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The 10 Plagues Today - Israel & Palestine
Contributed by Wilma Gold

  • TOP HAGGADAHS FOR 2023

J Street

Ten Modern Plagues of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Rabbi Toba Spitzer When it comes time to recite the ten plagues, there is a tradition of dipping a bit of wine out of our cups as we say each plague, diminishing our joy just a bit as we recall the difficulties that befell the Egyptians. This seder tradition calls to mind a famous midrash (rabbinic commentary), on the moment during the Exodus when the Egyptian army was drowning in the sea, just after the Israelites crossed to freedom. The angels turned to one another to sing their daily praises, when God hushed them, saying, “The work of My hands is drowning in the sea, and you would sing songs before Me?!” While we cannot erase the suffering of the Egyptians from our freedom story, we can acknowledge that a human price was paid. As we recite the plagues, as we drop a bit of wine onto our plates, we are invited to remember that our own freedom — as Americans, as Jews — often comes with a price paid by others. We can take this moment to reflect on the damage done, whether intentional or not, that has allowed us to enjoy our freedom and our privilege. If I am economically privileged, what is the cost borne by others — in the U.S. and around the world — to allow me my comforts? If I am white, at what cost comes the relative ease with which I move through the world? As a Jew, as someone connected to Israel, how do I reckon with the terrible price paid by the Palestinian people for the creation of the Jewish state? This is not a moment for guilt, but for honest reckoning, for acknowledgment, and perhaps a commitment to make some kind of tikkun, repair, during this season of redemption. Cantor Evan Kent 1. The Plague of Poor Leadership Palestinians and Israelis have leaders who have served for too long and often promote their own personal political survival and ideological agendas over the interests of their people. 2. The Plague of Living in Fear Palestinians and Israelis live in fear for their safety, constantly worrying that the next attack will destroy their home, their property or their family. 3. The Plague of Home Destruction Palestinian home destruction by the Israeli army has been shown again and again to be ineffective in deterring terrorism. Additionally, studies by the IDF have shown that collective punishment such as home demolition may actually encourage retaliatory terrorist attacks. 4. The Plague of the Destruction of Olive Trees The uprooting, burning and destruction of Palestinian olive tree groves harms the livelihood of the trees’ owners, destroys generations of historic trees, often more than 100 years old. The destruction of trees is unequivocally against Jewish religious law. 5. The Plague of False Narratives When borders, geography and mistrust limit interactions between Palestinians and Israelis, fictions are created about each other. 6. The Plague of Settlements The two-state solution and therefore Israel’s democratic and Jewish nature are severely threatened by the continual and seemingly unabated expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. 7. The Plague of the Lack of Vision We search for leaders who offer us hope, rather than fear, and a path towards co-existence, rather than walls that divide. 8. The Plague of Restricted Movement Israel stringently restricts the movement of Palestinians within the West Bank, from the West Bank to Gaza, into East Jerusalem, Israel and abroad. 9. The Plague of Violence Violence, instead of words, is used on all sides, by all parties, as a way to harm, intimidate, maim, destroy and kill others. 10. The Plague of Indifference We become indifferent when we cease to see each other as human beings with legitimate hopes, dreams, as
haggadah Section: -- Ten Plagues

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