AJWS Creates 'Fifth Question' for Passover Seder

Passover represents opportunity to reflect on present-day suffering by 'strangers' and to affirm commitment to act.

Why is this night different from all other nights?

New York, NY (Issues Wire / PRWEB) April 15, 2008 -- American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development organization dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality, is actively encouraging Jews to add a "Fifth Question" to the traditional "Four Questions" portion of the Passover seder.

In order to promote its suggested addition to the Passover seder, AJWS developed a two-sided card that it mailed in bulk to rabbis throughout the United States for distribution to their congregants. The Fifth Question, which reads: "How can we make this year different from all other years", addresses present-day suffering in the world and calls on Jews to "recommit to that sacred responsibility to protect the stranger, particularly those vulnerable strangers in faraway places whose suffering is so often ignored."

According to AJWS President Ruth W. Messinger, ongoing tragedies such as the genocide in Darfur should remind Jews of their own history. The genocide in Darfur has entered its sixth year and has accounted for more than 450,000 deaths and 2.5 million displaced persons. Passover represents an ideal occasion to reflect on Jewish suffering while affirming an imperative to respond to the injustices inflicted on others.

Messinger said, "Jews are all too familiar with the kind of suffering that is getting worse by the day in places like Darfur. If the teachings of Passover are to have any present-day meaning, it is of paramount importance that we use this holiday to reflect on events that are happening before our eyes and to commit ourselves to doing everything we possibly can to help those who are the most vulnerable."

In addition to the Fifth Question, AJWS also suggests that Jews infuse the message of global social responsibility into the traditional answer to the first of the four questions, "Why is this night different from all other nights?"

"During Passover we are reminded that our legacy as descendents of slaves creates in us a different kind of responsibility," answers the AJWS reading. "We are to protect the stranger because we were strangers in the land of Egypt."

About AJWS
American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is an international development organization motivated by Judaism's imperative to pursue justice. AJWS is dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality. Through grants to grassroots organizations, volunteer service, advocacy and education, AJWS fosters civil society, sustainable development and human rights for all people, while promoting the values and responsibilities of global citizenship within the Jewish community.

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darfur ajws american jewish world service ruth messinger jewish jews passover seder four questions

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