The United Jewish People’s Order (UJPO) — a secular and socialist Jewish cultural and political group which has been organizing in Canada since 1926 — recently hosted its Third Seyder event, with the theme of “United against fascism.” The event brought members of the public and various community groups together for a Passover Seder that revolved around struggles against fascism both in the past and present.
YCLer Jacob Wynperle gave a speech at the event on behalf of the Toronto Association for Peace and Solidarity. The speech refers to an item on the Passover Seder plate, the shank bone (or Zeroa), which represents the sacrifice in the Passover story.
As we lift the Zeroa, it reminds us of the sacrifice that broke Pharaoh’s chains; of what it took to organize a people united in struggle. Tonight, we honor this sacrifice by committing to our most urgent task — Uniting against fascism and the soil from which it grows: monopoly-capitalism.
Today, we face new Pharaohs: the billionaires who hoard wealth while the cost of living skyrockets, the bosses who slash jobs as profits soar, and the far-right forces growing bolder by the day — from the arms manufacturer exporting genocide to the politicians scapegoating migrants for a crisis created by capitalism. But just as the Zeroa reminds us of the sacrifices it took to shatter oppression, so too must we remember: our strength lies in our unity — in the outstretched arms of the people, locked together in solidarity.
So, what is fascism? Fascism is the bloodied fist of big business. It is the weapon of capital when democracy becomes inconvenient. It is the open terrorist dictatorship of the most reactionary, most chauvinistic and most imperialist elements of the ruling class. Fascism is the logical result of the NATO-imperialist drive to war, of the capitalists’ goal to crush internationalist working class resistance, and of the monopolies’ desire to conquer the global market. Therefore we all understand that a fight against fascism must also be a fight against monopoly capitalism.
The Zeroa reminds us that today’s fascist offensive can only be defeated by making sacrifices in order to unite the working class and its allies. We’ve seen this unity in action in Canada before. In 1919, it was the Winnipeg General Strike. In 2023, it was CUPE Ontario mobilizing against the Ford government. Today, it is workers and people of conscience who picket arms manufacturers which arm genocidaires. This is what the ruling class fears, which is why they need us divided — worker against worker, migrant against citizen, nation against nation. But we know: an injury to one is an injury to all. Organizing together and developing a people’s alternative is an absolute imperative if we are to defeat the far right.
Now is the time to build a powerful peace movement in Canada and engage actively in the struggle against imperialism, the greatest enemy of the peoples of the world and their desire to live in peace. The Toronto Association for Peace and Solidarity welcomes all people of conscience to join with us in the struggle against the use of military repression to enforce exploitative international relationships, and to fight for a world without war and oppression…
Tonight, we say “Avadim hayinu” — “We were slaves.” But we also say: “We will not be slaves again. Not any one.” The lesson of Passover rings true to this day: no one will be freed alone. The Hebrews did not escape Egypt by praying alone — they organized, they sacrificed, and they struck when the time was right.
Today, our liberation from exploitation requires this same unity and this same sacrifice: Solidarity in the workplace; an alliance against monopoly capitalism; and militant working-class resistance to the far right.
This Passover, let us commit: next year we celebrate in a Canada out of NATO; next year in a free Palestine; and next year, in a world where the peoples’ will governs — in a world of peace and solidarity.