Events

The Commonwealth Jewish Council's Annual Diplomats' Passover Seder 2026

It was an absolute pleasure to welcome High Commissioners, Honorary Consuls, senior diplomats, their representatives and members of Jewish communal organizations at this year's Commonwealth Jewish Council's Annual Diplomats’ Passover Seder* held on 19th March 2026; an evening of education, discussion and friendship in a sociable atmosphere. 

Clive Lawton OBE JP, our Executive Chair, led us through the explanatory Passover ("Pesach") Seder service, sharing and enquiring about personal experiences of past family Seder nights and inviting everyone present, both Jewish and non-Jewish alike, to get involved in the proceedings by reading out portions of the service, joining in the singalong and tasting the traditional symbolic foods of the Seder plate.

The relaxed setting gave our guests the opportunity to pose a variety of interesting questions about Passover and other aspects of Judaism.

With the Seder commemorating the story of God taking the People of Israel (the Jews) out of slavery in Egypt (the story of the book of Exodus in the Bible), Clive drew key parallels with modern slavery which is sadly all too present today in the Commonwealth and beyond in various forms and must be combatted without question.

Everyone present – seasoned attendees of our Annual Diplomats’ Passover Seder, Jewish guests who celebrate Passover each year and Passover Seder debutants alike - came away having learned something new about the customs of the Pesach festival.

Many thanks to the team at Westminster Synagogue for hosting us and to their very own Rabbi Kamila Kopřivová who welcomed the guests at the beginning of the evening.

*For those not in the know, a 'Seder' (rhymes with 'raider') is the remarkable meal/service/ceremony/social that Jews have celebrated every year for the last three and a half thousand years or so at the festival of Passover ("Pesach").