JR’s editor Rebecca Taylor delves into the magazine's archive to unearth stories of inspiration and triumph for Passover
For me, the best Seders combine family traditions with something quirky, thought-provoking or fun (how could I forget the year my group of friends did ‘Passover charades’ – the 10 plagues were a big hit as far as I remember). So if you too are looking for something inspiring for your Seder table, this is a reminder that JR has a wonderful back catalogue, stretching over 20 years to our very first magazine.
There’s the beautiful JR Haggadah in our Spring 2022 issue, which was inspired by Ester Gluck, who died at the age of 24. In her short life, Ester was committed to helping refugees and, after her death, her mother Angela set up a charity, The Separated Child Foundation, to offer support to unaccompanied children who arrive in the UK as refugees.
© Kuchinate
For that issue, we asked writers, poets, artists and photographers to choose a part of the Passover story that resonated with them to interpret in any way they wanted. The resulting contributions touched on many of the themes of exile and freedom that were so dear to Ester, encompassing art by David Breuer-Weil, Sophie Herxheimer, Tom Berry and Jacqueline Nicholls, original poems by Maia Elsner and Michael Rosen, and a striking photo essay that followed the Passover preparations of Hannah and Moishe, a couple based in the small Jewish community of eastern Uganda.
One of Judaism’s most fabulous tenets reminds us that we shall not ‘oppress a stranger’, for ‘ye were strangers in the land of Egypt’ (Exodus 22:21). You can see this ancient conviction being put into modern day practice in dozens of stories across our archive, including a piece on Kuchinate (Summer 2020), a Tel Aviv project set up to help African refugee women who've fled their homelands and made the often dangerous journey across the Sinai to Israel. This remarkable collective helps the women create crocheted carpets, baskets and clothes to sell and has also led to a collaboration with the Israeli artist Gil Yefman, resulting in exhibits of their work in museums across Israel and, in 2020, an international art exhibition in Sweden.
© ABACA/PA Images
Elsewhere in our archive you'll find tales of courage in the face of oppression, such as my interview with Nobuki Sugihara (Summer 2021). Nobuki is the son of Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat based in Kaunas, Lithuania, during World War II, who issued visas to 6,000 Jewish refugees. Or follow the heartbreaking story of Armita Abbasi (Winter 2023), the young Jewish Iranian woman who was abducted, raped and held by the Iranian authorities after taking part in the pro-womens’ rights demonstrations in Iran in 2022. Thankfully, Armita was eventually released last year.
I’m lucky to work with such talented writers, photographers and illustrators in every issue of JR and I’m sure that wherever you search in the archive you’ll find something to ignite conversation and curiosity.
Wishing you a happy Passover!
By Rebecca Taylor
Header illustration by Tom Berry
Use the search box below to browse the entire JR archive. Full articles are only available to subscribers. Subscriptions start from as little as £28 per year. subscribe.jewishrenaissance.org.uk