"On this Passover, many families will have empty chairs," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's told the Israeli public in a video address prior to the start of the eight-day Jewish holiday.
"On Seder night, we all gather with our loved ones, and we all tell the story of our people who came out of slavery and into freedom."
"But on this holiday, many families will have empty chairs: chairs for our kidnapped loved ones who are still being held captive by Hamas, chairs for those who fell heroically on the battlefield, and chairs for our wounded loved ones who are struggling to come back to life in the rehabilitation wards."
However, he added that from this void rises the "clear voice of our fallen heroes." Netanyahu quoted lines from the farewell letter of Rabbi Elkanah Weisel, who fell during fighting in the Gaza Strip in January 2024: "Don’t be sad when you part with me. Sing a lot, hold each other’s hands and support each other. We are a generation of redemption."
ברכת ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו לחג הפסח:״אחיי ואחיותיי,אזרחי ישראל.בליל הסדר כולנו מתאספים עם היקרים לנו, וכולנו מספרים את סיפור עמנו שיצא מעבדות לחירות. pic.twitter.com/KGR80OD7DO
— ראש ממשלת ישראל (@IsraeliPM_heb) April 11, 2025
"Indeed, we are the generation of resurrection, the generation of victory," the prime minister continued.
"Together we will return our captives, together we will defeat our enemies, together we will embrace our wounded, and together we will bow our heads in memory of our fallen."
Defeating evil
He added that on October 7, some thought Israel would "drown in the sea in front of the enemy armies."
"But not only did we not drown - we rose as one man, and with a strong hand and an outstretched arm we broke the axis of evil," he said.
"The entire world looks with wonder at our ancient people, who time and again prevail over those who seek our lives."
He then quoted the Jewish liturgical poem Vehi Sheamda - found in the Haggadah of the Passover Seder - "in every generation they rise up to destroy us. But the Holy One, Blessed be He, delivers us from their hands."