In a quest to introduce discussion of food, social justice, and ethical consumption to the Passover Seder, Uri L’Tzedek has created the Food and Justice Haggadah Supplement. Along with the Uri L’Tzedek team, 26 collaborators contributed essays that make up the supplement, among them Nigel Savage, Hazon’s Executive Director.
Uri L’Tzedek is an Orthodox social justice organization whose mission is to fight suffering and oppression. Through their work in community based education, leadership development and action, they aim to create discourse, inspire leaders, and empower the Jewish community towards creating a more just world. In the Food and Justice Haggadah Supplement, they have created a thought-provoking collection of short reflections on topics including hunger, labor and exploitation, responsibility to the poor, ethical consumption, ethics of eating, and redemption, all of which build from the structure and story of the Seder. Scattered throughout the supplement are various “ACT” suggestions, featuring easy ways that readers can transform all of these ideas into action.
In his contribution, Nigel explains that Passover teaches consciousness, restraint, and the responsibility to share with others, and urges the reader to apply these lessons to all meals during the rest of the year. He ends by reminding Seder-goers, “Amidst the stories of the Haggadah, the praises of Hallel and the familiar songs that close the evening, we eat a meal together. Its central message is that the freedoms we celebrate confer responsibility; that freedom from want implies also freedom to choose; and that the meals we eat with others are the locus of who we are in the world and what we stand for.”
The Food and Justice Haggadah Supplement is an easy way to add a social justice dimension to the Passover Seder, and we encourage you to download a copy here, and to use it in your Seders this year!