“In every generation, each person is obligated to see themselves as if they personally came out of Egypt.” —Passover haggadah
On April 1, 1977, the eve of Passover, San Francisco’s identity as a city of peace and love was tested. Just steps from a synagogue in the Outer Sunset, a neo-Nazi bookstore opened its doors, named for Rudolf Hess, commandant of Auschwitz.
Holocaust survivor Tauba Weiss z”l confronted the shop owner and asked if the murder of millions of Jews had not been enough. He answered coldly: “No, it was not enough.”
Tauba picked up a rock and threw it through the storefront window. Her act of courage sparked a protest, and she was soon joined by other survivors, including her husband, Morris, who hurled the store’s inventory into the street.
This moment galvanized the city’s Jewish community, and within two years, the Holocaust Library and Resource Center, now the JFCS Holocaust Center, was born.
The anniversary of this watershed moment falls on Erev Passover again this year, and I find myself reflecting on the connection between the values of the haggadah and what I’ve learned as both a Jewish mother and a professional dedicated to countering antisemitism through education.
Antisemitic incidents have risen sharply in the United States and around the world, affecting schools, Jewish institutions, online spaces, and many of us personally. Educators are increasingly called upon, and at times compelled by legal action, to recognize and respond to antisemitism, often without sufficient preparation.
I find hope in those who show up ready to lead.
Recently, 147 teachers, school leaders, and district administrators from 29 California districts joined the JFCS Holocaust Center at the School Leadership to End Hate and Inspire Courage Institute in Sacramento. These educators are committed to building schools where antisemitism and all forms of hate are recognized, interrupted, and addressed with care and accountability.
They also understand something essential: how we teach matters.
When Holocaust education is taught within the broader context of Jewish history, identity, contributions, and contemporary antisemitism, it is a powerful tool. Research shows, through effective lessons students develop a positive perception of Jews, greater empathy for others, and a stronger sense of civic responsibility. We see young people, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, become powerful upstanders.
This is how we move from pain to progress.
Passover reminds us that Jewish identity is not defined by suffering, but by resilience, by the ways we carry our history forward, and by the choices we make as Jews in the present.
At my seder table this year, that lesson will be front and center. My husband and I have made intentional choices about our daughters’ Jewish education, from preschool through weekly religious school, and I do not waver in that decision. Each week, I greet the security guards at the entrance of our synagogue with gratitude and walk in with pride, not fear.
These choices shape how my daughters see themselves — not only as inheritors of history, but as participants in a vibrant Jewish future.
At Congregation Rodef Sholom, while my daughters are in class, I have worked alongside clergy to support parents through a series we created together called “Responding to Antisemitism: Supporting Jewish Identity and Belonging in K-12 Schools.” It offers a space to share experiences and practical tools to partner with school leaders in creating environments that are not only safe, but truly welcoming.
We don’t have to choose between fighting antisemitism and building Jewish identity. We must recognize that one cannot succeed without the other.
This is what it means to live the haggadah’s charge of “in every generation.” It is not only about remembering, but about taking responsibility for what comes next, preparing ourselves to respond to hate with knowledge, partnership, and resolve.
Tauba Weiss said it simply and powerfully: “Education brings understanding, and that is my biggest dream.”
The work she started in 1977 is not finished. The need has only grown.
Last year, the JFCS Holocaust Center reached 165,000 educators and students, with more than 85% of our programs taking place beyond our walls. Demand continues to exceed what we can meet. As we work to expand the Holocaust Center into Northern California’s central destination for Holocaust and genocide education, we are guided by a clear responsibility: to ensure that every generation has the tools to build a proud Jewish community and a more just future for all.
As we gather around our seder tables, we are reminded that our story is not only one of suffering, but of transformation and resilience. The haggadah does not end in despair; it tells the story of the Israelites, who led with courage and faith, guided by the belief that the future holds freedom, hope and opportunity.