Second Annual Juneteenth Seder

Thank you to everyone who attended our second annual Juneteenth Seder, making it another deeply meaningful time of connection and reflection.

For over 2,000 years, Jews have gathered for the Passover Seder – a ritual meal that recounts the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. Through storytelling, song, and shared food, the Seder passes this memory from generation to generation, keeping the spirit of liberation alive.

The Juneteenth Freedom Seder draws on this practice, blending the structure and symbolism of the Seder with the legacy of Juneteenth, which marks the 1865 arrival of Union troops in Galveston, Texas to enforce the end of slavery more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

This gathering calls us to reflect on the enduring struggle for freedom and the unfinished work of building a just society. Through a communal retelling, we ensure these histories are known, remembered, and carried forward year after year.

Thank you to our sponsors Jones Walker and Ochsner and to our partners ADL South Central, Convergence Collective, NAACP New Orleans, Tulane Hillel and Xavier University. Special thanks to Wendell Shelby-Wallace, Rabbi Katie Bauman of Touro Synagogue and Terrell Mims for their involvement in the creation of the Haggadah.