{"id":122476,"date":"2009-04-16T15:08:00","date_gmt":"2009-04-16T19:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peta.org\/features\/celebrate-compassionate-vegan-passover\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T13:27:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T20:27:09","slug":"celebrate-compassionate-vegan-passover","status":"publish","type":"feature","link":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/features\/celebrate-compassionate-vegan-passover\/","title":{"rendered":"Make This Passover the Most Meaningful One Yet With a Compassionate Vegan Seder"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div contenteditable=\"false\" class=\"wp-block-beyondwords-player\"><div data-beyondwords-player=\"true\" contenteditable=\"false\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Observed for a week each year, Passover tells a timeless story of dignity, hope, and liberation, teaching us that all suffering matters to God. <strong><em>Pesach<\/em>,<\/strong> the Hebrew word for Passover, means to <strong>show mercy.<\/strong> This mercy is what freed a people from slavery in the biblical story, and it\u2019s just as relevant today. As we reflect on overcoming oppression during this sacred time, we must ask ourselves: <strong>How can anyone truly honor freedom and mercy while the flesh of another animal is on their plate?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/carol_leifer_passover_seder_plate.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"339\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/carol_leifer_passover_seder_plate-602x339.jpg\" alt=\"vegan passover seder\" class=\"wp-image-844164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/carol_leifer_passover_seder_plate-602x339.jpg 602w, https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/carol_leifer_passover_seder_plate-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/carol_leifer_passover_seder_plate-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/carol_leifer_passover_seder_plate-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/carol_leifer_passover_seder_plate.jpg 1100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Cruelty Has No Place on the Passover Plate<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, billions of our fellow animals suffer in industries that exploit and kill them for \u201cfood.\u201d Most spend their lives in filth and confinement, never able to look up at the sky or feel grass beneath their feet. Sensitive hens, who teach calls to their chicks before they even hatch, can\u2019t raise their families, build nests, or roost in trees in the crowded sheds that farms confine them to. Social cows, who form lifelong friendships, can\u2019t nurture their calves when dairy farm workers take their babies from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every animal is an individual who feels joy, pain, and fear. If we really want to practice the values that Passover teaches, we must recognize that <strong>peace and liberation should extend to everyone. &nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Show Respect for All Life With Your Seder<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Prayers said on Passover call on us to be kind to those who are now oppressed and to deepen our commitment to liberty today. What better way to celebrate the spirit of the holiday than by going vegan?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>\u201cIt appears that the first intention of the Maker was to have men live on a strictly vegetarian diet. The very earliest periods of Jewish history are marked with humanitarian conduct towards the lower animal kingdom. \u2026 It is clearly established that the ancient Hebrews knew and perhaps were the first among men to know, that animals feel and suffer pain.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2014Rabbi Simon Glazer<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The first day of Passover begins with the Seder feast, which is an opportunity to keep kindness on the plate. Adding a flower to the ritual Seder plate\u2014instead of a chicken\u2019s egg\u2014truly celebrates spring and life. And in place of the customary \u201cshank bone,\u201d usually taken from a slaughtered lamb, many Jews use a beet to represent sacrifice, as allowed in the Talmud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for the rest of your Passover spread? Fill the table with an abundance of tasty vegan foods, from <strong>creamy, dairy-free butter and cream cheese to spread on matzo, fluffy, egg-free matzo ball soup, sweet, honey-free charoset, and more. <\/strong>Explore PETA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/lifestyle\/food\/vegan-passover-recipes\/\">vegan Passover recipes<\/a> for a feast that\u2019s as delicious as it is compassionate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Add a <em>Mitzvah<\/em> to Your Matzo<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to do a true <em>mitzvah<\/em> (good deed) this Passover, pledge to go vegan\u2014not just for the holiday, but all year round. By living vegan, you can save animals, protect the planet, and improve your own health. Be a good <em>mensch<\/em>: Make the compassionate switch today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/headlines.peta.org\/three-week-vegan-challenge\/#pledge\">Take PETA&#8217;s 3-Week Vegan Challenge<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<input class=\"fooboxshare_post_id\" type=\"hidden\" value=\"122476\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cruelty has no place on the Passover plate. Learn why going vegan is one of the best ways you can honor this important holiday.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":844164,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"1","beyondwords_integration_method":"rest-api","beyondwords_project_id":"45142","beyondwords_content_id":"871e30b6-c3e0-4767-af78-118d80d0a780","beyondwords_preview_token":"b08c9214-aa19-4116-9187-6364bfd22d5b","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_code":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"placement":[449,147],"class_list":["post-122476","feature","type-feature","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vegan","placement-features-landing-page","placement-home-page-featured-posts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Celebrate a Compassionate Vegan Passover Seder | PETA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The teachings of Passover are just as relevant today, as billions of animals suffer on farms and at slaughterhouses. 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