Statement from the President on Passover

Jill and I send our best wishes to everyone celebrating Passover in the United States, the State of Israel, and around the world.

At its heart, the Passover story is one of overcoming adversity and finding hope, of summoning the resilience and resolve to emerge from a long dark night to a brighter morning.

It’s a story of recognition that our own rights are bound up with the rights of our neighbors, and that none of us is free until all of us are free.

It’s a story of faith, a reminder that even in the face of oppression, there is reason for hope.

Though this celebration is Jewish, its message is universal. This year, it resonates anew for a generation that has seen a terrible virus leave empty chairs at too many of our nation’s tables, one that knows the oppression and injustice of our world all too well.

This year, we need the Passover story and the hope it provides more than ever.

As we close our Seders with the familiar refrain, “Next year in Jerusalem,” we will now offer an additional prayer: Next year in person. Next year, together.