(2007) Author Unknown
The prayer below was written for protective parents and their
loved ones, child abuse advocates, and all who care about children to
recite at their passover seder. A spring onion is added to the seder
plate, or placed on the table as a symbol.
The Passover Seder is a time to celebrate our freedom and remember those
who still struggle for the freedoms they deserve. Freedom from tyranny,
violence, and oppression is a core value for us as our ancestors have
known slavery, and our heart goes out to the enslaved and the imprisoned
of any race, culture or creed. Tonight we remember a group of
individuals often forgotten, trapped by a kind of slavery so cruel, that
society often looks the other way---children (including adult survivors
of child abuse) enslaved in lives of abuse.
Today I remember ____________ (fill in name of a child or children you
know trapped in lives of abuse. or substitute... "these children.")
Though many of us have tried to free them, the Pharaohs in our
generation have blocked our efforts or looked the other way. Our hearts
ache knowing the pain these children live with day after day. They are
not forgotten. With this prayer we share our commitment to find a way to
liberate them from their lives of exploitation and tyranny.
This spring onion on the Seder plate is our symbol for these children
and their plight. The shape of the onion reminds us of the whips used on
slaves to keep them subjugated. The tears we shed from the onion remind
us of the silent tears of these children waiting for rescue. The
newness of the onion reminds us of the promise of hope, that one day
these children can grow healthy and free from the tyranny they are
living with today.
We pray for the wisdom to find an effective path to liberate these
children. We pray for the courage to stand up to the Pharaoh's of our
generation and speak the truth of what we know. We pray for the strength
and fortitude to keep on fighting for their freedom.
May these children (including adult survivors) soon know the sweetness
of freedom from violence and oppression and share Passover Seders and
other celebrations of freedom, safely, with loved ones next year!
Amen.
