Hello everyone. We wish you all a joyous Passover season. As Jewish families across the country -- and around the world -- mark this important tradition, we know you're all setting the seder table with heavy hearts, but also with hope for the year ahead. As we continue working to defeat this pandemic, we continue to confront discrimination and prejudice. As we seek to rebuild from a time of struggle and loss, we need inspiration of the Passover now more than ever. Because at its heart, Passover is a story of overcoming adversity and finding hope. Of summoning resilience and resolve to emerge from a long dark night to a brighter morning. It's a story of empathy, and how our own rights are bound up with the rights of our neighbors. And it's a story of faith, that even in the face of oppression, better days lie ahead. This celebration is Jewish, but its message is universal. It resonates from generation to generation. This year, like last, we're still planning virtual celebrations, blessing the matzah and wine over the screen rather than side-by-side, and you know, there are there are still some grandparents who haven't been able to embrace their grandchildren since the last Passover. And there are far, far too many empty chairs at our sedar, a solemn reminder of all that we've lost. Just like we remember the plight of the Israelites, the memories of these loved ones will never be far from our hearts. But if we learn anything from the Hagaddah, it's that our task isn't to discard painful memories. It's to turn that pain into purpose. You know, as you work to vaccinate the nation, bring our economy back from the brink, let's hold that lesson close to our hearts, and we can close the sedar by adapting a familiar refrain: not only next year in Jerusalem, but next year in person, next year together. On behalf of our entire family, chag sameach. Have a wonderful Passover.
