JEWISH WORLD

14 JEWISH WORLD • APRIL 12-18, 2024 leled versions of devotion and cre- ativity,” the NewYork Times report- ed four years ago in a story about “The Rise of the D.I.Y. Haggadah.” Thanks to Haggadot.com and similar commercial self-publishing initiatives, people who want to lead a seder but find no extant choices that meet their tastes can create their own Haggadah, with the lan- guage (often in current argot) and illustrations of their own design. Reflecting an increasingly divid- ed Jewish community, most Hag- gadot are not mass-marketed (do not look for them in your Jewish bookstore or an ad in these pages) but promoted in venues like social media or email blasts among men and women in the writer’s clearly gadot, selectively promoted and hard to locate on Google, Amazon, or barnesandnoble.com , fea- ture some truncated text and updated language. A 2013 survey found that 70 percent of U.S. Jews participated in a seder the previous year (there are no updated num- bers), which speaks volumes about the power of tradition, at least where Passover is concerned. The new Hag- gadot, however, are a sign of a more fractured Jewish community today that is not bound to old traditions. They are not your Zaide’s Haggadah. Current Haggadot reflect their authors and are as in- dividualized to one’s lean- ings as the artifacts that in recent years have become common at families’ seder tables. These include a kiddush cup filled with water placed beside Elijah’s Cup and called the Cup of Miriam, which is meant to honor the role of Moses’ sister and Jewish women generally, There also is an orange that today symbolizes communal in- clusiveness, expressing the hope that our sectarian-divided Jewish would learn to stick together as the segments of a whole orange stick together. More recent additions in- clude a sunflower in honor of Ukrainian Jews and an olive sym- bolizing hope for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Most are the work of less- er-known writers and are often the product of small firms or published by the authors themselves. I f we are the People of the Book, at Pesach we have become the People of the Niche Book. “The Haggadah inspires unparal- By STEVE LIPMAN A ccording to anecdotal and statistical evidence, the Passover Haggadah is the most-published book in Jewish his- tory. Each year, there are new ver- sions, translations, interpretations, and illustrations being published. This trend continues in 5784, al- though in smaller numbers this time around. In the past, Haggadot usually were the work of prominent authors or scholars and were published by ma- jor imprints. They were traditionally aimed at the wider Jewish communi- ty (witness the eternally popular Maxwell House Haggadah, which graces the seder tables of Jewish families from Orthodox to assimilat- ed) or at major Jewish subgroups. The operative word is “were.” New Haggadot are appearing this year, but you probably did not hear of most of them. Most are intended for a narrower readership. Although loosely following the or- der of a traditional Haggadah (once unadorned text that often was includ- ed in a comprehensive siddur or Pass- over machzor), the new crop of Hag- Haggadot For ‘Generation-Me’ From out of new tech comes new text—AI, AI, AI! continued on page 22 Haggadot usually were the work of prominent authors or scholars, but that is changing. PASSOVER Serving All 5 Boroughs of NYC, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and Rockland. Hey, we don’t have this BIG RED boxing glove in our logo for nothing. KNOCKOUT ALL YOUR PEST PROBLEMS Service calls in 24 hours or less www.knockoutpest.com 1.800.244.7378 KNOCKOUT PEST CONTROL is New York’s premium pest control company that rids homes and businesses from pests using the latest in GREEN environmentally friendly technology. Ants, Bed Bugs , Bees , Centipedes, Crickets, Fleas, Flies , Hornets, Millipedes, Powder Post Beetles, Silverfish , Stink Bugs, Termites , Wasps, Yellow Jackets , Rodents, and more... SENTRICON NY’S BEST TERMITE CONTROL SYSTEM KILL BED BUGS WITH FREEZING TECHNOLOGY KNOCKOUT PEST CONTROL’S Covers all areas inside a home and attached to house, eg: deck, garage, etc. for a FULL 12 MONTHS Call now to SAVE 25% COUPON Limited time offer. Some restrictions apply. This coupon MUST be presented at the time of initial service contact to qualify for THIS offer. Ask about our commercial property KO-12 plans. 24/7 - Knockout Pest Control 1.800.244.7378 KO-12 PROGRAM KOPC_Ad_July2011.indd 1 7/21/11 11:30:44 AM