Friday, April 11, 2025 – As we approach Passover, I’ve been reflecting on the story at the heart of the holiday–a story not only about breaking free from what holds us back, but of the long journey toward a more just and hopeful future, and the strength of our community to care for one another along the way.

Exodus isn’t only about reaching the promised land, it’s also about how our ancestors traveled together along their arduous journey: how they showed up for one another with courage, with compassion, with love.

There’s a story I keep coming back to: when Miriam, after being struck with leprosy, is temporarily isolated from the community. Instead of moving forward without her, the entire people pause. They wait. They ensure that when the journey continues, no one is left behind.

“So Miriam was shut out of camp seven days; and the people did not march on until Miriam was readmitted.” (Numbers 12:15)

It is because of that intentional, planful, and compassionate moment of collective care that Miriam reached the promised land with the rest of the Israelites. She was able to bring her leadership, courage, and voice to her people, timbrel in hand, to celebrate their collective freedom, rather than be left behind for slowing the group down. We are therefore blessed as a people to sing Miriam’s Song year after year, a song of joy and resilience, born in the midst of fear and uncertainty, that still resonates today.

Who do we leave behind when we focus more on a common enemy than we do on paying attention to and taking care of those in our community? Whose voices get lost or drowned out from our communal leadership? Who isn’t included in our communal thriving and success?

At SRE Network, we believe that how we travel together today–how we treat one another, how we build community through challenges, how we care for those in our midst–is just as important as where we go or what we’re running from, and has just as many ramifications today as it did for our people during their journey from slavery to freedom.

This Passover, I’m holding deep gratitude for our community–for each and every one of you doing the sacred, and often challenging, work of building communities rooted in equity and dignity.

May this holiday of Passover bring you joy, connection, and liberation.

With this in mind, I want to warmly invite you to two upcoming opportunities to learn together about how we can travel together more intentionally:

• Jewish Belonging Summit (Wednesday, May 7 to Thursday, May 8 in Baltimore, MD, following JPro25): Join Jewish professional and volunteer leadership from across North America for an immersive summit designed to strengthen our efforts to cultivate a culture of belonging for all Jews and our loved ones through skill-building, learning, and networking. Co-hosted by SRE Network and Jewish Federations’ Center for Jewish Belonging.
• Centering Gender Equity (Thursday, April 30 on Zoom): This is the final session in our spring learning series focused on the power of inclusion and belonging. This will be a vital conversation on the current state of gender equity under the new administration, what’s at stake, and the tangible next steps we can take to build more inclusive workplaces.

Chag Pesach Sameach,Rachel 

Rachel Gildiner
Executive Director
SRE Network