42 April 11 • 2019
jn
KERI GUTEN COHEN STORY DEVELOPMENT EDITOR
Telling
The Story
Every year, Haggadahs fi
nd new ways
to convey the Jews’
exodus from slavery.
O
nce again, there are many
new Haggadot out there to try
this year. Here’
s a round-up
of some, including one by Ann Arbor
resident Carol Bloom Levin.
Levin was on a mission to create a
child-friendly Haggadah that would
appeal to her young grandchildren
Aaron and Julia. What she ended up
with is a lovely book called Haggadah
Regatta that features text and colorful,
playful illustrations by the author.
She is a self-described “writer and
an artist and a do-it-yourselfer.” She’
s
also the great-great-granddaughter of
Jacob Silberman, the first president
of Temple Beth El in Bloomfield
Township.
Decades ago, she wrote A Rosh
Hashanah Walk (Kar-Ben Publishers,
1987). In 2017, she says an idea for a
new holiday tale sprouted while she
was kayaking on the Huron River.
Haggadah Regatta combines
meaningful ritual text with the tale
of a matzah raft that only sails if
all onboard stomp. Two little kids (a
boy and his goat) lead a crew of shoes
through the highlights of a traditional
seder, calling on big kids and grown-
ups to help sail the raft.
Levin created the prototype in two
weeks and then tested it out on her
family at their seder. What followed
was a year of revisions.
The book was published this January
and had been available at Amazon
and other online book sellers, but just
three weeks before the holiday it was
pulled from those sources because her
printer in Dexter announced it filed
for bankruptcy, Levin says. She now
can only sell them herself or through
independent bookstores or shops.
To purchase Haggadah Regatta
($9.99) in time for the seders, contact
the author at carol.levin@gmail.com
or go to Coby’
s Judaica Center at the
Detroit Jewish Community Center or
Nicola’
s Books in Ann Arbor.
OTHER INTERESTING HAGGADOT
A hot new Haggadah comes in the
form of a graphic novel by Jewish
cartoonist Jordan B. Gorfinkel and
Israeli illustrator Erez Zadok, with
translation by David Olivestone. For
nearly a decade, Gorfinkel was a
manager for the Batman franchise at
DC Comics, where his creations serve
as inspiration for TV, film, games and
more.
The Passover Haggadah Graphic
Novel integrates a new, modern
translation into sophisticated and
fun sequential art that brings the
epic story to life. In an interesting
twist, the traditional Haggadah pages
are presented opposite the graphic
illustrations making for a dynamic mix
of old and new. How-to instructional
cartoons depict all the rituals. The
Haggadah should be appealing to all
ages.
The hardcover book ($19.95, Koren)
is available at Amazon and KorenPub.
com ($14.96 at press time).
Tired of your traditional Maxwell
House Haggadah? Try a new version
from the company — its limited-
edition Maisel Haggadah, featuring
illustrations and other shtick based
on the popular Amazon series The
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel about an
aspiring Jewish female comedian and
her extended family in late 1950s New
York.
The Maisel Haggadah is a return
to an earlier Haggadah Maxwell
House has offered free in stores
since 1932. This new version scatters
Maisel characters throughout, has
handwritten notes by actress Rachel
Brosnahan’
s character and even fake
wine stains.
Get yours only by ordering Maxwell
House coffee through Amazon.com.
Kveller.com is offering a
downloadable Kveller Haggadah
perfect for families with children. It is
written by Elissa Strauss and Gabrielle
Birkner with engaging illustrations by
Hane Grace Yagel.
Designed to guide families through
an epic journey from slavery to
freedom, this version goes deep into
Jewish traditions in a kid-friendly
way, yet without losing the dramatic
tensions of the Passover story. The
Haggadah was created to promote
curiosity, even when there are no easy
answers.
To download a free version, go to
kveller.com/download-the-kveller-
haggadah or for a paperback version
($9), go to Amazon.
The Family and Frog! Haggadah is
written by Rabbi Ron Isaacs and Karen
Rostoker-Gruber with illustrations
by Jackie Urbanovic. This over-sized
paperback published by Behrman
House in 2017 is playful, colorful and
instructive.
Green and friendly, Frog hops
throughout the book offering his take
on the traditional Passover story —
and seems to be always on the lookout
for flies. In addition to presenting
the usual parts of the seder, the book
offers checklists for seder preparation,
songs, historic trivia and suggested
activities to keep young and old
engaged. All are presented in a lively
yet organized manner featuring photos
and historic illustrations to make
things easy.
The toad-ily delightful Haggadah
is available on Amazon ($7.50 at
press time) and barnesandnoble.com
($7.95). ■
Author/illustrator Carol
Bloom Levin and her
grandchildren Aaron and
Julia, all of Ann Arbor
passover
arts&life