בְכָל דוֹר וָדוֹר

April 22, 2024

I will never forget the look of absolute fear on the face of the Israeli news anchor as she reported from the teleprompter: “It is now confirmed that Iran has launched ballistic missiles toward Israel.” Her face immediately turned white as if she had seen a ghost, and she did a double take, taking a moment to re-read the seemingly incomprehensible news scrolling across the screen.

In many ways, the six months since October 7th have taught us that nothing should be surprising to us as a Jewish people. Yet, speaking firsthand with my family and friends in Israel, I can tell you that the 10 minutes between that dreadful announcement and the subsequent images of intercepted ballistic missiles illuminating the skies over Jerusalem and southern Israel were among the most intense, stressful, and nerve-wracking moments in the history of our nation.

Tonight, as we gather around the Seder table, our youngest children will ask —מַה נִּשְׁתַּנָּה הַלַּיְלָה הַזֶּה מִכָּל הַלֵּילוֹת: “What is different about this night from all other nights?” This year, we find ourselves with many profound answers to this important question—as individual Jews, as a Jewish community, as a people, and as a nation.

The past few months have tested the Jewish world. We have seen unprecedented Jewish hatred on our streets, and it seems that by October 8th, the world had forgotten the atrocities committed by Hamas. Even more alarming is that the world has also forgotten the 133 children, women, and men still held hostage by a terrorist organization, one that has repeatedly proven to treat our people in the most inhumane ways.

Passover reminds us that in every generation, there have been those bent on destroying the Jewish people, and it has been our unity and belief in G-d that have saved us. The verses of וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה, which we recite in the Haggadah this evening, are as true today as they have been in every generation. The post-October 7th world is now the battle of today’s generation, and we have seen this generation rise to the occasion and stand for what is right and just with remarkable bravery and resilience that many of us feared would be absent when called upon. And yet, whether in Israel or on university and CEGEP campuses, this generation is proving that Jewish unity and resilience will overcome and that we do not fear those who seek to destroy us.

Our Jewish community is resilient and strong. Under the leadership and support of Federation CJA, we have taken unprecedented action to ensure that our community is safe and that Jewish life in Montreal will continue to thrive, as it has for more than 250 years. To this end, I am proud to share with you a recent victory: this past Friday, our incredible legal team succeeded in extending, for an additional six months, the injunction protecting 30 Jewish institutions from anti-Israel and terrorist-supporting aggressors. This achievement is just one of many strategies we are using to ensure that Jews in Montreal are safe.

Federation CJA has been at the forefront of advocating for, supporting, and securing our Jewish community against the growing threats of antisemitism and Jewish hate. This has required a completely different approach to doing business.

Ma Nishtana has taken on a whole new meaning. Every day, Federation CJA works tirelessly to ensure our Jewish community remains vibrant and thriving—by promoting Jewish education and Jewish experiences, supporting the most vulnerable among us, caring for our seniors and Holocaust survivors, offering cultural experiences, and advancing Jewish causes. Over the past six months, we have significantly increased our investments in security, advocacy, and legal action in response to unprecedented challenges. More than ever, we will need our community’s support this year to continue these vital efforts. One thing is clear: we are not returning to how things were on October 6th. It is up to us to define what the post-October 7th world will look like. Together, united, resilient, and strong. We will succeed.

As each of us sits at our Seder table tonight and asks Ma Nishtana, we must reflect on how October 7th has impacted us as individuals. We each carry our stories and scars from the past six months, which we must acknowledge as we build strength and resilience for the future. Our Jewish future here in Montreal is strong and promising. Federation CJA has helped shape this city, province, and country for over a century and will continue to do so as a thriving, robust Jewish community for generations to come.

This Passover night, let us keep not only a chair for Eliyahu but also an empty chair for our hostages. Let us pray for their immediate and safe release; let us pray for our brave soldiers and for our beloved Israel.

Am Israel Chai.

Chag Pesach Samech V’Kasher

Yair Szlak, LL.B
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Federation CJA