As Passover marked under shadow of ‘coronavirus plague,’ Rivlin says hoping for better days ahead

President Reuven Rivlin puts out a holiday greeting to Israelis and Jews around the world ahead of the start of Passover this evening.

“Dear Israelis, this year we will mark seder night in difficult circumstances because of the ‘corona plague,’ the modern affliction that casts a dark shadow on us all. Suddenly, we realize how important the simple things that make up our daily lives are to us,” he says in a Hebrew-language video statement.

Rivlin adds: “Suddenly, when we are faced with ‘social distancing,’ closures and isolation at homes, we feel even more clearly the importance of the obligation to ‘tell the story to your children,’ of passing on the story from generation to generation, from grandparents to children to grandchildren to great-grandchildren. This is our story, our anchor, what binds us together – even when we need to be apart.”

He says all Jews are praying for better times to come.

“To next year, together,” the president says.

He also releases a separate video statement for English speakers.