27 March 2020

Liberal Judaism has put three versions of its Haggadah online – so you can download and use whichever ones best fits the Seder you will be hosting this year, whether it’s a big family/communal event hosted via internet streaming or a small intimate affair for just those in your house.

The first is the full Liberal Judaism Haggadah – Haggadah B’chol Dor Va-Dor – which contains the complete Liberal children’s and adults’ Sedarim combined. It offers the option to follow both the ‘traditional’ order of the Seder, or alternative readings and songs from the facing pages.

The second is our brand new Haggadah for the Days of Isolation which contains extracts from the adults’ Haggadah that are essential to hold together the key elements of a Seder. These are joined together with some new text by Liberal Judaism president Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein, giving this Haggadah relevance to these difficult times. It is designed with the knowledge that many people this year will wish to enjoy key parts of the Seder without the need to go over every word and ritual.

The third is the complete Children’s Haggadah. This also contains the key elements of a Seder. It began life as The Twenty Minute Seder, compiled by Rabbi Pete Tobias in 2009. It’s particularly useful for young children and their families and works on the principle that it is easier to add material in to a Seder (questions, discussion etc) than it is to decide which bits to leave out. If you use the basic text, it will indeed last for just 20 minutes.

All three versions of the Haggadah include transliteration. You can read/download/print them by clicking here or here.

Liberal Judaism is grateful to Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein, Rabbi Pete Tobias and Tammy Kustow for creating these wonderful online resources.

Andrew said: “We wanted to offer three different options so that everyone is able to mark Pesach in some way. That is important because, as in past times of difficulty, it can help boost the spirits.

“Jews have faced extraordinary times in the past and, as the very essence of Pesach tells: we will survive and we will be able to celebrate in the future, in freedom and without fear.”