Ancient Celebration

Today is the first full day of the ancient celebration of Passover.


It began at sundown Monday for members of the Jewish faith and continues for eight days, ending at sundown April 26.


The observance has been occurring regularly for the past 3,000 years. For about the past 2,000 years, it has 


occurred around this time of the year. Yet every year, while Jews remember their ancestors’ exodus out of


 slavery in Egypt, there are modern applications to the celebration. This year is no different.




The Jewish Community Relations Council, with offices in Bloomfield Hills, is focusing on the modern problem 


of human trafficking.




The Council, in conjunction with several metro area groups, including Jewish Coalition Against Domestic 


Abuse, National Council of Jewish Women, Jewish Women’s Foundation and Chaldean Federation of 


America, conducted a forum on the topic last Thursday.




Bridgette Carr, a law professor at the University of Michigan and director of the nation’s only law school 


clinic dedicated to combating human trafficking, was the keynote speaker. The forum focused on advocacy 


for women and children who are victims of human trafficking and are forced to work as slaves or provide sex 


against their will.






Despite the modern times, the problem of human trafficking still exists.




As Robert Cohen, executive director of the Council, noted: “The Jewish dimension of the human trafficking 


issue is especially evident as we approach Passover, when we are reminded that we were slaves in Egypt. 


Jews are especially sensitive not only to the inhumanity of trafficking, but also of our responsibility to take 


action against it ...”




An ongoing effort in combating human trafficking is the Polaris Project. Named after the North Star that 


guided slaves towards freedom along the Underground Railroad, Polaris Project has been providing a 


comprehensive approach to combating human trafficking and modern-day slavery since 2002. Polaris Project 


is a leading organization in the United States combating all forms of human trafficking and serving both U.S. 


citizens and foreign national victims, including men, women and children.




Passover also is a tribute to religious freedom and a wish for all of humanity to live and worship in free 


societies. Amid the prayers and the thankfulness of Jews to be able to worship freely is a special appreciation 


for living in the United States.  There’s also a reference in the Passover services to “Next year in Jerusalem.” 


Centuries ago, it was the desire of Jews to move back to their homeland, where they had been exiled by 


foreign powers. Today, however, most Jews in the United States don’t literally long to return to Israel but 


symbolically they understand and appreciate the need for a Jewish homeland. That’s why Israel has had such 


strong support from Jews in America and also has had the backing of most Americans and the United States 


government.








The key to Passover is its ritual meal or Seder, which retells the story of how Moses led the Jews out of 


Egypt. Many Jews attend congregational seders but still, in essence, the focus is on family. Family, 


tradition and religious freedom are the basic tenets of Passover, yet few people of any religion can 


argue that they are not also fundamentals of American society.

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