To all my friends and Jews around the world,

I am sending you greetings at the strangest Pesach we've ever had.

To me, Pesach was a time when we were all together as a family, but this year, it's all different. Synagogues are closed, there'll be no Seders and old people are there alone. But we will get through this.

When I think also of Pesach, thinking of family and friends, I remember a story that inmates at a concentration camp told me. They said that for Pesach they used to go in late at night and each one brought a little bit of food and they had a Pesach ceremony in the barracks. What courage, what strength and what resilience they had.

I'm seeing all over the world now when I talk as President of World Jewish Congress to communities, hundreds of communities. They're all strong, they’re all determined to get through this, and governments are looking out for the Jewish people. This is bringing us all together, from the most secular to the most orthodox. We're seeing this that we’re becoming one people, and that is what this virus is doing.

But also, we’re seeing the effect it’s having on Christians. This week is their Holy Week, and Sunday is Easter Sunday and Christians have the churches closed, they can't have their traditional Easter Sunday meal. And our friends, the Muslim friends, at the end of April is Ramadan and they can't have a dinner at night as a family. What we’ve seen is all religions coming together. They’re all having the same problem. It’s my hope that these religions - one day all religions - come as one and stop being enemies and be friends.

I would like to wish all my Jewish friends a wonderful Hag Sameach, and Christians and Muslims and other religions: May God protect you all.

Thank you. 

Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder – President of the World Jewish Congress

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