Spring holidays abound worldwide. It’s the time when Farmers plow in anticipation of spring plantings. Jewish people gather for Passover, an eight-day holiday celebrating the cycle of life. It is also a reminder of surviving slavery in Egypt. WHether this is true or not is open for discussion.
Passover begins on a full moon in the spring. It was at sundown on April 5th this year. Families and friends gathered around the Seder table to read from the Haggadah, the story of the exodus from Egypt. My gathering takes place tonight, this Saturday.
The Last Supper celebrated by Jesus, was a service and meal similar to today’s meal. The Seder plate holds unleavened bread symbolizing that there wasn’t time for the bread to rise before the escape. A roasted egg recognizes spring and the cycle of life. Parsley dipped in salt water is a reminder of the tears shed during slavery. Bitter Herbs are for the bitterness of Egyptian slavery, Charoset, a mixture of apples, nuts, and wine is symbolic of the mortar Hebrew slaves used to build the pyramids. A lamb shank bone completes the platter, representing the Passover sacrifice made in biblical times.
The story elicits conversations that continue through the night. One question that occasionally arises, is whether the tale is true or a myth. And, if a myth, what does that mean to those who participate in the service? As a woman of Jewish heritage, I celebrate Passover because of its cultural and historic significance. The holiday brings my family together but is also a reminder of the horror of slavery. Unfortunately, it still exists, and though it isn’t legal anywhere, it happens everywhere.
According to Anti-Slavery International, modern slavery is “when an individual is exploited by others, for personal or commercial gain. Whether tricked, coerced, or forced, they lose their freedom. This includes human trafficking, forced labor, and debt bondage.” Estimates are that globally, 49.6 million people, half of them women in forced marriages, live in involuntary labor conditions. A quarter of the victims are children. Approximately, 6.3 million are trapped by commercial sexual exploitation, another 4 million are captives of government labor camps and prisons, with another 17.3 million in private-sector forced labor situations.
A study conducted at the Britain’s University of Nottingham concludes that the average modern-day slave (worldwide) is sold for $90 -$100, a price much lower than was in the 1800s. Though the price may seem low, slaves are easy to acquire, especially in countries like Nepal where parents sell children to sex traffickers for $10. In 2017, sex traffickers worldwide received an average of $660 per person. The purchaser reaps between $4,000 and $50,000 annually, depending on the country, the U.S. being on the high end.
It surprised me to read that women make up the largest proportion of traffickers. Their motive remains one of money. Globally, human traffickers make an estimated $150 billion in profits. In an effort to thwart slavery, our government partners with private businesses. For example, traffickers use banks to deposit and launder earnings. They use planes, buses, and taxis to transport victims and book hotel rooms. They are active users of social media to recruit and advertise the services of their victims.
United Kingdom, the first country to abolish slavery (1833), it also established a slave owner compensation fund that lasted until 2015. The government paid out £20m ($49.6) in bonds to 40,000 slave owners. In today’s money, the distribution amounts to £16.5bn ($20.46 bn). The accumulated interest made certain families in the UK exceedingly wealthy. Similar reparations were given to slave owners in Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru, and Brazil.
In 1862, President Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensation Emancipation Act giving $300 ($8000 today’s value) to 900-odd slaveholders ( for 3,100 slaves) to free their slaves and stay loyal to the Union. In 1864 and 1866, two acts of Congress allowed the owners of slaves who enlisted or were drafted in the military to file a claim against the Federal government for loss of their slave’s services. The compensation for slaves who enlisted was $300 with $100 paid for drafted slaves.
An 1862 government census held before the Civil War counted 3,853,700 slaves. Their descendants make up nearly 50 million U.S. citizens. After the war, an emigration incentive of $100 ($2,683 today) was offered to formerly enslaved people who agreed to leave the country. No payments were made to the enslaved.
There is a growing movement in the United States to compensate slave families. The estimate is that it will cost $10 to $12 trillion or roughly $800,000 per person to compensate eligible Black households. There are numerous arguments for and against reparation that I won’t get into here. This Passover, I’ve been thinking about how slavery and human trafficking in the U.S. remains rampant and cause such suffering.
In the United States, an estimated 17,5000 foreign nationals and 400,000 American citizens have trafficked annually with women and children making up 70 percent. At-risk communities include children in foster care, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, and migrants-people in plain sight. Slaves may be working on your roof, in your parent’s nursing home, in a restaurant you frequent, or in a sweatshop supplying clothes bought for the holiday. With the demand for slaves high, traffickers find it relatively easy to find victims to force into slavery.
Five states have slavery on the ballot this year. Citizens are deciding whether to close loopholes allowing convicted labor as an exception to slavery. Twenty states have constitutions that permit slavery and involuntary servitude. There is a push against incarcerated people being forced to work without recompense. Still, in those states where they do receive pay, the amount is piddling. If a prisoner doesn’t want to participate, he/she is denied phone calls, visits with families, and even parole.our
This brings me back to the question of whether Jews were slaves in Egypt or whether the Passover story is a myth. Ancient Egyptians kept slaves, most of whom were war captives. The extent they were important to the economy is unknown because slavery was never codified into law. The old kingdom lasted from 2649 to 2130 B.C. The middle kingdom was more active as a slave culture with peasants obliged to work in the fields.
The Bible talks of the Jewish people being enslaved three hundred years after the 1750 B.C. completion date of the pyramids. There is no archeological evidence, state records, or primary sources to prove that Jews were enslaved in Egypt. Not one shred of pottery, of Hebrew writing, or mention in Egyptian records points to the sudden migration of 600,000 families (one-quarter of Egypt’s population at the time) crossing the Sinai.
Still, Passover remains an important family gathering and a reminder of the burdens carried by slaves. Symbols of the seder plate are worth remembering. To rebuild trust and maintain peace, Jewish people have to let go of their prejudices against Arabs just as Americans have to do when it comes to the Black/White divide. If we want to build a better world, each person has to bend to accommodate and celebrate our differences.
References:
Anti Slavery. website What is Modern Slavery. retrieved from https://www.antislavery.org/slavery-today/modern-slavery/
Kimberfee, K (2022) For Five U.S. States, Slavery is Back on the Ballot. retrieved from
https://www.yahoo.com/video/five-u-states-slavery-back-005858747.html
Hartmann, M. (2018) Does Slavery Exist in America Today? The Exodus Road.
Merican Reparations Commission. retrieved from https://reparationscomm.org/reparations-news/britains-colonial-shame-slave-owners-given-huge-payouts-after-abolition/
Hadavi, T (2020) Support for a program to pay reparations to descendants of slaves is gaining momentum, but could come with a $12 trillion price tag. CNBC. retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/12/slavery-reparations-cost-us-government-10-to-12-trillion.html
Niethammer, C. (2020) Business of Human Trafficing. retrieved from TRAFFICING. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carmenniethammer/2020/02/02/cracking-the-150-billion-business-of-human-trafficking/?sh=367d6d3c4142
website Guide to Cvcil l War Slave Compensation Claims from Compiled Military Service Records. Set. Louis County Library. retrieved from https://www.slcl.org/content/guide-civil-war-slave-compensation-claims-compiled-military-service-records
Facts and Details website. Slavery in Ancient Egypt. retrieved from https://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub404/entry-6151.html
Mintz, J. (2017) Were Jews Ever Really Slaves in Egypt, or is Passover a Myth? Jewish World. retrieved from https://www.slcl.org/content/guide-civil-war-slave-compensation-claims-compiled-military-service-records
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