Passover UK: An ancient Jewish festival in modern Britain

ITV News reporter Sam Holder joined families across the UK as they celebrated Passover

There is an old Jewish saying: “For every two Jews, there are three opinions.”

So, it is no surprise that almost every Jewish family in the UK has their own traditions when it comes to celebrating the ancient festival of Passover.

For thousands of years, the Jewish people have commemorated the Exodus - the biblical story of Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt.

If you cannot quite remember the details from your RE classes, then it is basically the plot of the wildly popular 1998 film “The Prince of Egypt” (featuring an exceptional Oscar-winning soundtrack with Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey).

The very abridged story goes that in roughly 1400 B.C., the Israelites were held in captivity by the Pharaoh.

After God sends 10 plagues to the Egyptians, the Israelites escape when the Red Sea splits, offering them a safe passage into the desert.

Those Israelites became the Jewish people.

Passover is so old that even Jesus observed it - the ‘Last Supper’ is traditionally believed to have been a Passover ‘Seder’ meal.

Normally families celebrate together behind closed doors, but this year for a new ITV documentary, I have been welcomed right into people’s homes to learn about the traditions and rituals that have been handed down from generation to generation.

I have spent the last few weeks travelling across the country to meet various communities to understand a bit about what being Jewish in 21st century Britain looks like.

In Glasgow, I spoke with one of the last Chassidic (Ultra-Orthodox) families left in Scotland, while in Leeds I met a woman who had grown up Catholic but now considers herself proudly Jewish.

We filmed a massive open community ‘Seder’ (a ceremonial meal) in North London and a tiny two-person one in Belfast, where the community totals just 400.

There are many misconceptions about the Jewish community, especially that everyone has an Eastern European lineage.

A particular highlight was filming with Edwin, whose family lived in Iraq for 2,000 years before fleeing in the 1970s amidst violent anti-semitic repression.

Edwin invited me to his special interfaith ‘Seder,’ which was held in Hebrew, English and - because of his personal heritage - Arabic.

The ‘Seder’ features lots of symbolic foods meant to evoke the experience of the Israelites: salt water represents the tears shed by the slaves, while bitter herbs and horseradish are a reminder of the bitterness of captivity.

There is even a dish called ‘Charoset’ which is supposed to look like the cement used to build Pharoah’s cities. The ingredients list depends on family heritage.

Passover is a story of survival in the face of adversity and for many British Jewish families, this year the festival has taken on extra meaning with rising antisemitism here in the UK.

The themes of liberation and captivity also have extra resonance amidst the global geopolitical landscape.

Some families symbolically laid out empty chairs in solidarity with the Israeli hostages taken on October 7th, while others spoke of how the story reflects the suffering of Gazans.

Passover may be a Jewish festival, but the story has long attracted people of all faiths and none. Moses is mentioned frequently in both the New Testament and the Qur'an, while American slaves used to sing about the Exodus in songs yearning for their own freedom.

In this modern age, religion is often seen as restrictive, old-fashioned, and more about what you cannot do than can, but what really came across during the weeks we spent filming was the sense of joy that Passover inspires.

That is because at its heart, this is a festival that is all about bringing people together. It is a chance for families and friends, young and old, to sit around a table, eat together and sing together, while remembering their roots and celebrating their freedom.

Passover UK: A Jewish Journey will air on ITV 1 and ITV X on Sunday at 10.15pm.

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