“23andUs” Passover Haggadah

Passover starts Wednesday at sundown, falling between Palm Sunday and Easter and reinforcing the link between these two major holidays for Jews and Christians. As many may know, Jesus was traveling to visit his family to celebrate Passover, and the seder has been historically depicted as the Last Supper.

The Passover seder is a communal experience, combining friends, food, alcohol, and songs with a great, tragic and joyous story detailed in the haggadah. This year we are delighted to share another original Haggadah written by our good friend Bob Wolfe,  a retired staff attorney for the Court of Appeals in Santa Ana who has been writing haggadot for years and sharing them with friends.

“Passover is focused around food, it’s at your home, and it’s one of the rare holidays where we explain the reason for doing things…maybe not always the right reason, but it’s explained,” said Wolfe.

“This year’s theme, fitting for a year that ends with ’23, is on ancestry, identity, legacy and our spiritual DNA,” explained Wolfe. “It’s a riff on ’23andMe so it’s all about ancestry, legacy and identity.”

Wolfe generously makes this haggadah available to friends and Buzz readers with one proviso: No commercial use, please. Readers are invited to freely add and subtract from the text – it’s best designed as a guide, not a straitjacket. Don’t know the Hebrew songs? Check out the YouTube links at appropriate points in the haggadah, added Wolfe.

And  this year, he offered a few tweaks to the annual ritual.

“A common tradition, particularly for those who grew up using the Maxwell House haggadah, is to dip wilted pieces of parsley into salt water for the Karpas / Appetizer. I don’t think this is ideal for staving off hunger. This year’s haggadah suggests two alternatives: (1) use a variety of vegetables – carrots, celery, cauliflower, cucumbers, zucchini in addition to parsley, and (2) dip the vegetables into charoset — of which there’s usually plenty,” wrote Wolfe. “Also, consider adding a sunflower or sunflower seeds to recognize the ongoing struggles by the people of Ukraine. Finally, don’t forget Miriam’s cup (with spring water) as well as Elijah’s.”

Click here to download a copy of the haggadah.

Chag Sameach! (Happy Holidays)