Pesach

Tonight we will again join friends

In celebration of the Passover.

There will be songs that toast life,

And the story of the Jews leaving Egypt.

Surely the existence of a vibrant Jewish community

At least 3000 years after its birth borders on the miraculous?

No doubt the unflagging persecution of the Jews

Bears heavily on the persistence of this tribe.

Yet the prayers offered to that most singular of god’s, Adonai,

Have, since I was fourteen, caused me distress and anger.

The recitation of each blessing that “would have been enough”

Belongs to a time that might have been, but is no more.

One need not be Jewish to find life treacherous,

Nor do Jews have a monopoly on suffering.

But to assume an omniscient and omnipotent deity

And look elsewhere for the evils of the Holocaust is unacceptable.

Let me look about this Pesach table

And rejoice in the company of good people.

I will share in the singing, the food, and the laughter,

And thank my hosts and good fortune.