With the Judeo-Christian world focusing on liberation and redemption because of the Passover and Easter holidays that are coming up, we thought you might enjoy this interfaith and inter-cultural Passover Haggadah, originally written by Marianne Perez de Fransius and Karen Spencer Din for Passover 2005 (5765) at the European Peace University. It includes some Bob Marley songs, readings from various faiths and fun twists on the classics: instead of four sons we have four daughters, the story of the Exodus is written as a little play and we sing Had Gadya with sound effects.
Passover is the Jewish holiday which recounts the story of the Israelites who were slaves in ancient Egypt being led to freedom by Moses. It is celebrated with a festive meal, the Seder, around which the story, the Haggadah, is read. Indeed, Jesus’ Last Supper is thought to have been a Passover Seder. The central theme of Passover is slavery and freedom which is still relevant today. While there are an estimated 20-30 million people enslaved today, one of Passover’s teachings is that we are all in the shackles of some form of bondage and that every year we renew the process of finding true freedom for ourselves and for others.
Traditionally, the door is left open and there is an empty place setting so that surprise guests are welcome and have a place at the table. With this Haggadah, we hope that you’ll partake in a little gastrodiplomacy, using food as a tool to foster cultural understanding amongst communities.