Correction 4/8/2022: The photo caption has been updated to correctly identify the pictured event. The Baltimore Jewish Times regrets this error.
Rabbi Chesky Tenenbaum, director of the Jewish Uniformed Service Association of Maryland, is organizing a community Passover seder meant specifically for those who serve in uniform.
Scheduled for April 15, the upcoming Passover Seder for Our Heroes will officially be the second such seder JUSA has held, said Tenenbaum, a resident of Baltimore, in an email. It is intended particularly for law enforcement, public safety employees, active military members and veterans.
“The idea came when I was speaking to a Law Enforcement member who said that he did not have a Seder to go to,” Tenenbaum said in an email. “I told myself I would never let that happen again.
“There is a very strong connection between Military and Law Enforcement members and the Passover holiday, which is a celebration of our religious freedom,” Tenebaum continued. “Every day, our brave military and Law Enforcement members work hard to uphold that same freedom.”
JUSA has partnered with both Jewish War Veterans of Maryland and Shomrim Society of Maryland to help spread the word on the seder, Tenenbaum said. He expects that most of the attendees will be people who otherwise would not have attended a seder this year, and who saw this as their opportunity to experience a traditional Passover seder in the presence of others who serve in uniform.
“We hope that all attendees will use the Seder as an opportunity to connect with their heritage, a time to thank G-d for all that he has done for us,” Tenenbaum said. “There is a famous quote saying ‘In every generation one is obligated to feel as if he left Egypt.’ Pesach is about each individual’s journey and growth- not just remembering a time in our history.
“We too can leave our personal limitations that we find ourselves trapped in,” continued Tenenbaum, “be [they] situations we find ourselves in or are self-inflicted, and find the freedom to thrive in great ways.”
