Passover past and present – A story of human slavery

Last week marked the Jewish festival of Pesach (Passover), which recalls when Moses led his followers out of Egypt, free from a life of slavery. I was fortunate to go to an interfaith Seder (Passover meal) and learn all about this festival.

Also know as “The Festival of Freedom”, Passover is a reflection of Jewish history, slavery, human suffering and the importance of freedom and human rights. The festival dates back to the time when Pharaoh refused to released the Children of Israel from slavery. As a result, ten plagues first ensued, affecting the Egyptians living in ancient Egypt. What followed were:

1. The Plague of Blood: God turned the River Nile into blood. Fish died and the water stank.
2. The Plague of Frogs: Frogs were everywhere all over the land!
3. The Plague of Lice: Dust was turned into lice. The lice then crawled on people and animals.
4. The Plague of Flies: The land was take over by swarms of flies.
5. The Plague on Livestock: Horses, cattle, donkeys, camels, sheep and goats all died.
6. The Plague of Boils: Livestock and the Egyptian population broke out on festering boils.
7. The Plague of Hail: A terrible hailstorm hit the land, destroying crops and killing people and animals.
8. The Plague of Locusts: A mass of locusts destroyed the land’s crops.
9. The Plague of Darkness: For three days, Egypt was covered in darkness.
10. The Plague on the Firstborn: Every first-born son was killed. The homes of the Israelites were spared – the angel would “pass over” them. This is where the name “Passover” comes from.

The Israelites then fled the land of Egypt out of slavery. Now this was my first Passover Seder and I’m by no means an expert – hence, if you want to know about the religious history and elements of Passover Seders, you can find out more here. For Christians, you’ll find the history of this festival in the Book of Exodus. For me though, this was not just a great chance to learn about Passover traditions and Jewish history, but also about Judaism and Jewish values themselves and how such history and values relate to our multi-faith world today.

As a reminder of the slavery the Jewish people faced, we were introduced to “10 modern plagues” in the form of human slavery in the modern era. These are as follows:

1. Sexual exploitation: Trafficking women and children for sexual exploitation is the “fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world” (Equality Now).
2. Forced labour: 21 million people worldwide are forced to work against their will (ILO).
3. Street crime and begging: Children are forced to beg, pick pocket and shoplift by adults in the UK and other countries worldwide.
4. Domestic servitude: Forced to work for little or no play, deprived of sleep, rest and leisure, the ILO estimates that more under 16 year old girls work in domestic labour than any other category of forced labour.
5. Drug cultivation and trade: The most widespread form of child labour at present is for cannabis cultivation (Unchosen).
6. Human organ harvesting and trade: Imagine having your organs stolen and sold on the black market, forming part of a trade which generates between $600 million – $1.2 billion in profits a year across a range of countries…
7. Debt bondage: This is the most common but lesser known form of modern slavery today.
8. Illegal adoption: This terrible phenomenon is especially prevalent in China, where an estimated 10,000 children a year are trafficked for forced begging, illegal adoption and sex slavery.
9. Warfare and conflict: There are an estimated 350,000 child soldiers worldwide whose physical and mental well-being is being compromised for violent  (adult) conflict.
10. Forced marriage: Around 48% of forced marriages involve children and adolescents (PORGMUN).

Indeed, there are an estimated 21-36 million slaves in the world today. The biggest victims are still women, with a growing number of children being affected. Human slavery is bigger now than it has ever been…

The Jewish community have celebrated Passover since around 1300 BC, and long shall they continue to. In 2017, as a global community of various faiths and none, the world still thrives on human slavery in its many forms. May we all unite to end this evil and live together in peace, understanding and harmony for the good of humanity.

Salam, shalom, peace ♥

Further information:

• Please visit Stop The Traffik‘s website for further information on today’s 10 modern plagues of slavery.
• If you are worried about human trafficking in your area/community, contact the police, local social services or the modern slavery helpine on 0800 0121 700.
• Further information on human trafficking can also be found here.

Credits:

Featured image: J. P. Kang (CC)