The Flowering of an Indigenous Culture

Arabs in Israel, Judah, Samaria, and Gaza appropriated the name Palestinians in 1967 under their first leader, an Egyptian named Yasser Arafat born in 1929.

Palestinians consist of diverse groups of people. Most of them are descended from 19th and 20th century Arab immigrants from countries now called Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon. The few who may have longer ties to the land came with the Muslim invasion and conquest in the 7th century or were indigenous Jews who had been forcibly converted to Islam.

Prior to the 1960 Arabs in Israel did not call themselves Palestinians or share a single culture. Today, they are still in constant feud with one another and they do not even have a style of dress in common with one another. Palestinian culture developed in the land of Israel, so it is, by definition, an indigenous culture. The single unifying foundation of their new indiginous culture is not a connection to a land or a people, but a shared hatred for Israel and a desire to kill Jews.

The flowering of Palestinian culture occurred on 7 October 2023.

An interview with a survivor, Deborah Tzarfaty. (Maya Milova)

The Magic in Our Tradition

On Monday, we will gather around our tables with friends and family with the opportunity and duty to perform the mitzvah of retelling the story of our ancient redemption.

How can we recall four-thousand-year-old miracle stories now? While 134 of us are held in brutal captivity! While nine young women, if they are still alive, may be almost seven months pregnant from repeated gang rapes! While war is knocking on our door daily! While the world world seems to be howling its hatred of us!

How can we transition from our current reality to our traditional celebration? Where can we find words to plead for our deliverance?

Instead of words, we could turn our focus to the fifteen silent ritual actions performed during the seder meal, hoping that these rituals will move G-d to protect and preserve us.

- What will it signify when we lift our glasses of wine but refrain from drinking?
- This year, what will it mean to dip the green vegetable in salt water?
- As our leader breaks the middle matza, what else will we hope or fear may be broken?
- Why will we cover the matza whenever we lift our cups of wine?
- As we diminish our joy by removing drops of wine from our full glasses, what losses will we mourn?
- What will we understand when the leader lifts the full round seder plate and the matzot?
- Will our search for the Afikomen be a prayer for the redemption of our hostages still captive in Gaza?
- And what will we see when open the door for Elijah the Prophet?

May the mute gestures of this seder stir our hearts and reach the heavens, so that G-d will again protect and preserve all of us.

And as for words... that one passage we always skip? This year I will shout it out with tears in my eyes.

My thanks to Bob Silber, a fellow English speaker in Eilat, whose profound insights into this year's seder, inspired my reflections.

"The Mute Book," a chapter from
Ira Steingroot's book, Keeping Passover