Passover table set for a different tone this year, says Ottawa rabbi

Passover began at sundown Monday, and for many Jewish people in Canada, celebrating the major holiday this year may feel different due to the current conflict in the Middle East.

Rabbi Elizabeth (Liz) Bolton is the rabbi at Or Haneshamah, a Reconstructionist congregation in Ottawa. Bolton was ordained in 1996 and moved to Ottawa from Baltimore in 2013.

Passover is the celebration of the Jews escape from slavery in Egypt. The Seder is a dinner that happens on the first two nights of Passover. The story of the escape is told through songs and stories, and matzah (unleavened bread) and maror (bitter herbs) are served.

Bolton spoke with CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning about what she'll be thinking about when she sits down at the Seder table this year.

"Like many, I'll be thinking why is this Passover different from all other Passovers. The story this year is deeply impacted for the Jewish people worldwide by Oct. 7," Bolton said.

The Associated Press reports that around 1,200 people were killed in Israel on that day, and roughly 250 were taken hostage by Hamas.

Over 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October, according to the local health ministry. The majority of were women and children.

Tensions have been high in Ottawa and abroad since the conflict began. Bolton likened the divisive environment surrounding Oct. 7 to the deep political divisions over presidential candidates in the U.S.

Online pushback

Emma Grover has felt this tension first-hand. She's an active member of the Jewish student group Rohr Chabad Student Network of Ottawa, and actively shows her support for the hostages on Instagram. This has resulted in her receiving some pushback.

"I grew up in a Jewish community in Montreal, so over half my followers from back home are Jewish, so I didn't have any pushback from them," she said. "But when I came to university I had people un-follow me when I started posting on my story."

Grover said her only goal was to show support for those caught up in the fighting.

"I care about the people being hurt by the war," she said. "I don't support the Israeli government."

Rabbi Elizabeth (Liz) Bolton leads the Or Haneshamah Reconstructionist congregation in Ottawa. She said she hopes Passover will be a time when her congregation can connect and reflect on liberation, oppression and power. (Submitted by Elizabeth Bolton )

Taking the conflict into account during Seder 

Due to the varied reactions, Bolton said there won't be any unified response to the current conflict around the Seder table.

"For many it will be vital to do it exactly as they did it last year, and for others it will be vital to do something to acknowledge what has happened," she said.

Grover's familytook the events of Oct. 7 into account when they planned their Seder.

"I talked to my mom and we're having an empty table and putting the names of the hostages on the empty chairs," Grover said. It's her family's way of remembering those who won't be participating in their own Seder this year.

Bolton said Passover observances are meant to be flexible and to accommodate contemporary issues such as the current conflict.

One example of this is the inclusion of an orange on the Seder plate to represent LGBTQ members of the Jewish community and their experiences.

The Haggadah, the written guide to the Seder, has also accrued many additions over the centuries to reflect current issues.

"The nature of the Seder is to look at our experiences," Bolton said.

Seder leaders might send out messages to take on certain elements, steps or stages in their ritual so folks can bring readings that resonate with them.

Posters of Shiri, Yarden and Kfir Bibas, kidnapped and held hostage by the Palestinian militant group Hamas following the Oct. 7 attack, are placed on a table in a communal dining hall in the Israeli Kibbutz Nir Oz during a passover ceremony on April 11. (Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images)

A whole new range of emotions

Similarly to how there have been different responses to Oct. 7, there have been conflicting feelings surrounding celebrating Passover this year. Grover said celebrating feels like a contradiction for her.

"It's supposed to be a happy holiday," she said. "We're celebrating that we were set free yet all these years later people are still being helf hostage."

As a chaplain, Bolton said she understands why some may feel hesitant to celebrate this year.

"That is absolutely a response I see as one of deep empathy. I have no judgment to bring to bear on folks who are living with that in this moment," she said.

"For folks who need to acknowledge Passover in a different way this year, I understand that."