Passover - Member Statement

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the beginning of Passover last night. Jewish communities around our province and around the world gathered around the Seder table to celebrate the Festival of Freedom and Perseverance, as many will again tonight. Passover, or Pesach, commemorates the biblical story of Moses and the Israelites' exodus from Egypt and their journey to freedom.

We tell this story, the Haggadah, so that we remember and so that our children remember both the hardship and the liberation. In 2023 we see a rise of anti-Semitism globally and at home alongside a broader rise of hate and intolerance. As legislators we must take seriously our responsibility here in the House and in the communities we represent to stand against prejudice, hatred, intolerance, and exclusion.

I want to thank the President of the Atlantic Jewish Council, Arik Drucker, and the members Roni Omessi, Joanna Mirsky Wexler, Naomi Besser, and Aviva Rubin-Schneider for joining us yesterday to mark this important holiday. I ask all members of the House to join me in wishing a Happy Passover to all those observing. Chag Sameach.