Prayers for freedom's holiday

When the sun sets this evening, Jews around the world will begin the celebration of Passover, humanity's first holiday to celebrate freedom from slavery and freedom of worship. Its 3,000-year-old message still resonates today -- and not just for those of the Jewish faith.
Around the world, there are still millions -- if not billions -- of people who can neither choose their own leaders nor choose their own religion, who are enslaved figuratively to an oppressive regime or literally to masters no less evil than those of ancient Egypt or of the the American South of the 18th and 19th centuries.
In June, the Mahoning Valley's African American/Jewish Dialogue, co-sponsored by Saving Our Next Generation and the Jewish Community Relations Council, is taking a group of area black and Jewish high school students to Washington, D.C., so they can build fellowship and an understanding of each other's heritage. Both groups have much in common -- not the least of which is a strong basis in faith.
Both Jews and black Americans also have an appreciation of freedom that can only come to those whose forebears were not free. The part of the book of Exodus retold on Passover reminds Jews that "By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage" (13:14) That same belief echoes in the old spiritual, "Free at last, free at last, Thank God almighty we're free at last."