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From a Kanye West parody to AI versions, here are 10 new haggadahs to try this Passover
(JTA) — What makes this year’s batch of new haggadahs different from all other years’? For one thing, there are entries written by machines — with not just one but two different versions written by artificial intelligence.
The haggadah market is continually booming, as Jewish writers and creatives take inspiration from news, pop culture and other trends to create seder texts and supplements that break out of the Maxwell House box. This year’s crop tackles Kanye West, the AI app craze, turmoil in Israel and more.
Here are 10 haggadahs to freshen up your seder this year or in the future. (For more options, check out last year’s list, including an Israeli Black Panthers haggadah now in its second printing and another written in Shakespearean verse.)
For the Kanye hater
Serial haggadah humorist Dave Cowen is back with his latest pop culture-themed Passover text: “The Meshugah Kanye Haggadah: A Passover Parody Musical,” which takes songs by the rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, and loosely changes the lyrics to tell the holiday story. For those who missed the news in the fall, West declared himself an antisemite through a series of interviews and social media rants — though he recently recanted. West has said he struggles with bipolar disorder, and Cowen is donating part of the profits of his haggadah to Mad in America, which publishes research and content aimed at rethinking mental health care in the United States.
For the psychedelics-curious
Interested in “tripping toward freedom”? Or “ingesting transformation” through karpas? How about reciting kadesh with “spiritual intention”? Then you might be drawn to “Taste & See: A Psychedelic Pesach Companion” from the Jewish artist-run Ayin Press. It pairs prayers with specific psychoactive substances and then offers Jewishly-inspired passages to guide one through a seder trip, in a foundational text for the growing Jewish psychedelics movement.
For the visual artist
An Israeli artist collective known as Asufa has put out a haggadah featuring colorful and sometimes edgy illustrations by a slew of up-and-coming artists, for the last decade. Only once before has the collective put out a version with English text — until now. A 10th anniversary edition culls artworks from previous editions in one place with a gold-foil cover and a bilingual text. The group put out a new Hebrew version with fresh art as well.
For those concerned about Israel
As the founder of the first Orthodox yeshiva that ordains women clergy, Avi Weiss is no stranger to commenting on fractures in the Jewish community. The liberal Orthodox rabbi and outspoken pro-Israel activist is doing so again in haggadah-supplement form this year, writing in prayers and points of discussion for a seder on the political crisis in Israel that has exploded since the country’s right-wing government took office earlier this year. “It is a template meant to inspire thoughts wherein seder participants can join in, sharing their own reflections and interpretations,” he writes.
For the visually impaired
The Jewish Braille Institute has teamed up with the Kehot Publication Society, the publishing arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, to revamp and re-promote its free haggadah for the visually impaired. “Whether these haggadahs help a grandfather hoping to lead a seder as they have for decades or a child who hopes to read the four questions for the first time, JBI’s mission is to make sure that every person who chooses to can participate in our beloved traditions and know that they belong at the table,” JBI’s president, Livia Thompson, told Chabad.org.
For fans of Chat GPT
The Chat GPT bot can do everything from compose music to hold conversations. It was only a matter of time before someone instructed it to produce a haggadah. Israelis Royi Shamir, an architect, and Yitzchak Woolf, a photographer, produced a version of the seder text through the app — a co-author they’ve called Rabb.AI. The original art in “Haggad.AI” — billed as the first of its kind — were produced by Midjourney, another artificial intelligence program that creates images from prompts. Julie Shain, an editor of the popular Daily Skimm newsletter, has done the same with “The AI Haggadah“; both start with text from Sefaria, the free online Jewish resource. (Both haggadahs are invigorating debates about the necessity of humans in Jewish practice.)
For the impatient
One of the best-selling haggadahs on Amazon this year has a pretty self-explanatory name: “The Swift Seder: The Concise Passover Haggadah for a Reverent Yet Efficient Seder in Under 30 Minutes.” No elaborate illustrations or long commentaries — just the instructions, story and explanations needed to run a tight seder (and a chapter full of songs to add in at one’s leisure).
For Ukrainian speakers
This year, for the first time ever, a haggadah is available in the Ukrainian language — a response to Ukraine’s war and the impulse of Jews there to shed their Russophone roots. This year the haggadah is available online only, but its creators — a Jewish feminist nonprofit and a musicologist who translated the whole text from its original languages — plan to make a print version available next year.
For trans Jews and their allies
The folks at Pink Peacock, the queer, Yiddish, anarchist cafe and Jewish movement in Glasgow, Scotland, have put out a “Trans Liberation Haggadah” perfectly timed for an era when trans rights are under attack in many states. The haggadah expands upon the haggadah supplement released a decade ago by Keshet, the LGBTQ Jewish advocacy group, in the brash spirit with which Pink Peacock has made itself felt far beyond its Scottish city.
Honorable mention: For curious kids (and their grownups)
Our sister site Kveller’s haggadah isn’t new — it was first published in March 2020 — but it still deserves a spot on any haggadah list, especially for families with young children. It makes the seder more digestible for kids, and it also features insights from renowned researchers who explain the connections between memory and food.
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The post From a Kanye West parody to AI versions, here are 10 new haggadahs to try this Passover appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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London Jewish Community Feels ‘Anxious’ but ‘Resilient’ as It Prepares for Potential Future Attacks
A person holds a sign near the scene where four ambulances belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish community organization, were set on fire in an incident that the police say is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, in northwest London, Britain, March 23, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
The Jewish community in London is feeling “very anxious” while trying to stay vigilant and prepared for potential incidents in the future after four Hatzalah emergency vehicles were destroyed in an antisemitic arson attack last week, the president of the UK’s main Jewish umbrella organization said on Sunday.
“We’ve had two-and-a half-years of very high levels of antisemitism, obviously, the deadly attack at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester just in October, and now this incident, an arson attack in the heart of London’s Jewish community in Golders Green,” Phil Rosenberg of the Board of Deputies of British Jews said during an appearance on “BBC London Politics.”
“It is nonetheless a very resilient and proud community, and we are looking at how we push back and build back stronger,” Rosenberg added.
Roughly 150,000 Jewish people live in London.
Rosenberg, a deputy at a north London synagogue and former Labour councillor in Camden, was also asked about the British government’s response to the arson attack. He said that, with help from the government, the Jewish community in London is now equipped with specialist kits designed to help during future attacks, including equipment that could help with chemical exposure. The equipment was provided through a £28.4 million government grant to the Community Security Trust (CST), a Jewish charity that safeguards the safety and security of Jews across the UK.
“On the way here, I was looking at my WhatsApps. I saw one come in from my synagogue, and it was talking not about the great services we put on, the outreach to local communities, the wonderful art and charity that we do, but about a series of kits we’ve just received that will help the community if there’s an attack to stem the flow of blood, or if there’s a chemical attack. That is the situation we’re facing,” Rosenberg explained.
“It’s sad that it’s needed, though,” he added. “Because what we need to do is prevent this and create a situation where those things are not the things we’re talking about, and those are not the things we need. We want to be celebrating the Jewish community, and all communities in this city, and not [be] in fear of those sorts of attacks happening.”
Last year, there were over 1,800 antisemitic incidents in London, according to data compiled by CST. When asked if the Jewish community believes the government is doing enough to tackle the issue of antisemitism, Rosenberg said the response is “mixed.” He noted the speed at which the British government provided replacements vehicles for the Hatzalah ambulances destroyed last week and other moves by the government, like proscribing the pro-Hamas group Palestine Action.
“The government still needs to go further,” Rosenberg added, before calling for British leaders to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and to take more action to combat hatred flourishing on social media, among other issues.
“We’ve seen in our society a growth of extremism … and we are very concerned that we are seeing society being pulled apart,” he said. “We need to come together, among all communities, to push back against hatred in all its forms, including antisemitism, and marginalize those extremists.”
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Antisemitic Acts in Australia Persist With Car Attack, Statue Vandalism
A suspect commits vandalism outside the Victorian Trades Hall on March 6. Photo: Facebook screenshot.
Law enforcement in Australia has launched investigations into multiple recent antisemitic incidents, including a car attack on Hasidic men on Saturday and the vandalism earlier this month of a statue honoring an Australian Jewish feminist.
The Victoria branch of the Community Security Group (CSG), an organization focused on protecting local Jews, released a statement on Saturday alerting the community of an incident in Melbourne “on Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea, where a vehicle swerved towards community members while occupants shouted antisemitic remarks.”
The CSG reported that “Victoria Police patrols were active in the area and responded to the scene rapidly. There are no reports of physical injuries. CSG is liaising closely with police and continuing to monitor the situation.”
Ripponlea has a significant Haredi population with members of the Adass Israel community comprising 15.2 percent of the population. The neighborhood has seen other recent antisemitic incidents, including the bombing of the group’s synagogue in December 2024.
The suspects — four women — allegedly drove a black Hyundai stolen on Wednesday from a home in the Caulfield suburb. Victoria police confirmed they had opened an investigation and received reports of other incidents involving the antisemitic occupants driving erratically and throwing eggs at people while yelling abuse.
“Those responsible are brazen, bold, and appear to act with impunity,” Naomi Levin, the CEO of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV), told The Australian.
On Friday, Victoria Police announced the arrests of seven women alleged to have vandalized the statue of Zelda D’Aprano — a Jewish Australian feminist — outside the Victorian Trades Hall on March 6 at approximately 11:00 am.
In a statement, law enforcement described the women as part of an activist group and listed their ages as ranging between 34 and 71. The police stated that security footage showed that the vandals pulled out umbrellas to conceal their identities as they sprayed black and red paint on the statue. They also hung a “difficult woman” apron.
D’Aprano worked as an advocate for women’s rights from the 1950s through the 1980s and co-founded the Women’s Action Committee in 1970. She was known to have chained herself to a government building in 1969 to advocate equal pay for women. Her statue was unveiled in 2023.
The activists face charges of “criminal damage, behaving in a riotous manner in a public place, marking graffiti on a residence without consent, recklessly damaging part of a registered place without a permit, and refusing to leave scheduled public place after a warning.” An eighth suspect remains at large.
So far, the only named suspect is Jemima Demanuele, 34, who appeared in a Melbourne court on Friday and was reportedly on bail for another protesting offense.
Victoria Police officer Tiffany Lamesta pushed back on releasing Demanuele, saying that “the accused has been given bail for the last incident but is showing no respect for court orders” and warning that “police believe the accused will continue to offend if she’s granted bail.”
Demanuele is currently on paid leave from her position at St Vincent’s Hospital as staff conduct a Fair Work investigation.
Magistrate Michelle Hodgson granted Demanuele bail and instructed her that “there is no issue with protest, but it must be lawful, it must not endanger the safety and welfare of other persons and it must not cause property damage.”
Police have not yet stated a motive for the vandalism. Photographs from the scene show multiple members of the group wearing black and white keffiyehs, the symbol of anti-Israel militancy popularized by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Antisemitism surged in Australia following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks across southern Israel. On Feb. 24, Australia announced the creation of a Royal Commission led by retired judge Virginia Bell to investigate antisemitism in the country following the murder of 15 Jews at Bondi Beach in December.
Bell said that the commission needs to “investigate the security arrangements for that event, and to report on whether our intelligence and law enforcement agencies performed to maximum effectiveness.”
Australia’s intelligence authorities revealed last year that the Islamic regime in Iran had directed antisemitic acts in the country using cryptocurrency to compensate criminals, prompting the expulsion of Iran’s Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and three other officials.
On Friday, the CSG and JCCV released an annual report on antisemitism in Australia’s Victoria state, documenting 564 incidents, the highest number ever recorded.
“Behind each of these reports is a Jewish person,” Levin said. “A child in school uniform abused on a school excursion, a man in a kippah verbally abused on public transport, a worshipper arriving at synagogue to find hateful words painted on its walls, a business owner wiping racist symbols off their window before opening for the day.”
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French Authorities Foil, Probe Paris Bomb Plot in One of Europe’s Latest Suspected Iran-Linked Attacks
A private security member stands next to a police van outside Bank of America’s Paris offices, after French anti-terrorism prosecutors opened an investigation into attempted destruction by fire or other dangerous means in Paris, France, March 30, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
French authorities are investigating a suspected link to Iran after foiling a bomb attack outside a Bank of America building in Paris over the weekend, in one of the latest terrorist plots to heighten fears of further Iran-linked attacks across Europe amid war in the Middle East.
On Monday, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed investigators are looking into a possible connection to Iran, citing similarities between the foiled attack and a string of recent attempted terrorist plots across Europe claimed by a pro‑Iran group.
“Authorities are drawing a direct link to Iran, since the modus operandi mirrors attacks recently carried out in the Netherlands and Belgium,” Nuñez told the French radio station RTL, referring to a synagogue set ablaze in Rotterdam and another damaged in an explosion in Liège earlier this month.
Known as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, which translates to the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, the group has also taken responsibility for a shocking attack in London last week, torching four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community organization.
Although no government has formally acknowledged or verified the existence of the group or its alleged operations, the repeated claims have raised concerns about a potentially coordinated network targeting Jewish communities across Europe amid heightened tensions and fears of Iranian retaliation and possible sleeper-cell activity linked to the war in the Middle East.
In this latest incident, local police in Paris spotted two suspects on Saturday near the Bank of America building in the city’s 8th arrondissement — a central district near major government offices and embassies — just moments after they had planted a homemade explosive device, with one of the men preparing to ignite it with a lighter.
Shortly after authorities thwarted the attempted attack, France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office opened an investigation for “attempted damage by fire or dangerous means in connection with a terrorist enterprise.”
Since then, five suspects — including three minors and two adults — have been arrested on alleged terrorism-related offenses as investigators work to determine whether the plot was coordinated from abroad and linked to a wider network.
According to French media reports, the suspects were recruited via Snapchat and offered 600 euros to carry out the operation — a tactic officials say reflects a modus operandi increasingly used by Iranian intelligence services to operate indirectly and discreetly without formally implicating Tehran.
“Typically, Iran’s intelligence services operate in this way: They use proxies, a series of subcontractors, often common criminals, to carry out highly targeted actions aimed at US interests, the interests of the Jewish community, or Iranian opposition figures,” Nuñez said.
As the US–Israeli war with Iran continues to escalate, Nuñez also said authorities have dramatically ramped up security around key figures and sensitive sites, including providing personal protection to some Iranian opposition members.