OPINION: This last week many of us celebrated Pesach. It is the time we re-tell the history of the Jews’ deliverance after 430 years of slavery in Egypt, and the time we rejoice in the miracles that God performed to bring about their freedom 3,500 years ago.

Pesach has been celebrated throughout the generations in times of hardship and in times of hope. This Pesach, we celebrated in hardship as, many chairs were empty at the Seder table.
Over 1,200 empty chairs were for those precious people who were massacred on October 7, and 59 empty chairs were for those silent souls enduring starvation and torture in the underground terror tunnels of Gaza.

This Pesach we also celebrated in hope: the hope that the 59 precious souls will be redeemed from their bondage and re-united with their families.

We have a moral duty to continue to bring awareness of the October 7 massacre, and the plight of the innocent hostages that have endured inhumane cruelty, starvation and torture for 560 days.

Those New Zealand political leaders who condemn Israel’s right to defend itself and are dismissive of the October 7 massacre and the hostages’ enslavement, would be less inclined to support (via UNRWA, i.e. bank of global terrorism) Hamas, radical Islamists and Gaza’s civilian terrorists if the names on the list of hostages were to include; Amanda, Olivia and William Luxon; Louise, Brittany and Joel Peters; Alexandra Martelli; Nadine Walker; Toni Grace, and Doug and Rosemary Hipkins.

Those religious leaders who betray Israel by their silence or condemnation – how many would change places with the hostages? Not one! Whilst they hide behind the lie that, ‘it is a political issue’, and refuse to recognize it is a moral issue, they shamelessly continue to claim legitimacy through the Jewish scriptures.

One wonders if these political and religious leaders will survive such betrayal of the people of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Israel the Promised, Sovereign and Eternal Nation shall survive, despite the scarring of human loss and war.

Sunday, we unite to stand up and speak out publicly for the hostages; the victims of the October 7 massacre; the fallen and fighting heroes of the IDF and all their families.

AM YIRAEL CHAI!

-Bobby Meyer