'Seeds of love and hope' at Freedom for All Passover that raises £600 for community in Gaza

In a post on their website - hastingsjewsforjustice.org - the group said they were 'heartened' to be joined by 70 guests, including members of the mosque, councillors, prospective parliamentary candidates and friends, new and old.

They said they were bowled over by the feedback they received on the night and thrilled that to have "gained a huge number of new members too, keen to connect and be part of our growing community".

They shared some of this feedback from invitees.

One wrote: "In a world that feels barren of compassion, tonight I could feel seeds of love and hope."

Another said: "A very special evening. Wonderful to reclaim and celebrate Jewish radical tradition. Thank you to all involved and solidarity to Palestine."

Dr Imad Bourghli, Chair of the Mosque, wrote: “I felt at home, what I heard was coming from the same source of my belief and I thank you for sharing this great event with us.”

The “Freedom for All” seder was started last year by an international coalition of Jews, calling for collective liberation, an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine and declaring solidarity with the Palestinian people “not in spite of our Judaism, but because of it”.

At the event, led by Jewish Voice for Labour co-chair Leah Levane, guests read from the new liberation Haggadah created by the coalition, adding their own individual touches too, to make it a very personal evening.

A spokesperson for Hastings Jews for Justice added: "We are grateful to our funders Trinity Wholefoods and The Chalk Cliff Trust for supporting our community event and to all our guests who brought donations.

"We raised £600 for Hastings Friends of Al-Mawasi and recommitted ourselves to Tikkun Olam (repair the world) as a community. As the liberation Haggadah states: "As there are relentless breakages in the world - violence, occupation, apartheid, genocide - there must, too, be continual repair.""

For more information about future events and activities visit www.hastingsjewsforjustice.org.