RECOGNIZING CHRISTIAN HOLY WEEK AND PASSOVER IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Sen. Richardson & Rep. Shupe & Rep. Dukes

Sens. Buckson, Hocker, Lawson, Mantzavinos, Pettyjohn, Wilson; Reps. Bolden, Carson, Collins, Harris, Heffernan, K. Johnson, Ortega, Snyder-Hall, Spiegelman, Yearick

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 43

RECOGNIZING CHRISTIAN HOLY WEEK AND PASSOVER IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, Christians and Jews recognize the religious observances of Holy Week and Passover, respectively; and

WHEREAS, churches around the world, including Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Anglican, and other denominations observe various services during the week preceding Easter to remember and celebrate the events the scriptures say preceded Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, trial, death, and resurrection known as “Holy Week”; and

WHEREAS, the Eastern Orthodox Church will celebrate Holy Week beginning April 13 with Easter Sunday, or “Pascha,” celebrated on April 20, 2025; and

WHEREAS, in Western Christianity, Holy Week will be celebrated from April 13 to April 19, beginning with Palm Sunday, or Passion Sunday; and

WHEREAS, during Holy Week, Christians remember the sacrifice the scriptures say Jesus made for all people; and

WHEREAS, Passover, also called Pesach, is one of the most sacred and widely observed Jewish holidays; and

WHEREAS, Passover will be celebrated by Jews around the world from April 12 to April 20, 2025; and

WHEREAS, during Passover, Jews commemorate the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and freedom from slavery during the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses II; and

WHEREAS, on the first two nights of Passover, families and friends gather for a feast known as a Seder and read stories from the Haggadah, a Jewish text that recounts the story of Passover; and

WHEREAS, Jews who observe Passover abstain from eating leavened food products, known as chametz, and instead, consume a type of flatbread called matzo; and

WHEREAS, for Jewish people, Passover is a celebration of freedom and the remembrance of Jewish history; and

WHEREAS, both Passover and Christian Holy Week are recognized and observed by Delawareans across the state; and

WHEREAS, as Holy Week and Passover are observed, we must remember the critical importance of the respect that is to be accorded to all faiths and beliefs as reflected in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which begins: ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof’; and

WHEREAS, the last seven words of that phrase, ‘or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ hold heightened significance during the Christian Holy Week and Jewish Passover.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 153rd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that the members of the General Assembly hereby recognize the religious observances of Holy Week and Passover in the State of Delaware.

SYNOPSIS

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes Christian Holy Week and Passover in the State of Delaware.

Author: Senator Richardson