The WHY of this year's Passover - with Rachel Goldberg-Polin

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What does freedom mean when pain is still present?

As Passover approaches, Dan Senor speaks with Rachel Goldberg-Polin about how this year’s Seder lands differently. In a moment shaped by war, loss, and uneasy relief, they explore how the rituals of Passover hold both joy and sorrow—and why that tension is the point.

From the Exodus story to the symbols on the Seder table, Rachel reflects on memory, meaning, gratitude, and the challenge of holding both relief and restraint. Less about retelling the past, this conversation asks what it means to be free right now.

In this episode:

02:24 – Why This Passover Feels Different

08:09 – Setting the Table: From Slavery to Nationhood

12:54 – What Actually Happens at the Seder

16:15 – The Power of Questions (and Why Answers Matter Less)

27:39 – Bitterness, Memory, and Eating Our Pain

37:06 – Relief vs. Glee: A Moral Distinction

39:06 – Dayenu and the Discipline of Gratitude

This episode was sponsored by the Jewish Communal Fund. Learn more about JCF’s donor advised funds at jcfny.org.

This episode was sponsored by Hadassah. Please go to Hadassah.org to make a gift that helps Hadassah continue its longstanding, life-changing support for the people in Israel.

Purchase tickets to see Dan in conversation with Rachel Goldberg-Polin at the Streicker Center on April 20.

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo