Social Justice for Passover During a Pandemic

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Passover (“Pesach”), the eight day observance recalling the Exodus from Egypt, is nearly upon us. It starts Saturday night, March 27, 2021.

Passover recalls the story of the Exodus and celebrates freedom from oppression.

Coincidentally, an exodus of migrants is taking place from the south at the southerly border of our country and I have been feeling heartbroken and helpless for those unaccompanied children, among others, seeking refuge here. And during a pandemic no less.

In an opinion piece published in the Dallas Morning News, July 13, 2018, entitled “As Jews, we must welcome immigrants as strangers in a strange land,” the author, Rabbi Andrew M. Paley, states:

“In the Torah we are commanded 36 times to remember that we were strangers in a strange land and that we are obligated, ‘When strangers sojourn with you in your land, you shall not do them wrong. The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.’”

(https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/07/13/as-jews-we-must-welcome-immigrants-as-strangers-in-a-strange-land/ )

And so, feeling helpless, I have wondered how I could help from home as we wait out the pandemic.

Luckily, I received an email today from ReformJudaism.org pointing me to an article entitled “How You Can Support Unaccompanied Migrant Children” at https://reformjudaism.org/blog/how-you-can-support-unaccompanied-migrant-children .

Inasmuch as I believe that Social Justice is as much a part of Passover specifically as it is a part of Reform Judaism generally, I read the article and found a link to the “Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights” at https://www.theyoungcenter.org/ . (It is named for one of the first children they served, Young Zheng Sullivan.)

There I found a way to help, by making a donation, which I did, for their work in support of the unaccompanied and separated children seeking refuge here.

Now I feel as if I have fulfilled, at least for the moment, my obligation under Jewish Law for Social Justice, particularly for Pesach.

And, in the face of this pandemic, I also do not feel so helpless this Passover, to do what I believe is right (others may disagree).

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David I. Karp is a full time independent mediator of real estate and business disputes in Southern California who sometimes writes about subjects other than mediation. His website is at http://karpmediation.com

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