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On our Seder plate we find some the traditional items of a Seder. Each item has special significance in the context of the Borderlands. We also find some new and different items. Each of us will hold up each item as it is discussed.  Matzah “This is matzah, the bread of liberation, of rebellion, that our foremothers baked and ate in a time when they had to be organizing more and cooking less.”  -from Workmen’s Circle Seder, 2011  Egg:  “The egg...

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We have reached the end of this year’s Passover journey and Seder. We have reflected on the realities of life in the borderlands, and committed ourselves to examining our lives and our privileges.  It is traditional to exclaim “next year in Jerusalem!” to close the holiday. For this Seder, we will exclaim, “To a just future.”

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For the last time tonight, we fill our glasses with wine.  Tonight, we think about those who are not here at the table because they are traveling through the borderlands. Our stomachs and hearts are full, while those crossing may not know where their next meal is coming from.  It is customary to fill a glass of wine for Elijah, the prophet who will usher in a Messianic age for the Jewish people. Instead, we fill a glass of water, in...

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Before we begin the meal, we will eat charoset with maror, followed by a “sandwich” of matzah, charoset, and maror. We turn to the Sephardic Passover Haggadah, written by Rabbi Benzion Uziel, for this ritual: “The matsot were eaten after we left Egypt, and are therefore a symbol of freedom. The bitter herbs, maror, are eaten as a reminder of the slavery of Egypt. We eat both of them together to remind us that even at a time when we are...

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Pour the second glass of wine.  We are now going to begin to tell the story of Passover. Haggadot do not do this in a traditionally linear way—we learn about the events that took place through song and stories.

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The symbols and the story of Passover reflect the struggle against injustice in the world. This holiday season, as we remember the story of our Jewish ancestors who fled the slavery of Egypt in search of a Promised Land, we call attention to those who are currently migrating from their homelands in search of that same promise. We stand with those migrating through the desert of the Borderlands, from poverty and violence toward hope and a more livable life. We walk...

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בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen. We praise God, Ruler of Everything, who creates the fruit of the vine. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, she-hechiyanu v’key’manu v’higiyanu lazman hazeh. Drink the first glass of wine!

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It is customary at a Seder to have the youngest member of the Seder recite the four questions. Please include the chanting of the traditional questions in Hebrew here if you would like. We would like to ask four new questions instead:  What role does Identity play in the Borderlands?   What is Neoliberalism both in the Borderlands and abroad?   How is the Law wielded and manipulated in the Borderlands?   What does Citizenship mean in the Borderlands and around the globe?  What...

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Now is a moment to reflect on the food we have just eaten, reminding ourselves that our plates were filled thanks to the often invisible efforts of those growing and cultivating produce. We fill a third glass of wine, and say: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, borei p’ree hagafen. Drink the third glass of wine

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To begin the Seder, we light candles and say a blessing to demarcate our transition into sacred time.  Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha'olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Yom Tov. Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has sanctified us with laws and commanded us to light the festival lights.

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There are three pieces of matzo bread on the table in front of us. We will now break the middle matzo into two pieces—the larger of which should be wrapped up and hidden. This is the afikomen.  We eat matzo, as opposed to leavened bread, on Passover, to remember that our ancestors did not have enough time to wait for bread to rise while waiting on Pharoah’s word regarding their freedom. Lift the three pieces of matzo into the air, and...

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Water is life.  For those who travel on foot through the borderlands, water is an essential component of the journey. No More Deaths hikes water into active migration corridors because we believe that everyone deserves access to water. It is a privilege to be able to use water for a ritual like urchatz, and as we purify our hands, we think of those who thirst in the desert.  We wash our hands now, with no blessing, to help us prepare for...

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Ten More Plagues  When Pharaoh refused to free the ancient Israelites from their bondage, ten plagues were levied against the Egyptians. Blood, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, frogs, pestilence, wild animals, lice, and the death of firstborn sons threated to swallow Egypt whole.  When each plague is recited, it is customary to take a drop of wine from our cup and drop it onto our plate, to remind ourselves that the freedom Israelites gained did not come without a price.  For this...

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It is traditional in a Passover Seder to discuss ‘the four children’, each of whom has a different outlook on what Pesach means to them. Please include the traditional four children here if you would like. In this Haggadah, we will present four questions about immigration frequently asked by those who are unfamiliar with the reality of the Borderlands and how we can address those questions. Traditionally, we answer the questions of the wise child, the wicked child, the simple child,...

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Passover is a holiday of community and remembrance. As we reflect on the Jewish Exodus, we hold space for those fleeing persecution, violence, and unstable living conditions today. We acknowledge the ground beneath our feet as occupied Native territory, and mourn the construction of walls built to separate families from one another. This meal is held in memory of not only the Jewish people who were freed from enslavement, but all those who have been marginalized and made to feel unsafe...

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We offer a selection of readings to close the evening here:   “...People can be enslaved by poverty and inequality. When the fear of need drives them to dishonesty and violence, to defending the guilty and accusing the innocent – they are slaves. When the work men or women do enriches others, but leaves them in want of strong houses for shelter, nourishing food for themselves and for their children, and warm clothes to keep out the cold – they are slaves... ...

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To those unfamiliar with the terrain, the desert can seem like a harsh and empty place. Indeed, the desert of the Passover story is devoid of sustenance and life. At this point in the Seder, it is tradition to reflect on liberation and rebirth as connected ideas. To symbolize rebirth, we take a vegetable, like parsley, and dip it into salt water, which represents the tears shed by our Jewish ancestors when they were enslaved. Mixing the sweet and the bitter...

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This Haggadah represents the efforts of No More Deaths / No Más Muertes members who saw a relationship between work in the Borderlands and Jewish heritage. We hope you have enjoyed using this Haggadah, and encourage you to continue thinking about your experiences with migration through a local lens. There is not a town or city untouched by the border crisis in the United States: get involved with Sanctuary efforts in your hometown, lobby for legislation designed to protect undocumented people,...

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Passover is a holiday of community and remembrance. As we reflect on the Jewish Exodus, we hold space for those fleeing persecution, violence, and unstable living conditions today. We acknowledge the ground beneath our feet as occupied Native territory, and mourn the construction of walls built to separate families from one another. This meal is held in memory of not only the Jewish people who were freed from enslavement, but all those who have been marginalized and made to feel unsafe...

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It is traditional in a Passover Seder to discuss ‘the four children’, each of whom has a different outlook on what Pesach means to them. Please include the traditional four children here if you would like. In this Haggadah, we will present four questions about immigration frequently asked by those who are unfamiliar with the reality of the Borderlands and how we can address those questions. Traditionally, we answer the questions of the wise child, the wicked child, the simple child,...