Israelis said the holiday was marked with sadness.
“We can’t walk around and say happy holidays to people,” said Maya Raviv, who came to demonstrate with her 8-year-old daughter, Liyah. “It’s not.”
Liyah’s friend and classmate, Naveh Shoham, was taken hostage on October 7, when Hamas militants attacked communities in southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 250 civilians and soldiers.
Although 8-year-old Naveh was released during a break in fighting last year, his father, Tal Shoham, remains in Gaza.
In Tel Aviv, on what is now known as “Hostage Square,” families set up empty Seder tables and sang songs in honor of the fallen.
Yuval Or, 72, the father of hostage Dror Or, wanted to mark the holiday with those who could understand his pain.
“I don’t want to celebrate Passover, but my son, Dror, has three children and their mother was killed, so we take care of them now,” he said. “I’ll take them to the joint dinner in the hostage square.”
Over the weekend, as has become customary, thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv to demonstrate against the government. Negotiations to free more Gaza hostages have stalled, prompting protesters to call for Netanyahu’s resignation and immediate elections.
One protester carried a sign that included the four traditional questions asked each year at the Seder table.
“How is this government different from all the others? the sign read, adding: “1,500 dead, 250 hostages, 100,000 displaced, strengthen Hamas.”
“Egypt had 10 plagues,” said Maya Raviv, referring to the story of the Exodus, told each year at Passover, “and Israel had one. It’s called Bibi Netanyahu.
Mellen reported from New York.
Washington