The Empty Chair Project

When the Heart Seeks a Home

Passover 2026: A Seder of Embrace and Hope with Navah

This Passover, as tables are set and there is deep longing for those who are no longer with us, Navah invites bereaved families to join a communal Seder, ensuring that they don’t have to face this moment alone.

In the heart of Jerusalem, at the VERT Hotel, more than 300 bereaved family members – widows, widowers, and orphans - will come together for a shared journey of remembrance, comfort, and celebration. On this night when the Jewish people commemorate their freedom, we will choose to affirm life, even through the pain.

What Awaits the Families in this Embrace?
Warm, Enveloping Hospitality: A thoughtfully prepared and welcoming holiday experience that offers calm, comfort, and the true spirit of Passover.
Rest for the Soul: Interactive sharing circles, uplifting playback theater workshops, moving musical performances that gently open the heart, and soothing mind–body treatments.
A Guiding Hand: Compassionate support from spiritual leaders, professional therapists, and experts in trauma and bereavement.
The Spark Within: The chance to sing together, find smiles through the tears, and draw strength to continue living fully alongside the loss.
“On this night, no one has to explain the void – we all feel it, and we hold one another’s hands.”

This Seder is dedicated in loving memory of Tzvi Chaim ben Yisrael Eliezer, z”l and Yocheved bat Leib, z”l. May their memories be a blessing.

Who Will the Children Ask the Four Questions?

This year, as a result of the Swords of Iron War, there are hundreds of bereaved families and orphaned children left without a parent to host the Passover Seder. Instead of experiencing the joyous family atmosphere typically associated with the holiday of freedom, grieving families face the daunting task of sitting opposite an empty chair, a stark reminder of their profound loss. In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, this emotional burden can feel almost impossible.

Navah’s Empty Chair project aims to provide bereaved families with a solution for Seder night, alleviating, even if only slightly, the immense pain and longing. Creating a familial, pampering, and joyful atmosphere, we offer a supportive and embracing atmosphere, a safe emotional space that recognizes their deep pain and grief, and provides them with love and therapeutic support.

Seder Night – One Table, One Heart

For the past 23 years, we have hosted dozens of Passover Seders for families bereaved by terror, offering strength, belonging, and meaning on the night that is perhaps the most family-centered of the year.

Over the past two years, two particularly powerful and moving Seders took place:

5784 (2024) – Just months after the devastating massacre, we hosted approximately 400 bereaved participants at the Olive Tree Hotel in Jerusalem for two days of holiday programming. The gathering included emotional support, prayers, lectures, psychodrama workshops, and activities for all ages. The Seder night itself was an evening of pain, hope, and shared embrace - bringing hearts together and reflecting the strength that can emerge even in the midst of deep fracture.

5785 (2025) – Approximately 400 people bereaved in the Swords of Iron War were hosted at the Royal Hotel at the Dead Sea. It was a deeply meaningful and emotionally rich holiday, with continuous programming for children, teens, and adults. One participant reflected:

“We arrived at the lowest place in the world with the lowest energy- and we left as uplifted as possible, with the strength to continue.”

Our heartfelt thanks to the partners, volunteers, and donors - without you, none of this would have been possible.