place the present alongside the past, and see our own lives reflected in an ancient story of oppression and liberation.<\/p>\n The Passover seder has always held space for that tension. It asks us not only to look back, but to locate ourselves inside the story and to consider what freedom means in a world where safety and belonging can still feel fragile.<\/p>\n These readings and prayers are a way to bring this year into the seder: to name what feels hard, to speak openly about persecution and pain, to hold onto what still feels possible, and to remember that the story we tell is still unfolding.<\/p>\n Read more: Passover guide 2026: How and when to celebrate the Jewish holiday<\/a><\/p>\n (Photo: Wikipedia Commons)<\/p>\n Seder prayer 2026<\/p>\n The following prayer by Rabbi Noam Marans was originally published at Times of Israel<\/a>.<\/p>\n Amid this aspirational Feast of Freedom, redemption still awaits us. The pain of war continues unabated. Fulfilling the vision of Israel at peace with all its neighbors still eludes us. Soldiers and civilians \u2014 American, Israeli, and others \u2014 remain in harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n And yet, as we gather at the seder table, there is a moment of relief. Our hostages, dead and alive, have been returned to their families and to all of us who came to know them as brothers and sisters.<\/p>\n Like the Israelites who would not leave Egypt without retrieving Joseph\u2019s bones, we were not free until the last of our dead were brought to burial in the Land of Israel.<\/p>\n We carry our Jewish values forward. The deliberately spilled droplets of wine during the recitation of the ten plagues expand our circle of human empathy. We remember the innocents of all peoples who have perished. All are created in the image of God.<\/p>\n We will not let the murderous antisemitism of Bondi, Washington, and Boulder determine who we are and need to be. In the words of the Haggadah, we thank God for transforming our despair into joy, our mourning into celebration, our darkness into light, our enslavement into freedom.<\/p>\n As we sit together, let us be mindful that we are not alone. We have friends in the world, like Shifrah and Puah of the Exodus story who saved Jewish lives and thwarted Pharaoh\u2019s plans for us. Those who have stood with us deserve our gratitude and love.<\/p>\n \u201cOd lo avda tikvateinu, l\u2019hiyot am chofshi b\u2019artzeinu.\u201d Our hope is not lost, to be a free and safe people in our land, to be secure wherever we find ourselves in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cAdonai oz l\u2019amo yitein, Adonai y\u2019vareikh et amo va\u2019shalom.\u201d God, give your people strength. God, bless your people with peace. Amen.<\/p>\n Acheinu (\u201cOur brethren\u201d), a prayer for our fellow Jews facing anguish and captivity<\/p>\n For all our family of the House of Israel, fellow Jews who face anguish and captivity, whether on sea or on land:\u00a0<\/p>\n May the Divine have compassion upon them, and bring them from distress to relief, from darkness to light, from subjugation to redemption, now, speedily, soon, and let us say: Amen.<\/p>\n \n\t A\u1e25einu kol beit yisrael, ha-n\u2019tunim b\u2019tzarah u-vashivyah, ha-omdim bein ba-yam u-vein ba-yabashah, ha-makom y\u2019ra\u1e25eim aleihem, v\u2019yotzi\u2219eim mi-tzarah<\/p>\n Prayer for Jewish communities in lands of oppression<\/p>\n (To be recited after \u201cHa Lachma Anya,\u201d \u201cThis is the bread of affliction\u201d at the beginning of the seder.) Originally published in My Jewish Learning<\/a> <\/p>\n Behold this matzah, the symbol of our affliction but also of our liberty. As we look at it, let us remember our brethren everywhere who are in distress. On this festival of our freedom, may our hearts be turned to our brothers and sisters in Russia and in Arab lands who are not able to celebrate this Passover in the traditional, reclining attitude of free men. Rock of Israel, hasten the day when all of our brethren will know true freedom and in consort with the whole house of Israel give thanks to Thee for Thy wondrous deeds and Thy redemption. And may the redeemer come unto Zion. Amen.<\/p>\n Israeli flag at Kotel (Wikipedia Commons\/Hynek Moravec)<\/p>\n Prayer for the welfare of the State of Israel<\/p>\n Our Father who is in heaven, Protector and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the dawn of our deliverance. Shield it beneath the wings of Your love; spread over it Your canopy of peace; send Your light and Your truth to its leaders, officers, and counselors, and direct them with Your good counsel.<\/p>\n Strengthen the defenders of our Holy Land; grant them, our God, salvation and crown them with victory. Establish peace in the land, and everlasting joy for its inhabitants. Remember our brethren, the whole house of Israel, in all the lands of their dispersion. Speedily bring them to Zion, Your city, to Jerusalem Your dwelling-place, as it is written in the Torah\u00a0 of Your servant Moses:<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cEven if you are dispersed in the uttermost parts of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather and fetch you. The Lord your God will bring you into the land which your ancestors possessed, and you shall possess it; and God will make you more prosperous and more numerous than your ancestors.\u201d<\/p>\n Unite our hearts to love and revere Your name, and to observe all the precepts of Your Torah. Speedily send us Your righteous Messiah of the House of David, to redeem those waiting for Your salvation. Shine forth in Your glorious majesty over all the inhabitants of Your world. Let everything that breathes proclaim: \u201cThe Lord God of Israel is King; His majesty rules over all.\u201d Amen. Selah.<\/p>\n \u05d0\u05b8\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05de\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd, \u05e6\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc \u05d5\u05b0\u05d2\u05d5\u05b9\u05d0\u05b2\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9, \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b5\u05da\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea \u05de\u05b0\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05e0\u05b7\u05ea \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc, \u05e8\u05b5\u05d0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05ea \u05e6\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea \u05d2\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05bb\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05b5\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc. \u05d4\u05b8\u05d2\u05b5\u05df \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b6\u05d9\u05d4\u05b8 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b6\u05d1\u05b0\u05e8\u05b7\u05ea \u05d7\u05b7\u05e1\u05b0\u05d3\u05b6\u05bc\u05da\u05b8, \u05d5\u05bc\u05e4\u05b0\u05e8\u05b9\u05e9\u05c1 \u05e2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b6\u05d9\u05d4\u05b8 \u05e1\u05bb\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05ea \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05de\u05b6\u05da\u05b8, \u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b7\u05d7 \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05de\u05b4\u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05dc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d9\u05d4\u05b8, \u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05e8\u05b6\u05d9\u05d4\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e2\u05b2\u05e6\u05b6\u05d9\u05d4\u05b8, \u05d5\u05b0\u05ea\u05b7\u05e7\u05b0\u05bc\u05e0\u05b5\u05dd \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05e2\u05b5\u05e6\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d8\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4 \u05de\u05b4\u05dc\u05b0\u05bc\u05e4\u05b8\u05e0\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8. \u05d7\u05b7\u05d6\u05b5\u05bc\u05e7 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea \u05d9\u05b0\u05d3\u05b5\u05d9 \u05de\u05b0\u05d2\u05b4\u05e0\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05e7\u05b8\u05d3\u05b0\u05e9\u05b5\u05c1\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc, \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b7\u05e0\u05b0\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9\u05dc\u05b5\u05dd \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d9\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e2\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05d8\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05ea \u05e0\u05b4\u05e6\u05b8\u05bc\u05d7\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05ea\u05b0\u05bc\u05e2\u05b7\u05d8\u05b0\u05bc\u05e8\u05b5\u05dd, \u05d5\u05b0\u05e0\u05b8\u05ea\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc \u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c2\u05de\u05b0\u05d7\u05b7\u05ea \u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd \u05dc\u05b0\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d1\u05b6\u05d9\u05d4\u05b8.<\/p>\n \u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b6\u05ea \u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc \u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9\u05ea \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc \u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05e7\u05b8\u05d3-\u05e0\u05b8\u05d0 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05db\u05b8\u05dc \u05d0\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e6\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05e4\u05b0\u05bc\u05d6\u05d5\u05bc\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05d4\u05b6\u05dd, \u05d5\u05b0\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05db\u05b5\u05dd \u05de\u05b0\u05d4\u05b5\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e7\u05d5\u05b9\u05de\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea \u05dc\u05b0\u05e6\u05b4\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u05b6\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05df \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05de\u05b6\u05da\u05b8, \u05db\u05b7\u05bc\u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05bc\u05d1 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b7\u05ea \u05de\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d4 \u05e2\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05d3\u05b6\u05bc\u05da\u05b8: \u201c\u05d0\u05b4\u05dd \u05d9\u05b4\u05d4\u05b0\u05d9\u05b6\u05d4 \u05e0\u05b4\u05d3\u05b7\u05bc\u05d7\u05b2\u05da\u05b8 \u05d1\u05b4\u05bc\u05e7\u05b0\u05e6\u05b5\u05d4 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05de\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd, \u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05dd \u05d9\u05b0\u05e7\u05b7\u05d1\u05b6\u05bc\u05e6\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d4\u2019 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05b8\u05bc\u05c1\u05dd \u05d9\u05b4\u05e7\u05b8\u05bc\u05d7\u05b6\u05da\u05b8. \u05d5\u05b6\u05d4\u05b1\u05d1\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0\u05b2\u05da\u05b8 \u05d4\u2019 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05d9\u05b8\u05e8\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b2\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b4\u05d9\u05e8\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4\u05bc, \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b5\u05d9\u05d8\u05b4\u05d1\u05b0\u05da\u05b8 \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05de\u05b5\u05d0\u05b2\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea\u05b6\u05d9\u05da\u05b8\u201d (\u05d3\u05d1\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc, \u05d3-\u05d4).<\/p>\n \u05d5\u05b0\u05d9\u05b7\u05d7\u05b5\u05d3 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d1\u05b8\u05d1\u05b5\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05dc\u05b0\u05d9\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea \u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05de\u05b6\u05da\u05b8, \u05d5\u05b0\u05dc\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05de\u05b9\u05e8 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc \u05d3\u05b4\u05bc\u05d1\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05ea\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05ea\u05b6\u05da\u05b8. \u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05dc\u05b7\u05d7 \u05dc\u05b8\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05de\u05b0\u05d4\u05b5\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b6\u05bc\u05df \u05d3\u05b8\u05bc\u05d5\u05b4\u05d3 \u05de\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05d7\u05b7 \u05e6\u05b4\u05d3\u05b0\u05e7\u05b6\u05da\u05b8, \u05dc\u05b4\u05e4\u05b0\u05d3\u05bc\u05d5\u05ea \u05de\u05b0\u05d7\u05b7\u05db\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9 \u05e7\u05b5\u05e5 \u05d9\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e2\u05b8\u05ea\u05b6\u05da\u05b8. \u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05e4\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d4\u05b2\u05d3\u05b7\u05e8 \u05d2\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05e2\u05bb\u05d6\u05b6\u05bc\u05da\u05b8 \u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc \u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e9\u05b0\u05c1\u05d1\u05b5\u05d9 \u05ea\u05b5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b5\u05dc \u05d0\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05e6\u05b6\u05da\u05b8, \u05d5\u05b0\u05d9\u05b9\u05d0\u05de\u05b7\u05e8 \u05db\u05b9\u05bc\u05dc \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05e0\u05b0\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05de\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05d0\u05b7\u05e4\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9: \u201c\u05d4\u2019 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc \u05de\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0, \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b7\u05dc\u05b0\u05db\u05d5\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05db\u05bc\u05dc \u05de\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4\u201d. \u05d0\u05b8\u05de\u05b5\u05df \u05e1\u05b6\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4.<\/p>\n Reading from the Haggadah at the Passover seder. (Photo: Jorge Novominsky via Flickr)<\/p>\n AJC\u2019s \u201cA prayer for this different seder\u201d<\/p>\n The following prayer by Rabbi Noam Marans was originally published at AJC<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mah nishtanah? Why is this seder different from all other seders? Because at this seder, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust remains a fresh, open wound which continues to bleed. The October 7 massacre in Israel, indelibly seared in our hearts and minds.<\/p>\n Loved ones are sorely missed yet painfully remembered as their seats at the seder table remain empty.<\/p>\n The hostages of diverse faiths and nationalities, men, women, and children, dead or clinging to life, linger in brutal, inhumane captivity.<\/p>\n The innocents, Israelis and Palestinians, Jews, Christians, and Muslims, are too many victims to bear.<\/p>\n And more, an ominous worldwide resurgence of antisemitism, instilling in Jews a vulnerability few thought they would ever experience in their lifetimes.<\/p>\n Vehi she\u2019amdah: In every generation there are those who seek our destruction, but the Holy One delivers us from their hands.<\/p>\n Anu tefillah, we pray. We pray for the victims of horrific terrorism and their families whose lives have been shattered.<\/p>\n We pray for the hostages and their loved ones, who continue to live through unending horror.<\/p>\n We pray for the innocents who are victim to the war, human beings created in the image of God, the dead, the injured, the hungry, and the displaced.<\/p>\n We pray for the soldiers in harm\u2019s way, the wounded, and the maimed. May they return safely to the warm embrace of their closest ones.<\/p>\n We pray for the purveyors and deliverers of humanitarian aid who endeavor to do what is right and needed.<\/p>\n We pray for the peacemakers. May they bring shalom to all.<\/p>\n We pray for the world to wake up and say: there is no place for antisemitism in our society. Confronting all forms of hate is everyone\u2019s responsibility.<\/p>\n Shirah chadashah: Let us sing to God a new song, a hymn that longs to extol our deliverance from despair to joy, from mourning to celebration, from darkness to light, from enslavement to redemption, from war to peace.<\/p>\n Circa 1930: A group of Jewish members of the \u2018Red Star\u2019 movement standing by \u2018Praise and Blame\u2019 boards at Kharkov. (Photo by General Photographic Agency\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cPrayer of the Mothers\u201d<\/p>\n By Rabbi Tamar Elad Appelbaum and Sheikha Ibtisam Mahamid (translated by Rabbi Amichai Lau Lavi)<\/p>\n God of Life<\/p>\n Who heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds<\/p>\n May it be your will to hear the prayer of mothers<\/p>\n For you did not create us to kill each other<\/p>\n Nor to live in fear, anger or hatred in your world<\/p>\n But rather you have created us so we can grant permission to one another to sanctify Your name of Life, your name of Peace in this world.<\/p>\n For these things I weep, my eye, my eye runs down with water<\/p>\n For our children crying at nights,<\/p>\n For parents holding their children with despair and darkness in their hearts For a gate that is closing and who will open it while day has not yet dawned.<\/p>\n And with my tears and prayers which I pray<\/p>\n And with the tears of all women who deeply feel the pain of these difficult days I raise my hands to you please God have mercy on us<\/p>\n Hear our voice that we shall not despair<\/p>\n That we shall see life in each other,<\/p>\n That we shall have mercy for each other,<\/p>\n That we shall have pity on each other,<\/p>\n That we shall hope for each other<\/p>\n And we shall write our lives in the book of Life<\/p>\n For your sake God of Life<\/p>\n Let us choose Life.<\/p>\n For you are Peace, your world is Peace and all that is yours is Peace, And so shall be your will and let us say Amen<\/p>\n \u201cBaraye\u201d<\/p>\n Iranian protest song by Shervin Hajipour<\/p>\n For a dance in the alley;<\/p>\n For breaking the taboo of kissing in public;<\/p>\n For\u00a0our sisters, mine and yours;<\/p>\n For a change in the\u00a0minds of the fanatics;<\/p>\n For parents\u00a0shame for empty pockets;<\/p>\n For the longing for a normal life;<\/p>\n For the dreams of the\u00a0dumpster\u00a0kids;<\/p>\n For this command economy;<\/p>\n For this\u00a0polluted air;<\/p>\n For the dying\u00a0Tehran\u2019s landmark trees;<\/p>\n For\u00a0Pirouz\u00a0(the\u00a0Persian cheetah) about to go extinct;<\/p>\n For the\u00a0unjustly banned\u00a0street dogs,<\/p>\n For these non-stop tears;<\/p>\n For the\u00a0loss of the downed passengers;<\/p>\n For the faces that smile no more;<\/p>\n For the school kids, for the future;<\/p>\n For this\u00a0forced road to paradise;<\/p>\n For the\u00a0jailed\u00a0beautiful minds;<\/p>\n For the neglected\u00a0Afghan refugee kids;<\/p>\n For this list that goes on and on;<\/p>\n For these meaningless\u00a0hostile chants;<\/p>\n For the\u00a0rubbles\u00a0of the\u00a0bribe-built houses;<\/p>\n For feeling peace of mind;<\/p>\n For the rise of sun after long-lasting nights;<\/p>\n For the\u00a0tranquilizers and insomnia;<\/p>\n For man, homeland, prosperity;<\/p>\n For the\u00a0girl who wished she was a boy;<\/p>\n For\u00a0woman, life, freedom.<\/p>\n Religious Jews perform tashlikh, a Jewish atonement ritual, at the bank of a lake formed by the Umanka River on the first day of Rosh Hashanah on September10, 2018 in Uman, Ukraine. Tens of thousands of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews, including many Breslov (also called Bratslav) Hasidim, a specific group of Hasidic Jews, have made the annual journey from all over the world to Uman to visit the tomb of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, who founded the Breslov sect in 1802. The pilgrims come for a spiritual experience and religious discussions, but also to celebrate in what one participant describes as a \u201cJewish Woodstock.\u201d The Breslov sect grew, attracting thousands of followers, until Stalin\u2019s purges and decimation in the Holocaust. Breslov Hasidism has since revived and its followers live mostly in Israel, the United States and Great Britain. (Photo by Sean Gallup\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cA prayer for peace\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n By Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (translated by Rabbi Deborah Silver)<\/p>\n May it be Your will,<\/p>\n Holy One, our God, our ancestors\u2019 God,<\/p>\n that you erase war and bloodshed from the world<\/p>\n and in its place draw down<\/p>\n a great and glorious peace<\/p>\n so that nation shall not lift up sword against nation<\/p>\n neither shall they learn war any more.<\/p>\n Rather, may all the inhabitants of the earth<\/p>\n recognize and deeply know<\/p>\n this great truth:<\/p>\n that we have not come into this world<\/p>\n for strife and division<\/p>\n nor for hatred and rage,\u00a0<\/p>\n nor provocation and bloodshed.<\/p>\n We have come here only<\/p>\n to encounter You,<\/p>\n eternally blessed One.<\/p>\n And so,<\/p>\n we ask your compassion upon us;<\/p>\n raise up, by us, what is written:<\/p>\n I shall place peace upon the earth<\/p>\n and you shall lie down safe and undisturbed<\/p>\n and I shall banish evil beasts from the earth<\/p>\n and the sword shall not pass through your land.<\/p>\n but let justice come in waves like water<\/p>\n and righteousness flow like a river,<\/p>\n for the earth shall be full<\/p>\n of the knowledge of the Holy One<\/p>\n as the waters cover the sea.<\/p>\n So may it be.<\/p>\n And we say:<\/p>\n Amen.<\/p>\n Jewish Ukrainians light candles during the start of the Jewish holiday of Hanukah in Odessa, Ukraine. Hanukah, the Hebrew word meaning dedication, is celebrated for eight days in the Hebrew month of Kislev. (Photo by Uriel Sinai\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cJDC Ukraine\u201d<\/p>\n By Eric Lieberman<\/p>\n This is not only the bread of our affliction, but also the lechem oni, the bread of those in dire need.<\/p>\n It\u2019s called that because of its purposeful lack of ingredients \u2014 only unleavened flour and water, nothing to make it rise, and it must be baked in haste \u2014 the food of those with nothing, those who\u2019ve left everything, in desperate need of a miracle.<\/p>\n It is the bread we took with us when we rushed out of Egypt to pursue our destiny and our peoplehood \u2014 to pursue life.<\/p>\n Our Jewish family in Ukraine and those who are fleeing the country share in a single concern \u2014 life. A life of safety, of freedom, and of opportunity for better days.<\/p>\n As we hold them close to our hearts tonight, and remember them here at our seder tables, let us do all we can to support and comfort them \u2014 in cities under bombardment and at the borders swelling with their numbers \u2014 and to build a future whose course we shape with every act of kindness.<\/p>\n We do this because all Jews are responsible for one another, embodying the mighty hand and outstretched arm that has delivered our people throughout time.<\/p>\n Students on a Chabad On Campus Living Links trip to Poland raised $10,000 in supplies for Ukrainian refugees. (Photo Courtesy: Nechama Ginsburg)<\/p>\n \u201cBlessing in support of the world\u2019s refugees\u201d<\/p>\n By Emilia Diamant<\/p>\n Gathered around the Seder table, we pour four cups, remembering the gift of freedom that our ancestors received centuries ago. We delight in our liberation from Pharaoh\u2019s oppression.<\/p>\n We drink four cups for four promises fulfilled.<\/p>\n The first cup as God said, \u201cI will free you from the labors of the Egyptians.\u201d<\/p>\n The second as God said, \u201cAnd I will deliver you from their bondage.\u201d<\/p>\n The third as God said, \u201cI will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.\u201d<\/p>\n The fourth because God said, \u201cI will take you to be My People.\u201d<\/p>\n We know, though, that all are not yet free. As we welcome Elijah the Prophet into our homes, we offer a fifth cup, a cup not yet consumed.<\/p>\n A fifth cup for the 60 million refugees and displaced people around the world still waiting to be free \u2014 from the refugee camps in Chad to the cities and towns of Ukraine, for the Syrian refugees still waiting to be delivered from the hands of tyrants, for the thousands of asylum seekers in the United States still waiting in detention for redemption to come, for all those who yearn to be taken in not as strangers but as fellow human beings.<\/p>\n This Passover, let us walk in the footsteps of the One who delivered us from bondage. When we rise from our Seder tables, may we be emboldened to take action on behalf of the world\u2019s refugees, hastening Elijah\u2019s arrival as we speak out on behalf of those who are not yet free.<\/p>\n Prayer for Israel\u2019s present and future<\/p>\n by Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein, originally published in Ritualwell<\/a><\/p>\n May we remember that our faces are mirrors of each other, our fears are mirrors of each other\u2019s, our hopes are mirrors of each other\u2019s, and all of our children will inherit everything we are.<\/p>\n May we remember our shared past, our shared ancestors, our shared heritage, our shared grief at the destruction of our home twice before, our shared journeys through millennia of exile, our shared pride in who we are and all that we have achieved, wherever we found ourselves, and now here.<\/p>\n May we remember that our being here is something no human can explain or understand.<\/p>\n May we remember that we are responsible to those who came before us and those who come after us.<\/p>\n May we remember that it is very, very easy to destroy, but infinitely harder to build.<\/p>\n May we remember that there is no future for any of us without all of us.<\/p>\n (Photo: Noam Chen via Flickr)<\/p>\n The fifth cup: In the memory of the six million <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Passover-seder-table-haggadah-1024x683.jpg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Passover-seder-table-haggadah-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05db\u05b8\u05bc\u05dc \u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9\u05ea \u05d9\u05b4\u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc
\n\t
\u05d4\u05b7\u05e0\u05b0\u05bc\u05ea\u05d5\u05bc\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e6\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b7\u05e9\u05b4\u05bc\u05c1\u05d1\u05b0\u05d9\u05b8\u05d4
\n\t
\u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05de\u05b0\u05d3\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05b5\u05bc\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b5\u05d9\u05df \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d9\u05b7\u05bc\u05d1\u05b8\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05d4
\n
\u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05b8\u05bc\u05e7\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd \u05d9\u05b0\u05e8\u05b7\u05d7\u05b5\u05dd \u05e2\u05b2\u05dc\u05b5\u05d9\u05d4\u05b6\u05dd
\n\t
\u05d5\u05b0\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05e6\u05b4\u05d9\u05d0\u05b5\u05dd \u05de\u05b4\u05e6\u05b8\u05bc\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d5\u05b8\u05d7\u05b8\u05d4
\n
\u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b5\u05d0\u05b2\u05e4\u05b5\u05dc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05dc\u05b0\u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4
\n\t
\u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05e9\u05b4\u05bc\u05c1\u05e2\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3 \u05dc\u05b4\u05d2\u05b0\u05d0\u05bb\u05dc\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4
\n\t
\u05d4\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05ea\u05b8\u05d0 \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05e2\u05b2\u05d2\u05b8\u05dc\u05b8\u05d0 \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b4\u05d6\u05b0\u05de\u05b7\u05df \u05e7\u05b8\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05d1
\n\t\u05d5\u05b0\u05d0\u05b4\u05de\u05b0\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b8\u05de\u05b5\u05df\n<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Jerusalem_wall_9291m-1024x767.jpg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Jerusalem_wall_9291m-1024x767.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/15192074060_c8d0a327a9_k-1024x703.jpg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/15192074060_c8d0a327a9_k-1024x703.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-3066949.jpg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-3066949.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1030552318.jpg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1030552318.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-51842490.jpg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-51842490.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1249e995-52d3-40db-9aa7-c6f5e6c3a5da-768x1024.jpg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1249e995-52d3-40db-9aa7-c6f5e6c3a5da-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/yad-vashem-1024x683.jpg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/yad-vashem-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Stroop_Report_-_Warsaw_Ghetto_Uprising_BW-1024x727.jpg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Stroop_Report_-_Warsaw_Ghetto_Uprising_BW-1024x727.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ukraine-refugees-cover-1024x682.jpeg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ukraine-refugees-cover-1024x682.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1238978608.jpg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1238978608.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/This-Week-Unpacked-Cover-1024x461.jpeg\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/This-Week-Unpacked-Cover-1024x461.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n