Dear Friend,
Passover, or Pesach, is a holiday about freedom. In Hebrew, freedom is cherut (חירות). In Arabic, hurriya (حرية). The words come from the same root, and they sound almost the same. It’s a small thing, but it has stayed with us - that even our languages are shared. The reality we are living in right now is anything but that.
This week, the Knesset passed the so-called “death penalty for terrorists” law - a law that will be applied almost exclusively to Palestinians. It is a grave violation of the right to life and due process, and a further entrenchment of a system where rights are determined by identity.
This is about deepening a regime of separation and control, and a clear step further into apartheid, and further away from any legitimate claim to democracy. We will write again in the coming days to share our full response, and how we will continue to resist this reality through nonviolent action.
For those of us in Israel who mark Pesach, the Seder plate tells a story of oppression and liberation. Each element has a meaning - the bitter herbs, the salt water, the memory of suffering, and the promise of freedom. But this year, those symbols feel less like reminders of the past and more like reflections of the present, and the question of what it means to be free is no longer something we can answer comfortably around the table.
Life around us is far from simple. From settler terrorism threatening communities on the ground, to restrictions on movement imposed on Palestinians, to police violence against peaceful protesters in Tel Aviv - the conditions we are working in are defined by deep inequality and the decline of basic civil rights.
It could feel easy to slump into hopelessness, or allow others to fight on our behalf. But we don't want to do that. So from our home under curfew, or our community bomb shelter - we are continuing to organise, to protest and to plan.
On April 20th, we will hold the Israeli–Palestinian Joint Memorial Ceremony, together with the Parents Circle – Families Forum. In a moment where loss is deepening and separation is being reinforced, this ceremony creates a space where something else can exist - where grief is shared, a different future can begin to take shape.
If you want to be part of that, you can join us from wherever you are. And if you can, help make it possible.
