Passover table set for a different tone this year, says Ottawa rabbi [Video]

Passover began at sundown Monday, and for many Jewish people in Canada, celebrating the major holiday this year may feel different due to the current conflict in the Middle East. 

Rabbi Elizabeth (Liz) Bolton is the rabbi at Or Haneshamah, a Reconstructionist congregation in Ottawa. Bolton was ordained in 1996 and moved to Ottawa from Baltimore in 2013. 

Passover is the celebration of the Jews escape from slavery in Egypt. The Seder is a dinner that happens on the first two nights of Passover. The story of the escape is told through songs and stories, and matzah (unleavened bread) and maror (bitter herbs) are served.

Bolton spoke with CBC Radio’s Ottawa Morning about what she’ll be thinking about when she sits down at the Seder table this year. 

“Like many, I’ll be thinking why is this Passover different from all other Passovers. The story this year is deeply impacted for the Jewish people worldwide by Oct. 7,” …