A passover message from Anthony Albanese
It gives me great pleasure to offer you the greeting that has been a shining thread through the centuries: Chag Pesach Sameach.
Anthony Albanese
Passover is nothing less than part of our cultural bedrock. With its themes of suffering, salvation, liberation and redemption, the story of Moses leading the Jews out of slavery and their forty-year journey to the Promised Land is so resonant that it is retold generation after generation, with each generation drawing different meanings from it.
While it also tells us of the sometimes wayward relationship between humanity and God, what ultimately emerges out of it is a story of hope and, crucially, promises kept. Put it all together and it is a reminder of why Passover is such a powerful source of reassurance in good times and bad, and why it will never stop being told.
It can be safely said that we do not find ourselves in good times right now. Amid the great upheaval of COVID-19, families have had to overcome physical separation at Passover for two years now. For many, this is the third Seder apart and that fills hearts with pain. I know that some families are anxious now for relatives endangered by war and a leader who is unwavering in the face of suffering.
May all this pass. May all hopes be realised. And may everyone be seated together around the Seder table once more.
On behalf of the Labor Party, Chag Kasher V’Sameach.
