As Israel prepares to celebrate Passover, the national mood is tempered by the stark reality that dozens of its citizens remain held captive in Gaza by Hamas. This Passover marks the second year that Israeli families must contend with empty seats at their Seder tables—symbolic reminders of innocent men, women, and children abducted on October 7th, 2023, in the deadliest terror attack against Jews since the Holocaust.
The Seder, traditionally a night of recounting the Exodus from ancient bondage to freedom, is imbued this year with pressing concerns both communal and personal. Citizens across Israel are being encouraged to leave an empty chair at their tables as a gesture of solidarity with the hostages and to focus their prayers on their swift release. The initiative resonates throughout the country and Jewish communities worldwide, strengthening collective resolve not to forget or abandon those in captivity.
Passover, or Pesach, commemorates not only a historical miracle but also the enduring values of freedom and national identity. In synagogues and homes, faith leaders emphasize the Haggadah’s omission of Moses’ name, reminding worshippers that the redemption from Egypt was solely a divine intervention—a message many see as especially poignant given Israel’s current struggle. Rabbis and commentators relate this message to the present, reinforcing belief in Israel’s resilience and the pursuit of justice against those who would erase it.
The backdrop to these Seder gatherings is a nation still coming to terms with the trauma of the October 7th massacre, when Hamas terrorists—acting on orders from their Iranian sponsors—breached Israel’s borders, killing over 1,200 people and abducting more than 250. Extensive documentation has revealed systematic war crimes: massacre of civilians, sexual violence, mutilation, and the abduction of families, including children and elderly. Israel’s response, Operation Iron Swords, continues to target Hamas’s infrastructure with the aim of eradicating the terror threat and recovering the hostages.
This conflict is neither isolated nor limited to Gaza. Israeli officials and strategic analysts repeatedly stress that the war is part of a broader campaign orchestrated by Iran and its terror proxies: Hezbollah in Lebanon, Islamic Jihad, the Houthis in Yemen, and affiliated groups in Syria and Iraq. The aim of these Iranian-backed militias remains the destruction of the Jewish state, and each attempted or actual attack on Israeli civilians is viewed through this wider lens of existential struggle. The fate of the hostages is a flashpoint not only in Israeli society but also in its broader war against Iranian-led terrorism in the region.
Public campaigns for the hostages’ return are omnipresent in Israeli daily life. Rallies, marches, and vigils punctuate city plazas and border towns, while support networks provide mental health care, legal assistance, and meals to hostage families and communities displaced by continued rocket attacks. The hostages’ images are posted across the country, their names recited in prayers, and their stories retold in media appeals to the international community. Diplomatic efforts to secure their release have so far produced partial agreements mediated by third parties, yet most remain in captivity as Hamas continues to demand the release of convicted terrorists, exposing the false equivalence at the heart of these negotiations.
For a population shaped by generations of upheaval and redemption, Passover 2024 is especially poignant. The ritual of cleaning out chametz—leavened bread, and symbolically, arrogance, anger, and division—has acquired new significance. Rabbinic leaders have called for personal and national introspection, urging all Israelis to overcome divides and support those enduring the greatest hardship. The message is clear: a unified Israel is best positioned to withstand the external threats it faces, and the safe return of all hostages is a moral imperative that transcends politics or personal interest.
Across Israel and the global Jewish diaspora, Passover this year is less an escape into tradition than an act of solidarity and resistance. In cities from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to Paris and New York, families are using the Seder to draw strength and reaffirm the nation’s core values. The call to imagine the hostages at the Seder table, to direct prayers toward their deliverance, and to never grow complacent in the face of terror, has unified communities across all backgrounds and political divisions.
Freedom remains the central theme of the holiday—this year, experienced not as a distant memory but as an urgent, collective longing. Israelis draw upon the ancient story of Exodus, believing not only in eventual deliverance for those still in bondage, but also in the ultimate defeat of terror and the affirmation of Israel’s sovereign right to defend its citizens.
Passover 2024 encapsulates the national ethos: vigilance, perseverance, and unwavering hope. While the empty seats at Seder tables serve as reminders of pain, they also symbolize the nation’s commitment to its people, its security, and its future. As the story of ancient redemption is read around the world, Israelis—and all who stand with them—affirm that the fight for freedom continues, and that Israel will never surrender to terror.
