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Each year at the Seder, we ask the traditional Four Questions. And each year, MAZON asks a Fifth Question to raise awareness about a particular hunger-related issue and spark important conversations around the seder table. This year, we turn our attention to our seniors, who are aging into poverty and hunger at a rapid rate. Why is it that when we talk about aging in America, we never talk about hunger? Why is this time of life different from all other...

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Once again we wash our hands, this time in anticipation of the festive meal. May this ritual act of hand washing, followed by a blessing, lead to other sacred acts of preparation and protest, advocacy and activism, so that all may find they have the nutritious food they need (Either have volunteers walk around to each table with a pitcher of water and a basin or invite seder guests to wash their hands in some other way.) We join together in...

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Our seder is now coming to a close. We celebrate our blessings, yet acknowledge the hunger that still plagues far too many in our communities and affirm our commitment to work together to create a hunger-free world. ALL READ TOGETHER IN UNISON: This year we are here; next year in Jerusalem. This year we are pained by hunger; next year may all who are hungry come and eat. -- Inspired by Jewish values and ideals, MAZON is a national advocacy organization...

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To carry out the instruction, “They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs” (Numbers 9:11), the great sage Hillel would combine matzah and maror on Passover and eat them together. We eat a sandwich of matzah, maror, and charoset to remember both the bitterness and injustice of hunger and the redemptive sweetness that comes with working together to bring about real social change. (The bottom matzah on the seder plate is broken and distributed. Each person takes two pieces...

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The washing of hands is a ritual of purification. We symbolically “wash away” apathy or indifference and prepare ourselves to reignite our passion for justice and our commitment to ending hunger. Later, we wash our hands again and say a blessing in preparation for the festive meal. (The leader pours water—from a “washing cup” into a bowl—over each hand and then repeats the procedure, symbolically washing the hands for all those at the seder table. No blessing is recited at this...

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Afikomen comes from the Greek word for dessert and is the last item eaten during the seder. Traditionally, the Afikomen is hidden toward the beginning of the seder to keep children’s attention. When the meal is over, the seder’s younger participants search the house for the Afikomen. This year, let us consider the search for the Afikomen as a symbol for the ongoing search for answers as to why so many in America are not able to eat healthy nutritious meals...

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Rabbi Gamliel taught that when we tell the story of the Exodus, we must also explain the meaning of the most important symbols: zeroah, matzah, and maror. (Leader holds up each symbol as the designated portion is read.) Zeroah is a roasted shank bone, which reminds us that God told the Israelites to put lamb’s blood on our doors to escape the tenth plague, the slaying of the first born. We eat matzah because there was not enough time for the...

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If the event includes a festival meal, it should be served at this time. We encourage you to use the time while participants are eating to engage in discussion about hunger and/or conduct an advocacy activity.

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On Passover, we read about the ten plagues God unleashed on the Egyptians. The plagues we see today, however, are not punishments from God, but ones of our own doing – the awful, unintended consequences of our own actions and inactions. As we read each of these plagues aloud, we dip a finger into the wine and touch a drop onto our plate. This reminds us that, even as we celebrate freedom, our freedom is not complete when others still suffer....

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In the traditional Passover seder, we pause to reflect on what we have in our lives for which we are grateful and thank God for the miracles God performed. Let’s now recite aloud the blessings we enjoy. After each blessing, we take a moment to say together “Dayenu — it would have been enough.” 1. We are grateful that so many among us do not suffer from the oppression and hardship of daily hunger. Dayenu 2. We are grateful to live...

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Karpas is from the Greek word karpos, which means “fruit of the soil.” When spring comes we note with pleasure the bounty of vegetables and fruits in the market. Yet in communities and neighborhoods across the country, instead of a seasonal bounty there exists persistent scarcity. Nearly 5 million seniors in the U.S. currently struggle to put enough nutritious food on the table. With 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day—many of them aging into poverty—hunger among seniors is quickly becoming...

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LEADER: The story of the Jewish people’s journey from slavery to liberation is the heart of the seder. ALL: This is the bread of poverty which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in need come and share our meal. This year we are here. Next year, may we all be in the land of Israel. This year we are still slaves. Next year may we all be...

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(Leader breaks matzah and holds up the smaller broken piece. The larger piece is set aside as the Afikomen.) LEADER: This broken matzah reminds us that our world is broken. We recall those who are poor, whose uncertainty about their future compels them to put aside the “broken half” for later use. We are shaken out of our complacency as we recall God’s words: “Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt.” Through service to others, we meet the...

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LEADER: The Second Cup represents our promise ALL: We will learn why—in a nation of such abundance—there are still millions of people who struggle with hunger. The more we know about the reasons that friends, neighbors, and others in our community experience food insecurity, the better able we will be to create solutions that will free them from this bondage. LEADER: We lift our glasses and read the blessing together (drink wine after the blessing): Baruch ata Adonai Elohenu Melech ha’olam...

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(Full texts of Psalms 113 or 114 may be inserted here) “Hallel is about praising God, not about self-satisfaction. The latter makes us complacent and lethargic, but the former can only expand our dedication to the principles that God’s goodness represents in our lives. Our praise of God can motivate us to do God’s work in the world – the work of liberation, love, and justice.” — Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg Taken from “A Night of Questions: A Passover Haggadah,” The...

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LEADER: Another important Passover symbol is maror, bitter herbs. Bitter herbs serve as a reminder of how the Egyptians embittered the lives of our fathers and mothers. When we eat these bitter herbs, we recognize the bitterness of servitude and oppression. ALL: It is our obligation, as people and as members of this community, to do what we can to lighten the load of those less fortunate and to show compassion for all those who continue to face the oppression of...

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The Four Questions we ask at our Hunger Seder challenge us to consider what is different about this night. Only when we ask the right questions can we understand the causes of hunger and take action to end this unnecessary plight. 1. Why during this seder do we focus on hunger? Hunger remains a painful physical reality for far too many of our friends, neighbors, and family members. Hunger is an oppressive force that holds individuals back from realizing their full...

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(Leader breaks matzah and holds up the smaller broken piece. The larger piece is set aside as the Afikomen.) LEADER: This broken matzah reminds us that our world is broken. We recall those who are poor, whose uncertainty about their future compels them to put aside the “broken half” for later use. We are shaken out of our complacency as we recall God’s words: “Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt.” Through service to others, we meet the...

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Each year, Jews across the world join with family, friends, neighbors, and strangers to celebrate the holiday of Passover. But why? What is behind this tradition? Seder means “order.” The ordered rituals and symbols of the Passover seder help us to tell the story of the Jewish people’s liberation from slavery in Egypt. (Leader holds up the Seder Plate and briefly explains the ritual items and what they symbolize.) For today’s seder we choose to recognize that while the Jewish people...

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Karpas is from the Greek word karpos, which means “fruit of the soil.” When spring comes we note with pleasure the bounty of vegetables and fruits in the market. Yet in communities and neighborhoods across the country, instead of a seasonal bounty there exists persistent scarcity. Nearly 5 million seniors in the U.S. currently struggle to put enough nutritious food on the table. With 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day—many of them aging into poverty—hunger among seniors is quickly becoming...