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From Egypt to Today: A Passover of Jewish Unity
A Passover Seder table. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
In just a few days, Jewish families around the world will gather around the Seder table, read the Haggadah, eat matzah and maror, and join their children in singing “Ma Nishtana” with joy and pride.
Passover, the Festival of Freedom, returns each year to remind us not only of where we came from, but also of where we hope to go — from darkness to light, from slavery to redemption, from division to a shared destiny.
But this year, the feeling is different.
Israel remains at war, primarily in the south, following the brutal October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. Thousands have been killed or wounded. Families are still reeling, and approximately 60 hostages remain in Gaza. The nation is struggling — not only in the battlefield but also in the court of public opinion, in the halls of government, and in the hearts of its people.
While external threats are clear and present, the internal ones may be even more dangerous. Israeli society is deeply divided. Arguments rage over democracy, the judiciary, national leadership, the rule of law, and the cost — moral and political — of securing the hostages’ return. Public discourse has grown more heated. Protests, political polarization, and harsh rhetoric are replacing mutual responsibility and national solidarity.
It is precisely at such a moment that Passover calls on us to pause and to look inward. Not toward our political opponents, but toward ourselves. What do we want to remember? What kind of people do we want to be?
We left Egypt as a “mixed multitude,” but redemption came only when the Jewish people united around a common purpose. They were no longer scattered tribes, but B’nei Yisrael — the children of Israel — who walked together through the wilderness with faith, courage, and shared vision.
The Haggadah teaches: “In every generation, a person must see themselves as if they personally left Egypt.” This is more than a historical reflection — it is a call to action. Each of us must strive to leave behind the “slaveries” that bind us: hatred, hostility, fear, and alienation.
Passover reminds us that true freedom is not merely physica — it is moral. It depends on our ability to listen, to respect, and to recognize that even in disagreement, we are all part of the same family.
Whether you are in New York, Berlin, Manila, or Jerusalem, our concern for the Jewish people is one and the same. At this fragile time, we cannot afford to lose our sense of solidarity.
So, when our children ask, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” perhaps we can answer: Because tonight, we chose to look not only to our past, but to our future. A future in which we all step out of our personal and national Egypts, and walk together, once more, toward renewed freedom.
Wishing you and your families a meaningful, unified, and redemptive Passover.
Itamar Tzur is the author of The Invention of the Palestinian Narrative, and an Israeli scholar specializing in Middle Eastern history. He holds a Bachelor’s degree with honors in Jewish History and a Master’s degree with honors in Middle Eastern studies. As a senior member of the “Forum Kedem for Middle Eastern Studies and Public Diplomacy,” he leverages his academic expertise to deepen understanding of regional dynamics and historical contexts.
The post From Egypt to Today: A Passover of Jewish Unity first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.