Ilya & the Miracle of Pesach

Ilya was born in a town outside the city of Kiev.  Like most Jewish children in the former Soviet Union, he grew up in a secular environment and knew little, if anything, about Jewish religion or culture.  Anxious to learn about his heritage, Ilya enrolled in the International Solomon University in Kiev and joined Hillel, the Jewish student center.  He quickly became one of Hillel’s most enthusiastic volunteers.

When the JDC-supported Hillel center asked students to lead Pesach seders in smaller communities in Ukraine, Ilya immediately volunteered. Both excited and nervous, he arrived at his assigned town and was surprised to learn that the community planned to celebrate Pesach at the former Communist Party headquarters.  It was the only building large enough to accommodate all of them.

Everything went smoothly, until Ilya told the story of Elijah and his prophecy that a Messiah would come to save the Jewish people.  An older man raised his hand, stood up and said, "This is nonsense.  There are no miracles.  No one is coming to save the Jews."

Ilya looked around and took a deep breath.  Then, he gently said, "Oh, but there are miracles.  Would you ever have believed that one day we would be celebrating Pesach in the Communist Party headquarters?"

Suddenly everyone realized where they were, and the meaning of Pesach became astonishing clear:  The angel of death had passed over, and Jews in Ukraine were, once again, free.