Bitter or better?

On Seder night, we eat bitter herbs to recall the bitter times that our Hebrew ancestors experienced during their years of enslavement and persecution in Egypt.

The symbolic food items we display and eat are an important part of the ritual and an excellent educational tool, especially for the younger generation and those adults who may not be familiar with the Passover story.

Bitter times, unfortunately, have been a permanent component of the Jewish historical experience, and they certainly have not been confined to the story of the exodus from Egypt.

What tends to be overlooked, however, are the miraculous episodes of resilience and better times that mark our people’s survival and resurgence at various periods of our history.

In these current times, when revisionist agendas are all the rage and even the story of Jewish bondage in Egypt is rewritten, one of the most salient points of this Festival is frequently omitted or deliberately obscured.

Quite frequently overlooked is the real reason for the mass migration from Egyptian servitude. It most certainly was a revolt by an oppressed group and a defeat for the Pharaoh who initiated a campaign of genocide against the Hebrews. However, the objective of the liberated slaves was clear and unambiguous. It was to finally fulfil the promise originally given to our Patriarchs to conquer and settle the Promised Land.

The long trek to Canaan was intended to mould these tribes into a unified nation with a set of laws and objectives and prepare the next generations for sovereignty.

In these days of woke political correctness, it is no longer fashionable to emphasize this primary narrative. For some Jews, it sounds too much like a Zionist agenda with its emphasis on aliyah, fighting against adversaries and settling territory from which so much Jewish history would eventually emerge.

That is why in politically “progressive” circles, the ultimate objective is frequently obscured in favour of what passes today for liberation theology. Interfaith Seder get-togethers, especially with politicians present, tend to skip over the plagues because persecutors of Jews receiving punishment is not something one talks about in polite society.

Likewise, talking only about freedom without actually touching on the destination of those liberated gives participants the opportunity to avoid inevitable truths. The Hebrews/Israelites/Jews were sovereign well before Islam arrived on the scene. Erasing any reference to a Jewish homeland is important for those eager to deny national Jewish independence.

Deliberately erasing the fundamental objective of the exodus emasculates and distorts this Festival.

That is obviously the objective of those who call themselves “anti-Zionists” and who delight in emasculating Jewish religious and historical observances for their own warped purposes.

Take the “revised” Haggadah issued by the misnamed “Jewish Voice for Peace.” According to a Jerusalem Post report their version of the Seder night ritual features the following untraditional contents:

It commends Palestinian shaheeds or Islamic martyrs.

It calls to free Palestine from the river to the sea.

It quotes Palestinian writers.

The text of the Partisan song implies parallels between the Jewish victims of Nazism in the Warsaw ghetto uprising and Gaza.

It refers to Israel as a Zionist settler colonial project.

It calls for divestment from the Jewish National Fund.

It contains special poems dedicated to Rafah.

It calls to resist Zionism.

It contains an abundance of Palestinian-appropriated symbolism, such as watermelons, olives, etc.

One would be hard put to find anything more self-loathing than this total distortion and mangling of a Jewish religious festival dedicated to the Jewish People’s escape and trek to their homeland. Rewriting liturgy and millennia-old yearning for a return to Eretz Israel are delusional. Trying to curry favour with the haters of Zion is a futile exercise.

The fanatics of Neturei Karta who support the Iranian mullahs and progressive Jews who believe that the Promised Land is in the USA, UK, South Africa, Germany, Russia, Ireland or elsewhere are united in a common bond. They are the successors of those Hebrews who preferred to stay in Egypt rather than join their brethren. They are similar to those Israelites who wanted to return to the “fleshpots of Egypt” rather than face the vicissitudes of a common journey to redemption.

Most likely, they would have condemned the bitter war against Amalekite genocidal intentions and accused Moshe of leading the tribes in a colonial settler enterprise.

Israel today, despite all its imperfections and challenges, is still a better haven for Jews.

It is, therefore, astounding that many keep trying to live in locations where bitter times exist or where endemic hostility threatens to engulf communities.

Time is running out as the writing is already literally on the walls in many countries.

A December 2024 survey of the situation in Ireland (Eire) revealed some extremely disturbing realities. The report described attitudes towards Jews and Israel, particularly among those identifying as Roman Catholic, as “Medieval.”

One-third of those adults surveyed believe Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust. Some 49% agreed that “Jews are more loyal to Israel than Ireland.” 36% believed that “Jews have too much power in the business world.”  31% agreed that “Jews don’t care what happens to anyone but their own kind” and that “they are hated because of the way they behave.”

Only 11.3% of Irish Christians support Israel. The survey also found that theological differences between Christian denominations play an important role. Irish Catholics are almost 80% less likely to support Israel than Protestants. In conclusion this report highlighted a unique phenomenon in Ireland. Many antisemitic attitudes seem to originate within churches themselves. Beliefs such as the idea that God’s covenant with the Jewish People has ended and blaming Jews for the crucifixion are far more widespread in Ireland than they are in the USA.

In summary, there is an extremely strong correlation between anti-Zionist sentiments and antisemitic beliefs.

The Irish Jewish community has dwindled to a miniscule size. Those Israelis who thought that they were relocating to a promised land now discover that in fact it is all blarney.

The prognosis for a safe Jewish life is bleak. It is merely one example of what is happening in other countries where Jews are sitting on a rumbling volcano.

What will it take for another exodus of Jews to take place from hostile societies? These days it need not take 40 years of a trek through a hostile desert.

In Israel we recite “next year in restored and rebuilt Jerusalem.”

Those of us privileged to be already living here can see Jerusalem being restored and rebuilt in front of our eyes. The holy city is growing, expanding and developing at a rapid pace.

It is no longer a pious dream but a dynamic reality.

It is surely time to fulfil the real message of Pesach.

Michael Kuttner is a Jewish New Zealander who for many years was actively involved with various communal organisations connected to Judaism and Israel. He now lives in Israel and is J-Wire’s correspondent in the region.