On Passover, Gratitude for Those Standing in Solidarity with Jews

As Passover begins tonight, I’ll do what I’ve done for most of my life to mark the occasion by joining friends and family for a seder dinner. But for the past few years, this beautiful Jewish tradition has been more emotional and meaningful than ever before. That’s because the dinner I attend, near Bucknell University in central Pennsylvania, is joined by quite a few non-Jews. This was not the case in earlier years, but in the wake of the attacks of October 7, 2023, they’ve come to show support for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. It’s time they got some public credit.

I was a sophomore at Bucknell when the terrorists went on their spree of murder and rape across southern Israel. Like so many American campuses, mine was overrun with antisemitism in the days and months that followed. Protests swept across the quad, decrying not Hamas but Israel and her people. A Hebrew studies professor was the target of vandalism. Hateful messages were scrawled on walkways and walls all over campus.

JL

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Jack Lieblein

Jack Lieblein is a postgraduate leadership associate at the Open Discourse Coalition.

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As Passover begins tonight, I’ll do what I’ve done for most of my life to mark the occasion by joining friends and family for a seder dinner. But for the past few years, this beautiful Jewish tradition has been more emotional and meaningful than ever before. That’s because the dinner I attend, near Bucknell University in central Pennsylvania, is joined by quite a few non-Jews. This was not the case in earlier years, but in the wake of the attacks of October 7, 2023, they’ve come to show support for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. It’s time they got some public credit.

I was a sophomore at Bucknell when the terrorists went on their spree of murder and rape across southern Israel. Like so many American campuses, mine was overrun with antisemitism in the days and months that followed. Protests swept across the quad, decrying not Hamas but Israel and her people. A Hebrew studies professor was the target of vandalism. Hateful messages were scrawled on walkways and walls all over campus.