The Passover Story Lives Through Us

Chag Sameach!

As Passover approaches, I find myself pulled back to Seders of years past, to a different place, a different pace, and a different kind of preparation.

I remember traveling as a kid to Cheyenne, WY to be with my grandparents and extended family. There was nothing convenient about those holidays; everything was made from scratch. The kitchen became a workshop of generational memory and tradition: hands rolling, mixing, tasting, discussing, adjusting. Recipes weren’t written down; they were carried. It felt, even then, like we were reenacting a scene from the past, “just like the old country.” There was a reverence in the work; an understanding that sharing this experience mattered more than the food itself.

And of course, there was the afikomen.

In a house full of cousins, seven of us packed around the table, it wasn’t just a game, it was a full-contact search, followed by intense negotiation. The real battle began after it was found: spirited debates (and let’s be honest, a few near-shouting matches) over how the “proceeds” from our so-called sale of matzah would be divided up. Everyone had a strategy, everyone had a claim, and everyone believed they deserved the biggest share. It was chaotic, loud, and perfect. But even then, we were learning something deeper about give-and-take, about voice, and about belonging.

And somewhere between the potato flour, the stories, the afikomen negotiations, and the laughter, there was always a deeper truth humming beneath it all: Od Avinu Chai. The Jewish people still live. Not just in survival, but in continuity. In those moments, I didn’t have the language for it, but I felt it.

Fast forward to today.

Our Seders may look different. New faces and new friends. Life moves faster. Some traditions evolve; others endure. We tried virtual Seders during COVID. But the essence remains unchanged. We still gather. We still tell the story. We still pass something sacred from one generation to the next.

The book of Exodus reminds us, “V’higadeta l’vincha bayom hahu.” “And you shall tell your child on that day.”

Passover is not just about recounting a story; it is about ensuring the story lives on through us. It is a charge to teach, to model, and to bring others along in the journey of our people.

As we gather around our Passover tables, we are reminded that this holiday is not only about where we came from, but who we are responsible for today, and who we want to become tomorrow.

Passover is the story of liberation, but also of partnership. The Israelites did not leave Egypt as individuals. They moved forward as a people, bound by shared destiny and shared responsibility. As it says in the Haggadah, “In every generation, each of us is obligated to see ourselves as if we personally went out from Egypt.” That obligation calls us not just to remember, but to act.

To act on behalf of one another. To act to ensure that Jewish life here in St. Louis and around the world remains strong, vibrant, and secure. At Federation, this is the work we are privileged to do every day. It is the modern expression of that same ancient journey from vulnerability to strength, from isolation to community.

We are living in a moment that calls on us not just to inherit the story, but to shape its next chapter.

Od Avinu Chai. 

Our people are still here. Still building. Still rising. Still choosing, generation after generation, to move forward together.

May this Passover and the upcoming Shabbat bring you and your loved ones meaning, connection, and a renewed sense of purpose.