DETROIT (WWJ)- Jewish Voice for Peace held a Passover Seder in front of the federal building—while thousands descended to downtown Detroit for the NFL draft— calling for Senator Gary Peters and Senator Debbie Stabenow to work toward achieving a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
“In grief and rage, members of Jewish Voice for Peace Detroit called for the United States to stop sending weapons and funding to the Israeli military after six months of the Israeli military’s bombardment of Gaza,” the Jewish Voice For Peace press release read.
Some protesters wore kippahs and tallit (traditional Jewish prayer garments), and black shirts saying “Not in Our Name,” sang songs and chanted “Never again is now, Never agin is for anyone.” They read from the Haggadah (Jewish text read on Passover), shared poetry by Gazans who lost their lives in the war, and recited the Kaddish, a Jewish prayer for mourning.
“Passover is the holiday of freedom and Palestinians in Gaza are seeking their liberation. To me, the only way to honor Passover this year was to organize in solidarity for the end to this genocide and a future where Palestinians and all people can be free” said Amy Belfer, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace Detroit.
The Associated Press reports the Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas War is about 34,305, and the Israeli death toll about 1,200 from the Hamas-led raid on southern Israel on October 7th, 2023—during which about 250 Israeli civilians were also abducted. Gaza’s Health Ministry said about two thirds of the people killed in Gaza were women and children. Tens of thousands more were injured in Gaza, and millions displaced. According to the UN report, the "worst famine" in 2023 was in Gaza. The World Health Organization reports “access to healthcare (in Gaza) has now become ‘totally inadequate’ following six months of brutal fighting between Israel forces and Palestinian militants.”
"Passover is the holiday of liberation where Jewish people retell the story of the ancient Israelites’ journey from enslavement in Egypt to freedom. Throughout history, Jews have interpreted this holiday to respond to grave injustices of the current moment,” the press release said.
The Jewish Voice for Peace calls itself the “largest progressive Jewish Anti-Zionist organization in the world.” They have coordinated hundreds of protests in Detroit, “peacefully blocked” the Nation’s Capitol, overtaken the Statue of Liberty and blocked eight bridges in eight different cities on the eighth night of Hanukah. They say their Jewish tradition is “grounded in pikuach nefesh, the imperative to save every life.”
About thirty people participated in Friday’s march in Detroit.