How Will the Economy Affect Passover This Year?

This evening marks the first night of Passover and as Jews around the world prepare their seders I can’t help but think about the economy. Will its effects be seen at the Passover table this year?

An online search soon revealed the grim truth. According to a recent article in The Forward, kosher food banks and soup kitchens around the country are struggling to meet demand increases as high as 75% in some areas. As layoffs continue and families are forced to cut back, those who once supported food banks are clients this year. It’s a sad state of affairs made even worse by the feelings of shame many people experience when forced to rely on others to meet their basic needs. As Eric Schockman, president of MAZON, puts it: “I personally know people who were volunteering [at soup kitchens] and now are standing in the line. They are so ashamed, they won’t let me tell you their names.” The elderly and families with young children have been hit particularly hard.

What to do with this knowledge? There are many ways we can take action: volunteer in soup kitchens, donate to food banks, or even ask your rabbi if there is a local initiative the delivers meals to those in need. But more than this, once Passover has ended it’s important that we don’t forget members of our community who have fallen on hard times. After all, their need does not end when the sun goes down on the last day of Passover.