Check out Rabbi Gropper's Haggadah Suggestions:
Kid Focused
Sammy Spider’s First Haggadah This is part of the Sammy Spider series that covers most major Jewish holidays with beautiful illustrations and a totally non-scary spider protagonist. It has plenty of fun Passover songs like, “Crunch Goes the Matzah” (sung to the tune of Pop Goes the Weasel). While this one is definitely aimed at kids, the illustrations are pretty and unique enough that adults won’t mind flipping through it, either!
Uncle Eli's Passover Haggadah Every year Jewish families commemorate the ancient exodus from Egypt with a ritual Passover meal, or seder. It's an important religious event, but for children it can be, well, kind of a snooze. This one-of-a-kind haggadah will change that. Filled with zany characters, wacky rhymes, and humorous color illustrations, Eliezer Segal's lighthearted and entertaining look at Passover traditions shows just how much fun a seder can be.
My Very Own Haggadah This Haggadah doubles as a coloring book, so it’s a great way to keep the kids occupied before, during, and after the seder. It’s been around for over 30 years, so it can serve as a nice reminder that what entertained you as a child still has the potential to entertain your own kids.
A Family Haggadah
There are two editions of this Haggaddah, one with the subtitle, “A Seder Service for All Ages” and the other, “For Families with Young Children.” The one for young children comes with a disclaimer in the introduction: “Do not attempt to discuss all the questions and do all the suggested activities. That would make the seder long and tedious.” I like the honesty. Both are very easy to follow and come with the Hebrew, English, and transliteration of all the prayers and songs involved with the seder. They’re also nice and small, so you don’t have to worry about overcrowding the seder table.
We Were Slaves: An Interactive Haggadah
By Torah Aura Productions
A short, accurate, clear, and easy to use Haggadah. This is both the perfect teaching Haggadah and the ideal volume for home use. The text is traditional but shortened, the graphics highlight the structure and steps in the Haggadah, and the seder it offers is both brief yet complete.
Family Haggadah: A Seder for All Generations
By Elie M. Gindi
With its easy-to-follow format and glorious full-color illustrations, this is the ideal choice for a home seder attended by lots of children. In just 40 pages, Family Haggadah presents all the key elements of the seder in a child-friendly way that will charm everyone at the table. Special features include: vibrant images of ancient and contemporary artifacts and illuminated Haggadot, photographs of modern children celebrating Passover, and sidebars that provide enlightening commentary and thoughtful discussion questions, new traditions and innovations, including Miriam's Cup.
Uncle Eli's Passover Haggadah Every year Jewish families commemorate the ancient exodus from Egypt with a ritual Passover meal, or seder. It's an important religious event, but for children it can be, well, kind of a snooze. This one-of-a-kind haggadah will change that. Filled with zany characters, wacky rhymes, and humorous color illustrations, Eliezer Segal's lighthearted and entertaining look at Passover traditions shows just how much fun a seder can be.
My Very Own Haggadah This Haggadah doubles as a coloring book, so it’s a great way to keep the kids occupied before, during, and after the seder. It’s been around for over 30 years, so it can serve as a nice reminder that what entertained you as a child still has the potential to entertain your own kids.
A Family Haggadah
There are two editions of this Haggaddah, one with the subtitle, “A Seder Service for All Ages” and the other, “For Families with Young Children.” The one for young children comes with a disclaimer in the introduction: “Do not attempt to discuss all the questions and do all the suggested activities. That would make the seder long and tedious.” I like the honesty. Both are very easy to follow and come with the Hebrew, English, and transliteration of all the prayers and songs involved with the seder. They’re also nice and small, so you don’t have to worry about overcrowding the seder table.
We Were Slaves: An Interactive Haggadah
By Torah Aura Productions
A short, accurate, clear, and easy to use Haggadah. This is both the perfect teaching Haggadah and the ideal volume for home use. The text is traditional but shortened, the graphics highlight the structure and steps in the Haggadah, and the seder it offers is both brief yet complete.
Family Haggadah: A Seder for All Generations
By Elie M. Gindi
With its easy-to-follow format and glorious full-color illustrations, this is the ideal choice for a home seder attended by lots of children. In just 40 pages, Family Haggadah presents all the key elements of the seder in a child-friendly way that will charm everyone at the table. Special features include: vibrant images of ancient and contemporary artifacts and illuminated Haggadot, photographs of modern children celebrating Passover, and sidebars that provide enlightening commentary and thoughtful discussion questions, new traditions and innovations, including Miriam's Cup.
Adult Focused
New American Haggadah
This relatively new Haggadah is edited by Jonathan Safran Foer with translations by Nathan Englander, making it the hippest Haggadah for all you book nerds out there. With commentaries from Jewish writers like Lemony Snicket and Jeffrey Goldberg, it’s definitely a hodgepodge of Passover goodness.
A Night of Questions: A Passover Haggadah
by Joy Levitt & Michael Strassfeld
A Night of Questions offers everything found in the traditional Haggadah plus a cornucopia of marvelous marginalia, provocative readings and commentaries, suggestions for embellished rituals, song lyrics, incisive interpretations, historical notes all of it rendered in language that manages to be inclusive and nonsexist without sacrificing lyricism and grace Retire your old Haggadot to the attic; Levitt's and Strassfeld’s Haggadah is a gift to Passover that may well last through the ages.
The Katz Passover Haggadah
This one is the coffee table book of the Haggadah world. Its glossy pages boast intricate artwork that is colorful, beautiful, and sometimes even a little scary. I’d probably avoid showing your kids the picture of Pharoah bathing in a pool of blood while a decrepit slave sits with his hands chained to his neck, but the adults at the table might appreciate the brutality.
A Different Night, The Family Participation Haggadah
By David Dishon and Noam Zion
A Passover haggadah for families eager to dispense with set questions and answers but intimidated by the prospect as well. Careful to retain the traditional 15 steps of the haggadah the authors weave around the text a tapestry of ancient midrash, contemporary commentary, provocative questions, and unexpected answers. They involve the children, with skits, games, and gentle horseplay. This haggadah contains enough material for a few years of seders and some preparation is advised.
A Night to Remember: The Haggadah of Contemporary Voices
By Mishael Zion & Noam Zion and Michel Kichka
A Haggadah with multiple sources, stories, quotes, illustrations, poetry, and commentary. This haggadah is an example of Jewish Renaissance and ritual creativity and it shows the power of cultural dialogue between Israel and America.
The Passover Haggadah: An Ancient Story for Modern Times
By Alana Newhouse & Tablet Magazine
Both proudly traditional and blazingly modern, this Haggadah is a perfect blueprint for remembering the past, living in our present, and imagining the future. Here you’ll find the entirety of the Seder text for those who don’t want to miss a thing—including Hebrew, English, and a newly developed transliteration that makes the Hebrew surprisingly accessible. Alongside, contemporary questions, illustrations, and meditations on freedom, community, destiny, and other topics will engage the whole group in a lively and memorable discussion, especially once you’ve started in on those obligatory four cups of wine.
The Rational Passover Haggadah
By Dennis Prager
Equally valuable for religious and non-religious Jews, as well as non-Jews, Prager’s rich commentary is filled with insights that the reader will ponder for a lifetime.
The Promise of the Land: A Passover Haggadah Paperback
By Ellen Bernstein
All our biblical holidays - Passover included - originally commemorated the agrarian and pastoral soil out of which Judaism grew. Our well-being and our freedom ultimately depend on the earth's well-being. This haggadah seeks to reveal the seder's ecological dimensions and awaken its environmental meaning.
This relatively new Haggadah is edited by Jonathan Safran Foer with translations by Nathan Englander, making it the hippest Haggadah for all you book nerds out there. With commentaries from Jewish writers like Lemony Snicket and Jeffrey Goldberg, it’s definitely a hodgepodge of Passover goodness.
A Night of Questions: A Passover Haggadah
by Joy Levitt & Michael Strassfeld
A Night of Questions offers everything found in the traditional Haggadah plus a cornucopia of marvelous marginalia, provocative readings and commentaries, suggestions for embellished rituals, song lyrics, incisive interpretations, historical notes all of it rendered in language that manages to be inclusive and nonsexist without sacrificing lyricism and grace Retire your old Haggadot to the attic; Levitt's and Strassfeld’s Haggadah is a gift to Passover that may well last through the ages.
The Katz Passover Haggadah
This one is the coffee table book of the Haggadah world. Its glossy pages boast intricate artwork that is colorful, beautiful, and sometimes even a little scary. I’d probably avoid showing your kids the picture of Pharoah bathing in a pool of blood while a decrepit slave sits with his hands chained to his neck, but the adults at the table might appreciate the brutality.
A Different Night, The Family Participation Haggadah
By David Dishon and Noam Zion
A Passover haggadah for families eager to dispense with set questions and answers but intimidated by the prospect as well. Careful to retain the traditional 15 steps of the haggadah the authors weave around the text a tapestry of ancient midrash, contemporary commentary, provocative questions, and unexpected answers. They involve the children, with skits, games, and gentle horseplay. This haggadah contains enough material for a few years of seders and some preparation is advised.
A Night to Remember: The Haggadah of Contemporary Voices
By Mishael Zion & Noam Zion and Michel Kichka
A Haggadah with multiple sources, stories, quotes, illustrations, poetry, and commentary. This haggadah is an example of Jewish Renaissance and ritual creativity and it shows the power of cultural dialogue between Israel and America.
The Passover Haggadah: An Ancient Story for Modern Times
By Alana Newhouse & Tablet Magazine
Both proudly traditional and blazingly modern, this Haggadah is a perfect blueprint for remembering the past, living in our present, and imagining the future. Here you’ll find the entirety of the Seder text for those who don’t want to miss a thing—including Hebrew, English, and a newly developed transliteration that makes the Hebrew surprisingly accessible. Alongside, contemporary questions, illustrations, and meditations on freedom, community, destiny, and other topics will engage the whole group in a lively and memorable discussion, especially once you’ve started in on those obligatory four cups of wine.
The Rational Passover Haggadah
By Dennis Prager
Equally valuable for religious and non-religious Jews, as well as non-Jews, Prager’s rich commentary is filled with insights that the reader will ponder for a lifetime.
The Promise of the Land: A Passover Haggadah Paperback
By Ellen Bernstein
All our biblical holidays - Passover included - originally commemorated the agrarian and pastoral soil out of which Judaism grew. Our well-being and our freedom ultimately depend on the earth's well-being. This haggadah seeks to reveal the seder's ecological dimensions and awaken its environmental meaning.
For the Young (and young at heart)
30 Minute Seder: The Haggadah That Blends Brevity with Traditional Paperback
By Robert Kopman and Bil Yanok
This family-friendly Passover Haggadah appeals to new and experienced Seder participants alike. 30minute-Seder® puts an end to the jumbled chaos that occurs when skipping around a traditional Haggadah. No more, "What page are we on?" or "When do we eat already?" 30minute-Seder® contains simple directions so even new participants know what's going on. Lyrics to traditional Passover songs are also included.
The Kveller Haggadah: A Seder for Curious Kids (And Their Grownups!)
By Kveller, Elissa Strauss, Gabrielle Birkner, and Grace Yagel
The Passover seder shouldn’t feel like a long to-do list — it’s an adventure! From the Jewish parenting site Kveller.com comes “The Kveller Haggadah,” designed to guide families through an epic journey from slavery to freedom, and to promote curiosity, even when there are no easy answers. This haggadah is both rich and accessible, kid-friendly without overlooking the dramatic tensions at the center of the Passover story.
Why on This Night? A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebrations
By Rahel Musleah and Louise August
Musleah expands on the traditional Haggadah by including pre-seder tradition, child-oriented songs, plays, and crafts. She retains almost all of the core readings and blessings in some form and explains them in a meaningful way. She also makes the Haggadah more accessible by transliterating the Hebrew and describing many of the traditions in more depth than is usual. Unfortunately, the writing is sometimes trite ("As we sweep the crumbs from the corners of our rooms, we also clear our hearts of the crummy thoughts we have of others"), simplistic, or didactic. The author clearly has an agenda; among other things, she compares the Biblical plagues to today's societal problems. Still, adults looking for a children's Haggadah may find what they need here, and interfaith families will find it particularly accessible.
Richard Codor's Joyous Haggadah: A Children and Family Cartoon Haggadah for Passover Seder
By Richard Codor and Liora Codor
The Illuminated Story of Passover. A concise modern Haggadah children's haggadah, this is a great family haggadah for beginners or anyone who spends seder night with children. Illustrated in a cartoon style and written in a light humorous manner.
By Robert Kopman and Bil Yanok
This family-friendly Passover Haggadah appeals to new and experienced Seder participants alike. 30minute-Seder® puts an end to the jumbled chaos that occurs when skipping around a traditional Haggadah. No more, "What page are we on?" or "When do we eat already?" 30minute-Seder® contains simple directions so even new participants know what's going on. Lyrics to traditional Passover songs are also included.
The Kveller Haggadah: A Seder for Curious Kids (And Their Grownups!)
By Kveller, Elissa Strauss, Gabrielle Birkner, and Grace Yagel
The Passover seder shouldn’t feel like a long to-do list — it’s an adventure! From the Jewish parenting site Kveller.com comes “The Kveller Haggadah,” designed to guide families through an epic journey from slavery to freedom, and to promote curiosity, even when there are no easy answers. This haggadah is both rich and accessible, kid-friendly without overlooking the dramatic tensions at the center of the Passover story.
Why on This Night? A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebrations
By Rahel Musleah and Louise August
Musleah expands on the traditional Haggadah by including pre-seder tradition, child-oriented songs, plays, and crafts. She retains almost all of the core readings and blessings in some form and explains them in a meaningful way. She also makes the Haggadah more accessible by transliterating the Hebrew and describing many of the traditions in more depth than is usual. Unfortunately, the writing is sometimes trite ("As we sweep the crumbs from the corners of our rooms, we also clear our hearts of the crummy thoughts we have of others"), simplistic, or didactic. The author clearly has an agenda; among other things, she compares the Biblical plagues to today's societal problems. Still, adults looking for a children's Haggadah may find what they need here, and interfaith families will find it particularly accessible.
Richard Codor's Joyous Haggadah: A Children and Family Cartoon Haggadah for Passover Seder
By Richard Codor and Liora Codor
The Illuminated Story of Passover. A concise modern Haggadah children's haggadah, this is a great family haggadah for beginners or anyone who spends seder night with children. Illustrated in a cartoon style and written in a light humorous manner.
DIY (Do-it-yourself)
Haggadot.com
If you’re a fan of mixing and matching, Haggadot.com is another website where you can create your own finished product. It offers thousands of readings, artwork, and even video clips that you can pick and choose from to form your ultimate Haggadah. The site offers traditional and liberal templates that you can use as a foundation, leaving the rest up to you. Go forth and create!
If you’re a fan of mixing and matching, Haggadot.com is another website where you can create your own finished product. It offers thousands of readings, artwork, and even video clips that you can pick and choose from to form your ultimate Haggadah. The site offers traditional and liberal templates that you can use as a foundation, leaving the rest up to you. Go forth and create!
making passover more meaningful
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Need a refresher on the Passover Story? Take a look at this video recap - narrated by Rabbi Gropper! |
Yizkor ServicesSaturday, April 15th @ 8:45am
We gather as individuals and as a community to remember our loved ones through the traditional Passover Yizkor Memorial Service. We will read the names of all associated with Community Synagogue of Rye who have passed away since Passover, 2022. |
Need some Haggadahs for your Passover Seder? CSR has copies to loan you -
"A Different Night" Contact us here. |