Jews from all around the world are preparing for the annual, week-long holiday of Passover, or Pesach, as it is known in Hebrew. Passover commemorates the Israelites' escape from slavery in ancient Egypt after the Pharaoh enslaved the Jews and killed every newborn son. However, one of the sons, Moses, was saved by the Pharaoh’s daughter and was later told by God to convince the Pharaoh to release the Israelites.  The Pharaoh refused, prompting God to bring ten consecutive plagues down on Egypt, sparing the Israelites, and instructing them to kill a lamb. They were instructed to brush lamb's blood on their door frames so that the plagues and the avenging angel would "pass over" their homes. The herbs on the Seder plate, the centerpiece of Passover, stand for the bitterness of slavery, with the roasted shank bone representing the lamb. An egg, standing for new life, is also on the plate, with vegetables dipped in saltwater, symbolizing the tears of enslaved Israelites.  Jews eat unleavened bread three times, drink wine four times, read from a Haggadah (a guide to the rite), and recount the story of Passover. The holiday lasts a week in Israel and eight days around the world, marking the week in which the Israelites were pursued by the Egyptians.Â
Passover celebrations this year will again occur amid anxieties and divisions among many Jews related to the unresolved Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza and the specter of widespread antisemitism.
