The Jubilee Haggadah: Proclaim liberty throughout the land for all its inhabitants

The fiftieth year is the year of liberty. In the jubilee year, we are commanded to return expropriated lands to their owners and to liberate slaves. As written in Leviticus, “Sanctify the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land for all its inhabitants.” This is the fiftieth year of the State of Israel’s rule over the Palestinian people. The time has come for liberty and peace. The Jubilee Haggadah conjoins the commandment to proclaim liberty throughout the land with the celebration of Passover, the festival of liberty. Authors and thinkers from throughout the Jewish world have joined together — in commentary, song, and moral outcry — and proposed contemporary interpretations to sections of the Haggadah. Because liberty is not only for us, but for all human beings. From Haviva Pedaya to Leon Wieseltier, from Michael Melchior to Carol Gilligan, from Amos Oz to Sarah Silverman, in this fiftieth year, we are proclaiming liberty throughout this land for all its inhabitants.