Empty Seder Table Vigil in London Honors Gaza Hostages (Video)

For British Jews, the Passover holiday begins on Monday, April 22, 2024, marked by the Passover Seder, a ritual feast. In a poignant display of solidarity and remembrance, an empty Seder table was unveiled on Wednesday at 1 pm in Westminster, representing the hostages still being held by Hamas. The Passover installation, organized by the UK Hostages & Missing Families Forum, featured 133 empty chairs, each symbolizing a hostage who remains in captivity six months after the Hamas Islamic terrorist attacks.

For British Jews the Passover begins on Monday, April 22, 2024, which is marked by the Passover Seder, a ritual feast.

In Whitehall 133 places are movingly, beautifully & meticulously set for every hostage still missing in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/6JMWWGW4Mz

— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) April 17, 2024

Among the vacant seats was one for the youngest hostage, Kfir Bibas, who spent his first birthday in captivity, and the oldest hostage, Shlomo Mantzur, who turned 86 in Gaza. Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis attended the unveiling of the table and spoke about Passover as a symbol of personal and national freedom.

Organizer Nivi Feldman, from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, emphasized the significance of the installation, stating, “This year, celebrating the holiday of freedom and coming out of slavery in Egypt feels harder than ever when 133 hostages remain in inhumane conditions in Gaza, and their fate is unknown.”

The installation seeks to evoke a powerful visual representation of the void created by the hostages’ absence in the lives of their loved ones and communities. Placed in Westminster, the table aims to draw the attention of as many MPs as possible to the sheer number of people who will be missing from families’ Seder tables this year.

Following the unveiling, the Seder table will be moved to JW3, continuing to serve as a reminder of the ongoing plight of the hostages. The Pesach installation coincides with the Board of Deputies urging individuals and families to set an extra place at their Seder table for one of the hostages still in captivity.

Board president Marie van der Zyl remarked, “At the Seder table, the youngest among us will ask the traditional Four Questions. But for many of us, there will be another question this Pesach, left unanswered. How can we discuss being redeemed from slavery when Hamas still holds over 130 men, women, and children in the most vile captivity? How can we celebrate our freedom when our brothers and sisters are not free?”

As attendees reflect on the symbolism of the empty chairs and posters bearing the faces of the hostages, the vigil serves as a solemn reminder of the urgent need for action to secure the release and safe return of those held captive in Gaza by Hamas.