MAZON Blog

With millions of Americans facing unprecedented threats and cuts to food assistance, Members of Congress, faith leaders, and anti-hunger experts came together on Capitol Hill last week for MAZON’s 17th annual National Hunger Seder. Event participants read excerpts from MAZON’s Haggadah and “Fifth Question” Haggadah insert, celebrating the upcoming Passover holiday while calling attention to nationwide hunger and highlighting the importance of protecting Americans’ basic needs. Alongside MAZON President & CEO Abby J. Leibman and MAZON Board Chair Carolyn Schwarz Tisdale, the Seder was led by MAZON Immediate Past Board Chair Rabbi Joel Pitkowsky.

“As it has done for nearly two decades, MAZON’s National Hunger Seder provided an opportunity for leaders in the anti-hunger movement — advocates and elected officials alike — to use the lessons of Passover to strengthen our resolve and renew our commitment to ending hunger. We shared ancient words and rituals that still resonate with hope and bind us together in these challenging times,” stated MAZON President & CEO Abby J. Leibman. “When we sang Hineh Ma Tov (how good it is to be together), the words set the stage for an experience of warmth, truth, and justice for all those facing hunger in this country. While grounded in the Jewish faith, it was a moment to recall that the different faiths of those gathered around the table echo our own demand that no one go hungry. It will take all of us to make that a reality.”

In attendance were several members of MAZON’s Board of Directors alongside partners from Bread for the World, the Brookings Institution, Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), Human Appeal USA, Muslim Aid USA, National Farmers Union, National WIC Association, Share Our Strength, Coalition on Human Needs, Meals on Wheels America, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Blue Star Families, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

This year’s National Hunger Seder was hosted in conjunction with the bipartisan Congressional Hunger Caucus, which is co-chaired by Reps. Jim McGovern (MA-02) and Tracey Mann (KS-02). The event was also attended by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Luz Rivas (CA-29), Steve Cohen (TN-09), and Jerrold Nadler (NY-10). 

“I appreciate all the advocacy that everyone around this table does to try to end hunger, not only in this country but around the world,” said Rep. Jim McGovern (MA-02) while addressing the Seder. “I’m ashamed, quite frankly, that in our country 47 million Americans don’t know where their next meal is going to come from. That’s a political decision, and we should be ashamed of that. But you give me hope. You keep hope alive, and I appreciate that. Working here, sometimes you feel a little overwhelmed and a little hopeless, and then every once in a while, you get together with people like those around this table and think, we can do this. We can get through this.”

“The persistence of food insecurity in our nation is among Congress’ greatest challenges to address,” said Sen. Adam Schiff (CA). “The National Hunger Seder reflects that fight, and I am grateful for MAZON’s work to bring dedicated individuals and groups together to end hunger in America.”

“At a time of increasing grocery prices and devastating cuts to SNAP, millions of hardworking Americans have been left scrambling to put food on the table – many without the food assistance programs that they used to rely on,” said Senator Jacky Rosen (NV). “I am grateful for organizations like Mazon for continuing to fight against hunger and food insecurity across the country.”

Each year, MAZON also creates and distributes a Fifth Question to accompany the traditional Four Questions of Passover. This year’s question, “Am I among those working to ensure that all who are hungry can come and eat?”, calls on all of us to take an active role in combating hunger, particularly as an atmosphere of fear, intimidation, and hostility towards vulnerable populations has radiated throughout our communities and permeated our daily lives.

“This year’s National Hunger Seder comes at a critical time for America’s hungry. The Trump administration’s attacks on federal food assistance, the tariffs and wars that are driving up the cost of groceries and congressional Republicans’ $187 billion cut to SNAP have put food insecurity and food policy into stark relief,” said Rep. Angie Craig (MN-02). “As MAZON continues its mission of fighting hunger, Congress must do everything in its power to address Republican policies that are making food less affordable for millions of American seniors, children and veterans.”

“It is critical that we commit to making other people’s lives better,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25). “Being very conscious about coming together in this way and speaking the problem out loud helps each of us internalize what a significant problem this is. It cannot be discussed enough how devastating the SNAP cuts from that legislation last summer were, and our actions have consequences.”

“This Seder is always a humbling experience for me because it is a reminder of how basic this conversation is and how we are all aligned and connected by it,” said Rep. Jahana Hayes (CT-05). “It’s your work, your presence at this Seder, and these opportunities reinforce, acknowledge, and encourage me. Sometimes I am screaming into the wind to make people understand that this is important. But what you all do is add color and texture to the picture and remind people that we are not just talking about spreadsheets and policy papers. We are talking about real people from every community, in every state, in every congressional district.”

“To be in the capital of the United States of America,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10), “to be marking Pesach as a community, as a Jewish community, and to be noting the importance that, as Rabbi Hillel said, ‘If not for myself, who will be, but if only for myself, what am I?’, that we are looking beyond and addressing hunger. That any, let alone so many, go hungry is a wound to our soul. And we as a country need to continue to do better so that no one goes hungry, that ‘May all who are hungry come and eat’ not be a statement of Passover but a statement of policy for our country as a whole.”

“With this ritual Seder, let us be mindful of the pain, the hunger, and the bitterness that exist in the world. But we must not let bitterness take root in our own spirits for only with open hearts can we make things better. We look forward instead to the fruit of the spirit,” said Rep. Jonathan Jackson (IL-01). “I was recently reminded of this when my father passed. His transition affirmed for me that there is life beyond this one, and that we should be grateful for the sweetness of this earth while we are here. It is our responsibility to put our hand in God’s hand and work together to make it a better world.”

“It’s part of our tradition to remind us not only of the liberation from slavery in Egypt, but that every generation should experience it as if we ourselves had left Egypt. That shared experience gives us a foundation of shared responsibility, a collective obligation to aid one another in bringing forth our own liberation,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY-12). “That’s a monumental task. But it’s not incumbent on us to finish it. It is, however, incumbent on us to begin.”

“Passover is my favorite holiday. We remember that we were once in bondage — and in doing so, we remember others who are still in bondage today. I don’t know of any other holiday that so deliberately focuses on the future and on the suffering of others,” said Rep. Steven Cohen (TN-09). My hope is that Jewish children who learn from Passover carry that lesson with them — that this story was never just about one people’s liberation, but a reminder for all of us, for eternity, to understand and care for one another.”

The full suite of MAZON’s Passover materials, including the 2026 Haggadah and Fifth Question, can be found at mazon.org/passover.