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Modern Plagues
Contributed by Hannah Stein

  • TOP HAGGADAHS FOR 2023

The traditional Haggadah lists ten plagues that afflicted the Egyptians. We live in a very different world, but Passover is a good time to remember that, even after our liberation from slavery in Egypt, there are still many challenges for us to meet.

Here are ten “modern plagues”

Inequity - Access to affordable housing, quality healthcare, nutritious food, good schools, and higher education is far from equal. The disparity between rich and poor is growing, and opportunities for upward mobility are limited. Striving for equity means supporting people where they are, meeting the needs they have instead of expecting them to have bootstraps to be pulled up by.

Entitlement - Too many people consider entitled to material comfort, economic security, and autonomy at the expense of the comfort, security, and autonomy of others. 

Fear - Fear of “the other” produces and reinforces xenophobia, anti-immigrant sentiment, antisemitism, homophobia, and transphobia.

Greed - Profits and property are higher priorities than the safety of workers or the health of the environment. We live in an individualistic society, which is posed to benefit those at the top and punish those at the bottom of our economic structure. 

Distraction - In this age of constant connectedness, we are easily distracted by an unending barrage of information, much of it meaningless, with no way to discern what is important.

Distortion of reality - The media constructs and society accepts unrealistic expectations, leading to eating disorders and unhealthy obsessions with appearance for young and old. The distortion of reality is also in the facts we consume. We exist in a world riddled with misinformation where people are no longer working off of the same set of facts meaning our ability to see eye to eye is fading away. 

Unawareness - It is easy to be unaware of the consequences our consumer choices have for the environment and for workers at home and abroad. Do we know where or how our clothes are made? Where or how our food is produced? The working conditions? The impact on the environment? Do we pay attention to global news? National news? Do we have access to knowledge and choose to not view it?

Discrimination - While we celebrate our liberation from bondage in Egypt, too many people still suffer from discrimination. For example, black people in the United States are imprisoned at more than five times the rate of whites, and Hispanics are locked up at nearly double the white rate. White women earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man and women of color earn even less.

Silence - Silence is violence. We know that bystanders stand on the side of the oppressor. As white people and as people in allyship with other communities, when are we silent? Do we stand by or do we have tough conversations? Do we work to destigmatize mental health? Do we believe survivors? When do we use our voices? 

Feeling overwhelmed and disempowered - When faced with these modern “plagues,” how often do we doubt or question our own ability to make a difference? How often do we feel paralyzed because we do not know what to do to bring about change?
haggadah Section: -- Ten Plagues

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