South Bay community gathers for early Passover celebration promoting unity

SAN FRANCISCO - Passover may officially be a week away, but members of the South Bay’s Jewish community on Sunday came together for an early celebration with a greater mission, building unity across faiths.

The event, held at Temple Emanu-el in San Jose, was organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area, and featured a traditional Seder dinner known as the "Freedom Seder." 

It brought together people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds, including local elected officials, to mark the upcoming Jewish holiday.

"What I want to recognize is there are a lot of communities that feel like they’re having to hide their identities right now," said Tyler Gregory, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area. "Maybe Jews feel like we have to hide our Star of David necklaces, because we’re not sure how our neighbors are going to receive us."

The gathering comes amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, and a noted rise in antisemitic incidents across the Bay Area. 

Organizers said this year’s event was especially important for creating space to celebrate shared values and build understanding. 

"I think these cultural events are an opportunity to build bridges over some of those walls that have been put up over the past 18 months," said Gregory. "At the end of the day, Muslims and Jews want to live together. They want to raise families. We share a lot of values."

That message of solidarity was echoed by faith leaders, including Rev. Bruce Bramlett of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Morgan Hill.

"At bottom, all of our faiths are talking about the same thing," Bramlett said. "People who use faith, whatever that may be, to divide us, to bring hate, to breed discrimination, that is not who we are."

This year’s Freedom Seder was also notable as the first combined event with its Silicon Valley chapter, allowing for a larger gathering in the South Bay.