PM’s Pesach message: Matzah rambles and seders without the kvetch
Boris Johnson delivers message to the community for Passover, as the UK starts opening up from the third national lockdown
Boris Johnson has looked ahead to “matzah rambles” around the country as restrictions eased on meeting friends and family in England.
In a Yiddish-flecked message released on Friday, he acknowledged the holiday would be celebrated again in isolation, even as the UK outpaces much of the world in vaccinating its population.
More than a year after the pandemic began, 50 percent of the population has received a first dose of the vaccine and infections have plummeted. As of Monday, rules are being relaxed with people being allowed to gather outdoors in groups of six from a maximum of two households.
Johnson noted that the timing will facilitate the “matzah ramble,” a tradition of hikes and picnics, while Zoom seders allow “something generations of Jews have dreamed of for millennia: the ability to mute the table’s inevitable kvetch.”
In his video message, he said: “Even second time around, it’s not quite what everyone is used to, but the charoset will be just as sweet and the matzah just as meaningful.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, also issued a Pesach greeting, praising the community’s volunteers during the pandemic. He said Jewish people had “come together to support those in need during this crisis. Your acts of kindness and giving tzedakah are an inspiration.”
Starmer also thanked the community for the opportunity “to begin to repair, to deepen, and to reinforce our relationship”, in wake of the Labour antisemitism row.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also wished the community well, saying, despite the capital being hit hard by the pandemic, “we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and the central message of Passover, the triumph of hope and freedom over darkness and adversity, serves as a source of inspiration.”
Chag Sameach to everyone celebrating #Passover pic.twitter.com/pLplPZR4k8
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) March 26, 2021
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