I've hesitated for several days before writing this post. For the first time in my life I'm frightened because I'm Jewish. I don't understand why there is so much hatred in the world. In 2019 I wrote a blog post called 'Passover - a Hope for Peace'. I expressed the wish for humans to stop causing pain and misery to other humans. Well, that didn't work. Things have taken a turn for the worse. The world is far more consumed with violence now than it was seven years ago.
The Jewish Passover, which starts this evening, should be a time for positive thinking and hopes for a peaceful life ahead. It's when we remember how the Israelites were held hostage by Pharoah and made to work as slaves. We remember how Pharoah finally released them only to change his mind and chase after them. We eat matzo (unlevened bread) for eight days to represent the time they spent in the desert with only bread that had baked on their backs as they fled. The festival often coincides with Easter because Jesus was Jewish and the Last Supper was the first night of Passover.
This year's Passover is fraught with concerns. The London police have increased their patrols and there will be drones overhead. The threat to Jewish people is high even though we are ordinary people going about our lives in an ordinary way. I'm only glad my Mother didn't live to see this. She lived through the rise of the Nazis and the possibility of that happening again always made her shudder. She truly believed it never would... but now I fear that it has. Below is a plaque from our synagogue commemorating the six million Jews who died under the Nazi regime. |
Yes, that does say SIX MILLION! |
Sadly I have had to set the comments on this post to 'moderation only', so if you'd like to respond, there will be a delay before it appears. Whatever your beliefs, have a relaxing Bank Holiday weekend.
I called this post 'A Prayer for Peace' and here is my prayer:
I pray with all my heart that we will soon see a more harmonious world, a world where everyone is free to pray and live as they choose and where we all have only smiles and kindness to offer to our neighbours. Amen
