Freedom Today

Freedom Today: Perspectives on Passover in a Post-Dobbs America

The holiday of Passover celebrates the Israelites’ freedom from slavery. Through the rituals of the seder, we are supposed to see ourselves as if we, too, have gone out from Egypt, as if we have been liberated from bondage. The foods that we eat, the words we recite, and even the way we sit (reclining) are all meant to help us recall the journey from slavery to freedom.

As we approach Passover this year, less than a year since the Dobbs decision took away our constitutional right to abortion, it seems hard to imagine a celebration of freedom. As our home state of Indiana, like so many states across the country, have banned people from accessing the full spectrum of reproductive care, we approach this Passover with a new perspective on freedom and our lack thereof. Freedom is the right to control one’s own body and to make one’s own reproductive choices. As we approach Passover this year, we remember that until all of us are free, none of us are free.

This blog series includes posts from Jews from across the country who have reflected on the Passover season, zman cheiruteinu, this time of our freedom and what that means in a Post-Dobbs America.