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Avi Benlolo: This Passover, we're not just retelling the Exodus story, we're living it.

The ancient story of oppression and liberation has become our daily reality

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This Passover matters more than ever before. We are reminded that in every generation, an enemy rises to threaten our freedom.

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This year, and since October 7, we’ve been confronting multiple enemies. In the past, threats have been siloed against geographical centers, for example, Egypt, Spain and Germany. Today, the threat against the Jewish world is globalized.

Avi Benlolo: This Passover, we're not just retelling the Exodus story, we're living it. Back to video

This new form of international antisemitism has many tentacles around the world: the far left, the far right and most significantly, from Islamists. It demands strength, courage, resilience and unity.

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This Passover, we are not merely retelling ancient history, we are living it in every moment as our synagogues are shot at, our children are targeted on school campuses and the media disproportionately targets Israel.

The Passover story is grounded in oppression, slavery and, certainly, in antisemitism. It is a living mandate for the Jewish people passed on from one generation to the next. Yes, we were slaves in Egypt. But more importantly, we were liberated by taking matters into our own hands. The Exodus is not just about what happened, but what is happening right now. Antisemitism is meant to keep us down — to make us feel inferior, marginalized and oppressed.

Our fight against our tormentors is international. With the exception of Israel — the one Jewish state — we are a small minority in every other place in which we live. But if we have survived slavery, inquisitions and the Holocaust, history predicts we will prevail, while our enemies will be vanquished. The Mullahs in Iran, and their proxies in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen are paying a heavy price for coming after Israel. Like the Egyptians in the story of Passover, they are being pummeled and punished relentlessly to stop targeting us.

The Haggadah — the story read over Passover — shows we cannot wait passively for liberation. We cannot follow, endure, and expect the world around us to be righteous. It’s not. We are obligated to act proactively and defensively against our tormentors, especially those like Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran who rise to destroy us. This fight is not a sprint. It’s a marathon. There is no room for fatigue. Our enemies should know that our courage is inherited from our ancestors.

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Because we have been slaves. Because we have been forced to convert or flee our homes. And because we were brought to near extinction as six million of our brothers and sisters were murdered, we never take freedom for granted. It’s not a gift. Our freedom today, here in Canada, and in the West, must be defended and protected.

The dangers of division, identity politics and moral confusion threaten to weaken our shared foundation. Democracy is under threat. Our institutions and even political parties are being strategically undermined and hijacked. Did you see the Palestinian flag on the stage at the NDP convention as its new leader, Avi Lewis, made his acceptance speech? The Canadian flag was nowhere to be seen when it should have been front and centre. No matter your political views, this should be a wake-up call for Canadians who care about our future.

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We are living in a new era. The hatred of Jews is more sophisticated and globalized. Technology has transmitted more antisemitic material to naïve recipients than Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels could have even dreamt about. The Jews of Egypt may have been alone, without allies, as were the majority of Jews in Europe during the Holocaust, but not today, in case you haven’t noticed.

Our friends and allies recognize that the story of Passover is also a human story. They know that the same forces that targeted Jews then and now also challenge the very principles which democratic societies are built upon today. We see this now as Iran’s continued efforts to destabilize the region are also threatening global security and the international order. The chaos bad actors create often begins with one targeted people, but it rarely ends there.

Passover calls for true solidarity among the righteous and moral. In ancient days, G-d “passed over” the good and punished the evil (hence the name, Passover). So too, even while evil has globalized, people of goodwill are connecting around the world in defiance. They are coming together in solidarity to stand against evil. Many understand that an attack on one community, is an attack on us all. Good always prevails.

This is our generation’s test. The story of Passover is not only about freedom won — it is about freedom defended. And in our time, that responsibility belongs to each of us.

Avi Abraham Benlolo is CEO and chairman of The Abraham Global Peace Initiative.

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