Republicans and Democrats from the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate were among the 33 lawmakers who joined Mazon, a Jewish anti-hunger advocacy group, for a seder that focused on how the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated hunger.

Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger, as the group is formally known, said its annual seder for lawmakers drew a record number of participants. Thursday’s ritual meal made its virtual debut, featuring live and video messages. Previous seders have been held on Capitol Hill.

There were Jewish and non-Jewish lawmakers among the celebrants.

“This year we will add another story of suffering to our seder because this year we’ve witnessed a modern-day plague that has struck down more than half a million of our friends, family members, neighbors and fellow Americans, as well as millions around the globe,” said Rep. Kathy Manning, D-North Carolina, a freshman congresswoman who once led the Jewish Federations of North America.

Mazon was among the groups that advocated for the inclusion of food assistance funds in the recently passed $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus package.