Interfaith Passover Seder at the LA Museum of Tolerance celebrates unity
Ahead of the eight-day Jewish Passover festival, which this year begins at sundown Monday, April 22, interfaith leaders joined the Jewish Federation Los Angeles and community partners for a unity Seder meal.
The annual Interfaith Passover Seder on Tuesday, April 16 was themed “Hashivenu: Resilience and The Power of the Passover Story.” The reverent night was hosted at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, together with L.A. vs Hate, the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations and other partners.
The event convened 200 interfaith and elected leaders at the museum to share in and explore universal themes of the Passover story: resilience, strength, freedom and triumph over adversity, organizers said.
The Seder featured a special Haggadah — the ceremonial book used on Passover eve, which guides participants through a ritual-filled Seder meal, telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt — and a program that touched on current events in the Mideast, officials said.
Rabbi Noah Farkas, President and CEO of Jewish Federation Los Angeles, addressed the crowd at the evening Seder service at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles on April 16, 2024. (Courtesy of Jennifer Dekel / Jewish Federation Los Angeles)
Rabbi Sarah Hronsky, President of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California and a Senior Rabbi at Temple Beth Hillel, with James McKnight, pastor at the Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship. Rabbi Hronsky and Pastor McKnight led the evening Seder service and ritual at the L.A. Museum of Tolerance on April 16, 2024. (Courtesy of Jennifer Dekel / Jewish Federation Los Angeles)
The First AME Church and Temple Isaiah choirs perform together at the interfaith Passover Seder service, held at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles on April 16, 2024. (Courtesy of Jennifer Dekel / Jewish Federation Los Angeles)
A traditional meal included dinner and dessert, with inspiring musical performances by the FAME Church of Los Angeles and Temple Isaiah choirs.
The evening, featuring both Jewish and Christian traditions, was a celebration of “the allyship we are proud to share with the diverse communities of our city,” officials said.
“Our Interfaith Seder sparked conversations and honored our Seder traditions, providing deeper understanding of the values which sustain us and empower us to thrive,” said Rabbi Noah Farkas, President and CEO of Jewish Federation Los Angeles, after the event.
“While much of the past few months have been defined by trauma, sadness, and uncertainty, our hope is that the Seder’s participants walked away with an understanding of Jewish resilience and Jewish joy. We know that there is so much more that unites us than divides us. For we are all part of one local community with shared values of kindness, compassion, and friendship.”
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