Record 33 US lawmakers from both parties join seder focused on hunger issues

MAZON’s annual Passover event, held virtually this year due to the pandemic, draws Democrats and Republicans from the House of Representatives and Senate

By JTA 19 March 2021, 10:41 pm

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A screenshot of a virtual Seder for US lawmakers hosted by MAZON, a Jewish hunger relief advocacy group, March 18, 2021. (MAZON)

Republicans and Democrats from the US House of Representatives and the Senate were among the 33 lawmakers who joined MAZON, a Jewish anti-hunger advocacy group, for a Passover seder that focused on how the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated hunger.

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, as the group is formally known, said its annual seder for lawmakers drew a record number of participants. Thursday’s ritual meal made its virtual debut, featuring live and video messages. Previous seders have been held on Capitol Hill.

There were Jewish and non-Jewish lawmakers among the celebrants.

“This year we will add another story of suffering to our seder because this year we’ve witnessed a modern-day plague that has struck down more than half a million of our friends, family members, neighbors and fellow Americans, as well as millions around the globe,” said Rep. Kathy Manning, a freshman congresswoman who once led the Jewish Federations of North America.

MAZON was among the groups that advocated for the inclusion of food assistance funds in the recently passed $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus package.