The Jewish Community of Athens held a traditional Pesach Seder at the events’ hall of Greece’s Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs.
The leadership of the Ministry offered the venue and was represented by the Minister of Education Kostas Gavroglou and the Secretary General for Religious Affairs George Kalantzis.
The Seder was also attended by Archimandrite Dionysios, representative of the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Ieronymos. Around 350 members of the Athens Jewish Community, under the guidance of the Rabbi of Athens Gabriel Negrin, read and recited the Hagadah, the narration of the Exodus from Egypt.
The President of the Athens Jewish Community, Minos Moissis, in his address, said: “Pesach, which coincides with spring and the time of the rebirth of nature, is the narration of the struggle of a people fighting for freedom and dignity. We are here to proclaim that the struggle for freedom never ends. We are here to remember all people who fought or fight for their freedom, for their dignity”.
Moissis also addressed wishes to all Christian fellow citizens for their great holyday of Resurrection and Hope and called for the prayers of all people to be united because their messages are ecumenical and celebrate human values.
Education Minister Gavroglou, in his address, wished the Jews of Greece and the world Happy Pesach and stressed the festivity’s highly symbolic message for the freedom of peoples from the contemporary sufferings of oppression of human rights and racism. The Minister expressed the commitment of the state to the Jewish community’s efforts for the continuity of education and tradition to the next generation.
