This is the Haggadah we’ve used for almost 15 years now.

It’s a workhorse. Besides a few wine and food stains it’s held up pretty well. Storing all our copies is pretty easy too—since they’re not fragile, I can quickly pack them away in a box with all my other Passover stuff and forget about them for the year.

 ****

We’ve done different things for Seders for the past few years now. But one thing we won’t ever do is switch up our Haggadah. It’s the thread that links all our Seders together. We used them before our kids could read, and then when they could read but couldn’t sit through a meal let alone an entire Seder. And we’ll use them again this year—our children are now teenagers and have all sorts of opinions, ideas and questions about the holiday.

 There are so many beautifully illustrated Haggadot. And even though we won’t use any of them for our Seder, I still love having them around.

 Below are some of my favorites, old and new. Do you have a favorite Haggadah? Please share!

Happy Passover!

The Asufa Passover Haggadah 2015
by Asufa Collective (photos courtesy of Asufa)

Every year, the Israeli art and design collective Asufa brings together more than 40 of the best graphic designers and illustrators to create a Haggadah. Each artist creates a single page using standard Haggadah text. This year was the first time it was available in the U.S.

The Haggadah For Passover
Copied and Illustrated by Ben Shahn with translation, introduction and historical notes by Cecil Roth

Shahn said his Haggadah “reflects my memories of the Passover in my father’s house. It reflects my early impressions and feelings; the images that were always invoked in my fancy by the majestic and meaningful ritual.”

The Urban Family Passover Haggadah
Written by Arielle Mir and designed by Tsilli Pines (photos courtesy of Tsilli Pines)

Old traditions, new perspectives. A modern Haggadah that includes English text, as well as Hebrew blessings and their transliterations.

The Pop Haggadah
by Melissa Berg

With the four sons represented as puzzle pieces and the plagues jumping from page to page, this Haggadah will make any Seder more lively and enjoyable. All the commentary is in the illustrations so you can get right to the point in a Haggadah that is both innovative and inspiring.

The Family Haggadah
By Ismar David

One of the final works of the late calligrapher, book designer, and graphic artist Ismar David—also the creator of the widely used David Hebrew font.

New American Haggadah
Edited by Jonathan Safran Foer with a new translation by Nathan Englander
Designed by Oded Ezer

 This Haggadah contains provocative commentary by major Jewish writers and thinkers Jeffrey Goldberg, Lemony Snicket, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, and Nathaniel Deutsch. Beautifully designed and illustrated by the acclaimed Israeli artist and calligrapher Oded Ezer, it’s the first of its kind, bringing together some of the preeminent voices of our time.

A Passover Haggadah
Edited by Herbert Bronstein
Illustrated by Leonard Baskin

This Haggadah was a gift from my father to my mother way back when. I’m happy that it lives with me now.  Much like Ben Shahn, Baskin worked in water colors and did his own calligraphy.

The Bronfman Haggadah
by Edgar M. Bronfman
Illustrated by Jan Aronson

The Bronfman Haggadah presents the Exodus story filtered through Bronfman’s personal philosophy while drawing inspiration from his own Jewish experience. Designed to foster Jewish pride, Bronfman’s text continues the traditional commandment to retell the Exodus story of slavery and freedom for future generations. Watercolor paintings by acclaimed artist Jan Aronson were created specially for this book.

The Lovell Haggadah
by Rabbi Matthew L. Berkowitz

The Lovell Haggadah, infused with vibrant artwork and lively discussion questions and activities, represents the culmination of a seven-year journey of Jewish learning and art. Comprehensive Hebrew text and contemporary egalitarian translation by author and illustrator Rabbi Matthew L. Berkowitz, make this haggadah accessible and inviting.

The Agam Haggadah

by Yaakov Agam, English translation by Moshe Kahn

This beautiful work of art by the legendary Agam contains 57 full-color illustrations in his unique graphic style.

The Papercut Haggadah
by Archie Granot (photos courtesy of Archie Granot)

Archie Granot was privately commissioned to create a papercut Haggadah, unique in conception, design and execution. Every element of this Haggadah, including the text, is cut out. Every page is different both in color and feel, continuity is imposed by the calligraphy of the Haggadah text that “flows” across the work. It took Granot 10 years to complete.

Passover Haggadah
by Tamar Messer (photos courtesy of Tamar Messer)

Messer, a highly talented and respected Israeli artist, took two years to complete this Haggadah. It contains more then 80 original illustrations and is in full text Hebrew & English.

(Please forgive any typos or anything that might look funny in this post. I’m making charoset and chicken soup as I’m writing this…)