Inspiring Jews from Today: Israelis making Pesach in a warzone
The lead up to Pesach this year has been anything but normal.
Israeli parents have had their children home from school for weeks. Nights have been repeatedly interrupted. For many Israelis, daily life has been punctuated by repeated trips to mamads or bomb shelters.
And on top of all that, they prepare for Pesach. Shopping. Cleaning. Cooking.
Pesach is usually a time of movement in Israel.
Families travel across the country. Flights are full. Homes fill up with relatives. Plans are made weeks in advance for where everyone will be for the Seder night.
Many families also go away together. They travel with friends, stay in hotels, or go overseas to Pesach programs. It is a time of celebration, of being together, and of real anticipation.
This year looks very different.
Many families cannot gather as they normally would. Some have been displaced from their homes. Others are separated by war restrictions or reserve duty.
Trips have been cancelled. Reunions put on hold. Plans that are usually fixed and joyful have been disrupted.
Families that would normally come together are staying apart because not every home has appropriate shelter. Elderly parents are remaining close to their mamads, instead of travelling to be with children whose homes may not be safe in a time of war.
Instead, seders will be held in temporary accommodation, on army bases, and in smaller, quieter settings than anyone would have chosen. Seders will be held in communal bomb shelters.
Pesach will go on. The Seder will go on.
Because life goes on. And Israelis carry on with it.