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Aus­trali­an Jews have cel­eb­rated Passover in many different ways. In the early years of European set­tle­ment, seders and services were held by Jewish convicts and freemen. During the 1970s and 1980s, many Jewish house­holds set an extra place at their seder table to symbolise the plight of their Soviet Jewish brethren who waited in anguish to join them. Indeed, for Aus­trali­an Jews, who trace their origins to every corner of the globe, who have exper­i­enced all manner of hardship, it is difficult to con­tem­plate a situation we as a people have not yet exper­i­enced. But a seder in a time of pandemic and sharing this lockdown exper­i­ence with fellow Jews all around the world is truly extraordin­ary.

This year, we are compelled not only to see ourselves as having per­son­ally come forth from bondage in Egypt, we are also obliged to observe new laws and dir­ect­ives that seem to go against every quality of this special holiday. Rather than welcoming the stranger, we must turn them away. Instead of opening our homes to friends and relatives, we must confine our gath­er­ings to our own house­holds. Pesach is normally a time of rest, renewal, reflec­tion and cel­eb­ra­tion with our loved ones. This year, the pre­vail­ing emotions for some may be loneli­ness and anxiety.

Nev­er­the­less, the core messages of Pesach have never been more resonant. Pesach, after all, is a story of survival, of resi­li­ence in the face of great adversity, of coming together as a people and the belief in a better future. These themes must guide us this year like no other. It will be painful to close our doors to broader family and friends. It will seem alien to isolate ourselves from our community. But we must do this. We have seen Jewish com­munit­ies abroad ravaged by this virus and entire economies and societies brought to a stand­still. We cannot allow this to happen here. We must avoid all gath­er­ings and adhere to the clear instruc­tions of our gov­ern­ment, medical pro­fes­sion­als, community lay leaders and rabbis. If we fail to do so, we risk our lives and the lives of those we love.

I hope that despite the chal­lenges of this period, you are all able to find some peace, rest and joy during this holiday. We are a strong community and together I hope we will all emerge in good spirits and good health.

I also wish to convey to the Jewish people around the world that we have been following news from your com­munit­ies closely and we stand with you, now more than ever.

On behalf of everyone at the Executive Council of Aus­trali­an Jewry, I wish you all a chag kasher v’sameach.

Jillian Segal AO, President of the Executive Council of Aus­trali­an Jewry