And You Shall Teach Your Children: From Egypt to Hamas

Passover is around the corner and you’ll be sitting down with family and guests to share the greatest story ever told, continuing the unbroken chain of Jewish tradition dating back to the great Exodus itself.

This year, Passover will take on new added significance. For the Jewish People have experienced firsthand that what began in Egypt, an attempt to break the nation’s will that continues till this very day. Knowing the Jewish People’s modern-day history is as fundamental as knowing our ancient history.

This year, Passover night should indeed be “different from all other nights.” It should include the story how the Jewish People have evolved, the miracles of the modern-day State of Israel, and Israel’s current “Egyptian tormentors,” Hamas.

Here are ten important points to teach your children about modern-day Israel and the current conflict:

1. An understanding of how connected Israel is to our history from the very beginning. The very first words God spoke to our Forefather Abraham was “Go for yourself to the Land that I will show you.” Israel has been a part of us, throughout our history.

2. The Jewish People always remained connected to Israel. It is in countless numbers of our prayers and fills much of the Biblical story. It is where Moses yearned to go to, but was not privileged to, as his successor was the first to lead Israel into the Promised Land.

3. In modern-day history, the Jewish People yearned to return to their ancient homeland and to feel safe. It felt especially urgent as the Jewish People were expelled from many Arab countries, and also endured the Holocaust, the largest Jewish tragedy we have ever endured.

4. The birth of the State of Israel was ushered in by a UN vote, and also included a state for the Palestinian People. It was the Arab world who refused to accept this and invaded tiny Israel.

5. During this war, many Palestinians fled their homes to make way for the invading armies. They were not forcibly removed by Jews. They became refugees, while those who stayed in their homes became full-fledged citizens of Israel. Israel is the home to over a million Israeli Arabs to this day, who enjoy all of the same rights of Jews.

6. Over the years, Israel has been forced to fight in many wars, but they were wars of self-defense to protect its own People. Israel was not been the aggressor.

7. In 1967, there was another war where Israel was able to win more land, Gaza and the West Bank, but again it was won in a war of self-defense. Even still Israel has offered many times to give back a lot of this land in exchange for peace, but it was refused. Gaza was offered back to Egypt but it was refused. Over the years, Israel has made peace with many of its neighbors and desperately wishes for peace with all of its neighbors.

8. After Hamas, a terrorist organization with a goal of destroying Israel, took over Gaza in 2007, Israel was forced to put restrictions on the people to make sure Hamas could not sneak into Israel and to try to make sure they could not smuggle in weapons into Israel.

9. Israel has given in to accepting many ceasefires with Hamas even though it left Hamas intact. Only when it was brutally attacked on October 7^th was it forced to respond and try to destroy Hamas completely. The war is not on the innocent people in Gaza, it is just on Hamas. Hamas hides behind civilians to try to make Israel look bad by getting civilians killed by Israel.

10. Israel is not intentionally starving the people of Gaza. They need to search all aid trucks that enters Gaza for weapons, which takes a long time. Also, many of the aid trucks are attacked in Gaza by people in Hamas. Israel has coordinated with the US to open a new temporary port in Gaza for more food and aid.

It is important for our children to know that Israel is something to be proud of, not ashamed of, and that we are indeed, a beacon of light for the world. So, this Passover, teach your children some of Israel’s modern-day story as well. Let them ask questions and initiate a dialogue. And may next year see a Jerusalem rebuilt, free from our enemies just as the ancient Egyptians are. Am Yisrael Chai, the Jewish People Live!

Rabbi Yisroel Juskowitz is the author of a new children’s book called “What Does Israel Mean to Us? Explaining to our Tweens Israel’s Significance and Moral Standing.”