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New American Haggadah

by Jonathan Safran Foer, Nathan Englander (Translator)

3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 · rating details · 96 ratings · 24 reviews

Read each year around the seder table, the Haggadah recounts through prayer, song, and ritual the extraordinary story of Exodus, when Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt to wander the desert for forty years before reaching the Promised Land.

Now, Jonathan Safran Foer has orchestrated a new way of experiencing and understanding one of our oldest, most timeless,...more

Hardcover, 160 pages

Published March 5th 2012 by Little, Brown and Company (first published October 26th 2011)

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Apr 08, 2012 Sarah Pi rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this new haggadah edited by Jonathan Safran Foer and translated by Nathan Englander. Do you remember those old commercials in which "we've replaced this man's regular coffee with Folgers - let's see if he notices?" This haggadah seems to be a a project born of passion and enthusiasm, but I'm not sure there was enough forethought involved. They want to replace the Maxwell House haggadah and see if people notice, but ultimately I don't think they set a high enough bar f...more I have mixed feelings about this new haggadah edited by Jonathan Safran Foer and translated by Nathan Englander. Do you remember those old commercials in which "we've replaced this man's regular coffee with Folgers - let's see if he notices?" This haggadah seems to be a a project born of passion and enthusiasm, but I'm not sure there was enough forethought involved. They want to replace the Maxwell House haggadah and see if people notice, but ultimately I don't think they set a high enough bar for themselves. The Maxwell House haggadah may still be ubiquitous in some households, but I would think the goal would be to make a great haggadah, not merely one to replace the bland standard.
There are several interesting features. A timeline of Jewish history runs along the top of each page, from biblical times through the modern day. The Hebrew typeface for each page purports to represent the common look of Hebrew printing in whatever time period is being discussed. Cool idea, but in practice this means some pages are easier to read than others.
Englander's translations are vigorous and passionate. They reminded my aunt of Rumi. They are fairly literal. He translates "Eloheynu," for example, as "God of us," when the suffix "nu" is generally accepted to correspond to the English first person plural "our," and "Eloheynu" to mean "our God." Interesting choice, a little distracting. The plague of darkness -"choshech"- he translates as "a clotted darkness." So at first I thought he was just being extremely literal, and later I decided he was trying for poetry. At that point I got annoyed at his insistence on non-egalitarian translations. It's the twenty-first century, your audience is likely a liberal one. Would it have hurt to use a non-gendered pronoun now and again? In Hebrew, a mixed group is generally captured with a masculine pronoun, but in English it's easy enough to get some diversity in there. Instead of "sons" you can say "children," for example. You can say God instead of "Lord" and "Master."Not so hard.
There are a few pages of commentary interspersed between the traditional text. They arrive in groups of four, labeled "playground," "nation," "house of study," and "library." There is no explanation of what those four designations mean. "Playground" was written by Lemony Snicket, and is generally funny. I didn't recognize the other authors, or get a good sense of the character of their commentaries. Because they came in groups of four and only sporadically, they tended to all comment on different aspects of one particular piece. They were interesting but not really illuminating, in my opinion.
My aunt had heard several interviews with Foer and Englander, and bought their Haggadah on the basis of what she had heard. She said that they had each discussed growing up with the Maxwell House haggadah and its rigid form. As they got older they longed for something that would speak to them, and set about trying to create it. They said that a lot of Jews identify culturally but are divorced from deeper knowledge of their culture. And I know that I'm probably not the person to critique their effort; while I'm no Judaic scholar, I think I have a a lot more working knowledge than the average Joe(seph). But if I were somebody like Foer or Englander who had sat through sixty-some Maxwell House seders in my lifetime, and was curious about going a little deeper this would not be the haggadah I would turn to. I would turn to the lovely Passover Haggadah: The Feast of Freedom = or A Night of Questions: A Passover Haggadah. or The New American Haggadah, all of which include wonderful commentaries and examinations of the text. Or one of the dozens of others that have made the scene since Maxwell House. Again, I know that I may not be in the position to see what the majority of people are doing, so maybe most households are still stuck on Maxwell House, but I'm not sure those people are going to switch now if they haven't switched yet.
Ultimately, this haggadah comes across to me as the work of some people who set about making a haggadah that would speak to them without looking at what was already out there, at what works, or what people are looking for. They even named it the New American Haggadah and cited a tradition of naming new haggadot after where they were produced without noticing that there already is a lovely New American Haggadah by Gila Gevirtz. It faithfully reproduces all the traditional text, but doesn't bother to give a WHY for anything. It carries a timeline across the top of each page to connect history and present, but there's no real reason for any aspect of that timeline to be tied to any particular page. It doesn't reflect when a piece came into the seder, for example. And at most seders I've been to where people actually take the time to ask questions or read side-texts, the population of the Jewish world in 500 BCE would have no relevance to the questions at hand. It wouldn't spark conversation, which in my opinion is what any additions to the traditional text should do.
So, is it worth buying? Perhaps a single copy as a supplementary text. Some of the translations were interesting, and Lemony Snicket's rumination (pun intended) on the goat in Chad Gadya was entertaining. I wouldn't make it my primary haggadah for a seder, though. Ultimately, it's pretty, but lacks depth. At best, I would hope that it would frustrate others and convince them to continue their search for a haggadah that asks and answers and illuminates.

ETA:Okay, the second seder I went to this year was a Maxwell House seder. It was an absolutely lovely traditional evening, of the sort where you read every line of every page without much question or comment or discussion. We were a seder of eight women, though, and what little extra conversation took place hinged upon the archaic translations ("giveth" "lifteth," et thetera) and the masculine language. The grace after meals starts with "Gentlemen," for example. And one of the older women in our group - in her eighties, I think - told the apocryphal story of the orange on the seder with great gusto. I think all of these women would have loved Englander's more poetic translations, but they would have loved an inclusive translation even more. (less)

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Jan 14, 2013 Laurie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: jewish-themes

First, what I like about this new haggadah.
1) The use of different styles of Hebrew letters as illustrations throughout the book and the cover.
2) Daniel Handler's (aka Lemony Snicket) commentaries, especially on the Four Parents and the lechem oni (bread of affliction). Hahaha
3) The historical time line running along the top of the book, although it would be awkward to actually read when you are in the middle of the seder.
4) The translation has some wonderfully poetic turns but this is also the...more First, what I like about this new haggadah.
1) The use of different styles of Hebrew letters as illustrations throughout the book and the cover.
2) Daniel Handler's (aka Lemony Snicket) commentaries, especially on the Four Parents and the lechem oni (bread of affliction). Hahaha
3) The historical time line running along the top of the book, although it would be awkward to actually read when you are in the middle of the seder.
4) The translation has some wonderfully poetic turns but this is also the aspect I most disliked. (see below)

What I did not like:
1) This is a haggadah for those who know their Hebrew well. I personally hate transliteration, but there is no middle ground. You have either the whole story and the songs in Hebrew or Nathan Englander's translation, which has its own issues.
2) This haggadah requires a seder leader who knows what they are doing and can explain to others what is going on. If you are unfamiliar with the seder, you don't get a lot a of user friendly explanation. I would only use this at a seder with other Jews who are very comfortable with Hebrew, the seder ritual, and know all the songs.
3) How could two such talented and sensitive Jewish authors who are younger than me not use inclusive language?!? Or even think that it is okay not to give an explanation for why they didn't!!!!?!?

I am always interested in different siddurim and haggadot and even have orthodox ones on my shelf, but I am afraid I will never be able to use this haggadah as a whole for my seder because of the language that excludes me and my daughter and half of my guests! I am frankly puzzled and at a loss as to why they would choose to make the translation/interpretation so exclusive. As a Hebrew teacher, I fully understand that a more literal translation of the text has all the masculine pronouns and the masculine words for god. But that does not mean that we cannot make an informed and compassionate decision to translate in a way that includes daughters as well as sons.(less)

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Mar 02, 2012 Jamie rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was very excited to win this book in a goodreads drawing. So what if it is a haggadah. I won it! In truth, I have not read the book from front to back. It is, after all, a haggadah, and Passover is weeks away. I have skimmed it and read parts. Here are my thoughts:

It is very attractive. If I were hosting a formal seder on good china, this book would fit in well. There is good line spacing, and the primary font is easy to read. The images are tasteful, and the pages are not too crowded with te...more I was very excited to win this book in a goodreads drawing. So what if it is a haggadah. I won it! In truth, I have not read the book from front to back. It is, after all, a haggadah, and Passover is weeks away. I have skimmed it and read parts. Here are my thoughts:

It is very attractive. If I were hosting a formal seder on good china, this book would fit in well. There is good line spacing, and the primary font is easy to read. The images are tasteful, and the pages are not too crowded with text and pictures. There are blank pages at the end for users to write reflections or memories.

It includes literary commentaries from the perspectives of library, nation, playground and house of study throughout. Cool idea and the commentators are an interesting group - eg, Lemony Snicket writes playground. Unfortunately, you have to turn the book 90 degrees to read the commentary text. This sounds small but I found it to be a big deterrent to reading the commentaries.

The language is too harsh for my taste. It's been 11 months since I last read a haggadah but I don't recall the two with which I am most familiar (The Baskin haggadah and The Open Door haggadah) being quite so violent in their imagery. Here is an example: "have that urge burnt from the depths of my heart until it is no more than smoke...so to may you, like the very wind of destruction, rid by fire all the wickedness from the land."

There is no transliteration of the Hebrew which is very disappointing, especially for the songs. Classics like Eliyahu and Dayenu are only provided in Hebrew. I don't read Hebrew, and the songs are not in their own section, so I did not know that they were there at all until I asked my husband to look for them. The words to a couple of the English songs are different from the traditional.

Lastly, I prefer gender neutral language. God is he, lord and King of the Cosmos throughout this text.

In sum, I do not especially like this haggadah but it is always interesting to have additional haggadot to share so I thank goodreads for sending it.
(less)

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Apr 07, 2012 Margaret Heller rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion

Gorgeous typography and layout. I substituted a few translations from the old favorites, but in general I very much enjoyed Nathan Englander's translations. More lively. My dad said, "I don't remember this from any Passover before!" It's the same, only more modern and interesting than the old standbys. Also the Lemony Snicket commentary is amazing.

Two things: you must be able to read Hebrew to get through everything, and the book is slightly large for easy dinner table use. But we passed one co...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Kim Heimbuch rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, owned-hardcopy

Words can't describe this book. I love learning about cultures, religion, and customs and this books suits this perfectly. This large coffee table book eagerly awaited my grasp as I pulled it from the envelope. I was simply amazed at it's simplicity of it, yet it radiated beauty at the same time. Opening from left to right, this book was a nice change from traditional Western literature. While I do not have another haggadah to compare it too or even a deep enough knowledge to fully grasp what "N...more

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Mar 22, 2012 Gayla Bassham rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Gayla by: The Millions 2012 round-up

Shelves: 2012-reads, src-spring-2012

This is a beautiful book, and since Nathan Englander translated it, you know that it must be beautifully written. When I opened it for the first time, I wished I had ordered more than one copy, so I could use it at our seder this year.

But after I read it, I decided that I am just as happy with the current Haggadah, one I assembled by taking the parts I liked best from half-a-dozen sources. Yes, probably violating all sorts of copyright laws, but I'm not trying to sell it or pass it off as my wo...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Jana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I am not Jewish nor do I know much about the Jewish faith. Nevertheless, I did find this an interesting book. I heard the author speak on NPR and it sparked my interest. I did not understand all the sedar rituals that were talked about but I found the prayers to be beautiful and melodic. The actual book itself is beautiful put together.

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Aug 06, 2012 Diana rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you are in the market for a Haggadah, or want to learn more about them, this is a great book. If you will read anything by Jonathan Safran Foer (like me!) it's hard to tell if there's much of him in here. Read my full review here: http://sonotarunner.blogspot.com/2012...

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May 30, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Four stars for beauty (and labor of love feel) AND that timeline (!). Commentaries? Loved them. Great addition to our Passover library. Important to note: no transliteration. If you do not read Hebrew, make sure someone at the table does.

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May 10, 2013 Tamara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Here's the deal--this haggadah is more like The Book of Embraces than a haggadah. The passover ritual is embroidered with history, midrash, family stories, and Harper's-Index-Style-facts. The commentaries are color-coded, by author, I think, since this is a collaboration, so that when the reader finds an amiable voice to listen to she can follow that voice through the text, temporarily ignoring other voices. The text mimics a dinner-table feeling, with many conversations happening. The reader ch...more

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May 18, 2012 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

It was so cool to see the editor and translator at the 6th & I Synagogue. I liked reading the timeline and the commentaries. I think the text of the haggadah itself probably reads better when you're sitting at the seder table.

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Apr 26, 2013 Tim Hollo added it

A friend at Pesach this year had this and it's a wonderful, thought-provoking Haggadah - exactly what it should e, instead of just going trough the motions. An impressive intellectual achievement.

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Mar 19, 2013 Brandon Isaacson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Note: Rating based on content as literature. If I was simply rating this as a new American Haggadah, I would give it a 5. I love the ways they make it more clear, accessible and visual.

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Mar 21, 2012 Carrie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Just found out I won this as a First Read. Can't wait to get it!

This is a beautiful text, however it is not quite as user friendly as I had hoped. There are not transliterations for the Hebrew, which make it difficult in families that are interfaith or where one does not have a good grasp of the Hebrew language. Including the songs is wonderful, but again there is no translation to English or transliteration.

While I will keep the book on our shelves, I do not anticipate it becoming our go-to for...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Shari rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: some-favorites

Purchased for Pesach last year, and finished this year. What I love are the commentaries, particulary Library and Playground.

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Mar 13, 2012 Christina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Thank you Goodreads for this beautiful work of art. It adds a new dimension to the spirituality of the holiday.

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May 08, 2012 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Over my head/out of my element, but interesting and beautifully illustrated.

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Mar 18, 2012 Erika Dreifus added it

Shelves: jewish-lit

Review copy supplied by the publisher

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Apr 15, 2012 Alexa marked it as to-read

Jonathan Safran Foer wrote it. I'm such a sucker. Even if the content blows, I'm happy to read anything he put together.

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Jun 07, 2012 Hilary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ok, but I expected more from it. Not planning on purchasing to supplement future seders.

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Feb 28, 2012 Mamma rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am not Jewish, but I requested the book because I am interested in culture and the historical background of my own faith. I received this book a couple of hours ago, and it is an impressive work. My husband is adding it to his own to-read list.

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Aug 01, 2012 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am not Jewish but put in for this book because I am interested in all religions. This is a beautiful book and I am so glad that I won it from Goodreads.

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May 02, 2013 Ellen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not the truly user-friendly haggadah I hoped for. A bit difficult to maneuver and without any transliteration, which is important for some of my seder guests.

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Apr 17, 2013 Sheindal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Disappointing. perhaps the best part was a timeline of some interesting Passover related facts.

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May 18, 2013 Heather added it

May 13, 2013 Yossi Gremillion marked it as to-read

May 12, 2013 Kelly marked it as to-read

Shelves: rel

May 12, 2013 Paul Massimo Popple marked it as to-read

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May 03, 2013 Alex marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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