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March 28th, 2024

People of the Book

Boring Seder? Next Year, Make It SUPER

A. Shreiber

By A. Shreiber

Published April 24, 2017

 Boring Seder? Next Year, Make It SUPER

Was Your Seder Different From All Other Seders?

A middle-aged, avowed secular Jew leading his first Seder.

A nine-year-old Orthodox child previously unable to make it through "Mah Nishtanah," much less "Dayenu."

A dining hall packed with hundreds of Jews spanning left and right.

A 20-something gentile waiter at the end of his long shift.

This isn't a modern retelling of the Four Sons parable. These are real people who were engaged in this year's Passover Seder as never before. One Haggadah united them all: the Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel. The brainchild of veteran "Batman" comics editor Jordan B. "Gorf" Gorfinkel is now in production for an official 2018 release, and, currently drawing supporters and partners for funding and feedback. As the first-ever "comic book" rendering of the traditional Haggadah, the Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel revitalized a select group of Seders this year, and can do the same for yours in years to come.

For many, the Seder is a wonderful excuse to get together with loved ones. And for almost as many, retelling the story chronicled in the Passover Haggadah is not the transformative religious or cultural experience it should be, but merely an old-fashioned, frustratingly lengthy prelude to the gefilte fish, Matzoh ball soup and brisket. Though the Haggadah was designed by the Sages of the Talmud to be an engaging, interactive and inspiring multi-generational experience, too often the beauty of the Haggadah's multi-layered structure is hard for the contemporary mindset to appreciate.

That was certainly true for PHGN creator Gorf. As a child, he could quote chapter and verse in Batman. Torah? Not so much. And yet, there is a close connection between Jews and comics. Take this story: desperate parents float their son to safety where he"s adopted and raised to adulthood, finally discovering his true destiny, as the hero of his people. Moses? Well, yes. But also Superman! Cleveland-based Jewish teens Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster drew upon the stories from their youth, which undoubtedly included the Haggadah, to create the comic book, which decades later would morph into the graphic novel thanks to the legendary Jewish artist Will Eisner.

Carrying on the Jews in comics tradition, Gorf became the editor of Batman comics, conceiving storylines that became major motion pictures, television and of course graphic novels that were critical and commercial successes. At the same time he created JewishCartoon.com, featured online and in Jewish newspapers worldwide, to nurture his passion of Judaism through his love of comics. After he was commissioned by the Munich Jewish Museum to create a series of his cartoons for their permanent exhibition, he began to wonder:

If only there were a Haggadah that could help translate the genius and poetry of the Sages' approach for modern readers like himself, enhancing the experience of the Haggadah's central themes for Seder participants of all ages and educational backgrounds, particularly those who don't respond to rote learning. If only there were a way to harness modern styles of storytelling to bring the various, interwoven narratives of the Haggadah to life, enabling everyone to create a meaningful and inspirational Seder experience for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Now, there is.


This year, several families, communities and Passover programs experienced a Seder like no other, engaging young and old together in an interactive discussion of the Passover narratives. Why were their Seders different from all others? Because they were the first to beta test a "sneak-preview edition" of the brand new innovative Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel.

Featuring on left-hand pages a brand new translation integrated into the spectacular (work-in-progress) art by Israeli artist and Bezalel Academy alum Erez Zadok, and on the right the full Hebrew text and English transliteration, the Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel appeals to Seder attendees of all ages and backgrounds---even non-Jews.

A few highlights (names are changed for privacy):

Saul noticed that his son Daniel, who has ADHD, was not paying attention to the Haggadah-driven conversation. This was nothing new. But unlike at Seders past, Daniel was sitting quietly in his seat, reading the comics pages of the Passover narrative with rapt attention. "This page is funny!" Daniel suddenly volunteered.

"What's funny about it?" his father asked.

"It shows Pharaoh making the Jews work on computers in an office. They built cities for Pharaoh. They didn't work on computers!"

"That is funny. Why do you think the picture illustrates an office with computers?"

"To show that we would have been slaves to Pharaoh for forever, even today."

On his own, Daniel was engaged by the graphic novel to read the story, and to draw his own conclusions from the drawings that matched a core goal stated by the Haggadah"s traditional text – to imagine ourselves, in every generation, as slaves to Pharaoh, in order to make the Passover narrative a personal one. This engagement with the graphic novel led to a natural and meaningful conversation between father and son, fulfilling the basic Torah principle of sharing the Passover narrative from one generation to the next.

Stan, a proud, secular Jew who works in the entertainment industry, used the PHGN to lead his first seder ever for his family, including young children and grandparents. Previously, he'd been too intimidated. The PHGN's layout is designed in a user-friendly way to enable people to personalize their seder to their and their family"s needs, focusing on those sections that will create the most meaningful Seder experience for them.

A 200-person, inter-generational communal seder at a Passover retreat destination built specially designed musical and dramatic programming around the "beta" Haggadah. Post-Seder feedback confirmed the uniquely special experience shared by the "intimate" 200-member group.

Yael S., who had been attending for 14 years said, "This was by far the best Seder experience I've ever had. My kids were into it the entire time. That never happened before."

A program staff member added, "I am amazed at how many people stayed until the very end. Usually half of our families depart right after dinner."

Professor Susan H called the Haggadah, "Brilliant. And very clever."

The program director told Gorf,, "You hit it out of the park."

At the end of the long Seder night, a non-Jewish waiter, exhausted after a long and demanding shift, was seen walking across the dining hall with Haggadah in hand, engrossed in the graphic novel Passover narrative like it was the latest issue of "Batman" or "The Avengers." The story is so compellingly rendered that even those with no obligation to read it are drawn to it.

After the Passover holiday, the project's creative team will get back to work, incorporating feedback from test communities as they complete the remaining chapters for the Passover 2018 official release. "I can't wait to finish it so that Jewish people of all backgrounds and ages can use to make their Seder truly super," Gorf enthuses.

Gorf adds that he's grateful for the generous support and constructive feedback that's gotten him to this point, and encourages other to join him. Those interested in participating in the completion of the "next chapter" of the Passover story can visit the project's crowdfunding site at www.JewishCartoon.com/haggadah. Donations are tax deductible, and include opportunities to obtain limited edition project-related perks, the most unique being the opportunity for sponsors to be literally drawn into the graphic novel story. For further information, email jewishcartoon@gmail.com.


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