Passover — or Pesach in Hebrew — will be observed from the evening of April 12 through the evening of April 20 in 2025.
This eight-day holiday commemorates the ancient Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt and celebrates freedom, resilience, and faith. Passover is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays, filled with meaningful rituals, symbolic foods, and family gatherings.
You might be wondering how to greet your Jewish friends during Passover. Is “Happy Passover” enough? Are there more traditional or thoughtful phrases to use? We’ve got you covered!
How to wish someone a happy Passover
Gut Yontif (Yiddish; “Good holiday”)
Chag Sameach (Hebrew; “Happy Holiday”)
Pesach Sameach (Hebrew; “Happy Passover”)
Chag kasher v’sameach (Hebrew; “Have a kosher and happy Passover”)
Kasher un Frielichen Pesach (Yiddish; “Have a kosher and happy Passover”)
What is the story of Passover all about?
Passover celebrates the Jewish people’s miraculous exodus from Egypt as told in the Biblical book of Exodus. Its name comes from the story of the tenth plague (the death of the firstborn), which passed over the Israelites’ houses, sparing their children.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explained the rationale of Passover this way: “The journey from slavery to freedom is one we need to travel in every generation. So we were commanded to gather our families together every year at this time and tell the story of what it was like to be a slave and what it felt like to go free.”
The Passover story is told and even reenacted at the seder, the traditional Passover dinner. For example, bitter herbs are eaten so as to “taste” the bitterness the Israelites endured as slaves.
With its central theme of redemption, Passover is a time not only for Jews to connect with their own history, but also to be mindful of the suffering of others and those who are oppressed today. At the seder, many Jews draw attention to present-day issues of justice (in and out of the Jewish community) with the hope that all people will find freedom.
