Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in a Passover holiday message to Jewish communities around the world on Tuesday that despite the burst of global antisemitism and ongoing war against Iran, the “spirit of our people” will prevail.
“In a season of movement and change, we gather with our loved ones around seder tables everywhere to tell a story that has traveled with us since the beginning, across every generation and in every place our people have walked,” Herzog said in the recorded video holiday remarks posted on X.
The Passover story, he continued, is one of “freedom, a story of renewal and radical faith, a story of resilience that has inspired humanity across cultures. It is a story that has defined our people across history at large.”
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The weeklong Jewish holiday of Passover, which begins on Wednesday evening, coincides this year with a war against Iran that started on Feb. 28.
“Clearly, we’re at a difficult hour. In Israel, we’re at war for our lives, for our freedom and also for the freedom of the world,” said Herzog. “At the same time, you encounter these familiar flames of hatred and antisemitism all around in forms of old and new antisemitism, which consumes so much of our path.”
“It is deeply painful,” he continued, “but in this Passover season, the wisdom of our tradition helps us recall something bigger. The truth is, the deep and abiding spirit of our people has always carried us, and it will carry us for the future as well.”