Ahhhh, the sound of jackhammers

We are currently under construction, or as they call it across the pond: “Refurbishment.”

If you think about it, that makes a lot more sense, doesn’t it?

Anyway, to give you SOMEthing for your visit, let’s talk about our co-founder’s haggadot, shall we?

First up, The Emoji Haggadah:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1602803463

And the crazy amount of press he got for it:

Interviews:

https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/the-haggadah-symbolically-speaking/

https://www.jewishlinknj.com/features/28592-first-ever-emoji-haggadah-heralds-a-symbolic-pesach

https://view.flipdocs.com/?PID=1000741#20

https://www.vosizneias.com/320373/2019/04/03/passaic-nj-first-ever-emoji-hagada-hits-store-shelves/

https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/_blog/The_ProsenPeople/post/emojis-and-exodus-an-interview-with-martin-bodek/

https://www.northjersey.com/story/life/faith/2019/04/16/passover-seders-wacky-haggadahs-star-zombies-mrs-maisel-trump/3421136002/


The Rise of the D.I.Y. Haggadah

Reviews, Essays, and Name-Drops:

https://forward.com/schmooze/422071/a-new-haggadah-tells-passover-story-in-emojis-entirely/

https://forward.com/culture/421819/the-best-new-haggadot-and-the-best-of-all-time/

https://www.isjl.org/mar19-haggadot.html

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/4/17/18411037/passover-haggadah-comic-book-harry-potter-maxwell-house

https://www.jewishpress.com/sections/books/book-reviews/new-haggadah-suggestions/2019/04/15/

https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/kultur/bitte-laecheln/

http://www.kolemunah.net/lampert-library/best-books-2019-2/

https://blogs.brandeis.edu/freshideasfromhbi/customize-your-seder-and-raise-a-glass-to-mrs-cowen/

https://covenantcompanion.com/2019/04/19/five-for-friday-forgiving-tiger-eating-muskrat-during-lent-emoji-haggadah/

https://www.c-j-c.org/news/arts.aspx?id=449672

https://forward.com/culture/466028/after-14-years-reviewing-haggadahs-our-expert-dishes-on-the-good-bad-and/

Then he went and published The Festivus Haggadah:

He got a nice shout-out it for it here, along with The Emoji Haggadah:

https://www.eater.com/2020/4/7/21192942/maxwell-house-haggadah-history-passover-seder

Then got a nice blurb for it alongside a spate of Seinfeld haggadot:

https://thejewishnews.com/2021/03/12/from-seinfeld-to-wwii-morocco-these-new-haggadah-options-will-spice-up-your-passover-seder/

This got him thinking what the deal was with all these Seinfeld haggadot, so he wrote about it:

https://jewishlink.news/features/42710-what-is-the-deal-with-all-these-seinfeld-haggadot

It was then mentioned as being a part of haggadah history!:

He even got it mentioned in the official Festivus Wiki page!:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus

And THEN he went and published The Coronavirus Haggadah and for some reason, released it for free:

https://tinyurl.com/CoronavirusHaggadah

But also released paid print and ebook version whose proceeds go to all those in the trenches:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/martin-bodek/the-coronavirus-haggadah/paperback/product-24486572.html

http://www.lulu.com/shop/martin-bodek/the-coronavirus-haggadah/ebook/product-24486799.html

And he went and got himself some good press for this one too!:

https://view.flipdocs.com/?PID=1000741#80

https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/elijahs-quarantined-in-this-haggadah/

https://northjersey.com/story/life/2021/03/19/passover-2021-nj-authors-put-modern-spin-ancient-haggadah/6918681002/

And what is this? Another haggadah? Yes indeed! Which brings Mr. Bodek to #4, tying him with the comedy writer Dave Cowen, with no end in sight to either of their creative output. We present to you, The Shakespeare Haggadah:

https://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Haggadah-Elevate-Your-Seder/dp/1637586221/

The media coverage converged immediately. First we have this brilliant article by Deena Yellin, which spidered everywhere:

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2022/03/25/modern-passover-haggadah-children-teaneck-nj/9416529002/

The author then appeared on the New York Shakespeare group’s Instagram Live Show. His segment starts at the 51:00 mark:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbq9xEMqq6K/?fbclid=IwAR2ORdxaUjbmdIuspT-F5DrJiRAkuc8oNB6e-OtjGs4cXHCTqYRemXvn8nU

Next, the first print review appeared in the Long Island Jewish World, then picked up by The Manhattan Sentinel and Intermountain Jewish News. Go to page 23:

jewishworld.dept-i.com/040122

The JTA declared that this offering would brighten your Passover. We agree:

“The World’s Greatest Expert on Haggadot” gave lots of love to The World’s Most Prolific Haggadah Writer, plus a marvelous suggestion which might work:

https://forward.com/culture/485012/best-and-worst-haggadah-for-passover-seder-marcia-falk-zion-ozeri/?

Here’s a sterling, thorough, erudite review from the Orthodox Union, so firstly, it’s 100% kosher for passover, and secondly, the reviewer really appreciated the book:

Unsolicited article, so not every fact is super-perfect, but thankful for the ink:

https://nj1015.com/this-nj-author-just-saved-your-next-seder-by-engaging-the-kids/?

This writer captures the nuts, bolts, and joy of this writing process:

https://jewishlink.news/features/50467-introducing-the-shakespeare-haggadah

Cindy Grosz had the author on her Passover-themed radio show:

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-cindys-celebrity-corner-wi-81098891/episode/the-cindy-grosz-show-talk-radios-only-95360395/?cmp=ios_share&sc=ios_social_share&pr=false&fbclid=IwAR1pwadVh9wDQ8iqq-B78vg7zAHJZdQwGEBDI1J_fSfccNnStb8-5lEBXCY

Here is the YouTube version of the interview. The author’s segment starts at the 25:00 mark:

This obsessive collector makes it clear that the author’s wares are an essential part of any haggadah collection:

https://www.northjersey.com/story/life/2022/04/12/haggadhah-passover-seders-heres-why-collect-them/7218615001/?fbclid=IwAR1QsYVMlMRcUUuDoXKREedVe45TZTKPNO5QiK_ugCLyBzK-BCNu4vPrd4Q

A glowing review here, and another “Most Original Haggadah Award” trophy!:

This name-drop declared The Shakespeare Haggadah “unlikely.” We’ll take it:

https://www.jpost.com/judaism/jewish-holidays/article-704181

They love the book in Italy!:

https://moked.it/blog/2022/04/19/lhaggadah-di-shakespeare/

He wonneth an award! According to the prestigious New York Shakespeare group, The Shakespeare Haggadah is the most wondrous Shakespeare Giftable and Novelty of 2022. Not third most wondrous, not second, first! Oh, how sweet ’tis!

He also enjoyed his interview with JNS.org very much, and several outlets picked up the resulting article:

https://www.jns.org/nay-leavend-bread-shalt-beest-eaten-author-martin-bodek-has-a-shakespearean-twist-on-passover/?

The renowned David A.M. Wilensky, writing for J. The Jewish news, covered the book as part of his annual haggadah roundup, and was highly complimentary:

https://jweekly.com/2023/03/28/ai-rushes-in-but-the-best-of-2023s-new-haggadahs-are-human-made/?

The Times of Israel covered the fun part of the process in creating the Haggadah, and was the lead story for a cup of coffee:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/shakespeare-at-the-seder-author-writes-passover-haggadah-as-the-bard-would-have/

The mothership called home. The Jewish Chronicle is the world’s oldest Jewish newspaper. This piece covers
1) Deep, probing questions, 2) The objective to make it a readable text, and to not necessarily hew perfectly to Elizabethan language rules, 3) There’s Dave Cowen again!

https://www.thejc.com/news/news/to-dip-or-not-to-dip-the-shakespeare-haggadah-2PgR4h8OW6T03SryDOalW7

In Jewish Journal‘s roundup of haggadot recommendations for all ages, The Shakespeare Haggadah gets a category all its own:

Another haggadah roundup, from the St. Louis Jewish Light, features The Shakespeare Haggadah as the headliner:

https://stljewishlight.org/our-jewish-learning/3-different-ideas-for-you-next-passover-haggadah/

Haggadah roundup MCMLXVII: Jewish Rhode Island places the book in the “High-brow” category, and gives gives a full explanation of all its facets in as concise a manner as possible. Impressive.

https://www.jewishrhody.com/stories/a-haggadah-for-everyone,31943

The book is the last word in this article, and because it’s Yahoo, has so far been picked up by 5…8…13 different news outlets. Every time it’s refreshed, Fn = Fn-1 + Fn-2 more pick it up. Wild stuff!

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/looking-haggadah-fits-family-11-164653582.html

My favorite, best, and most-worthy competitive haggadah frenemy, Dave Cowen, and I discuss the landscape of creative parody haggadot:

https://jewishlink.news/features/58511-the-haggadah-still-a-template-for-jewish-creativity

The Jerusalem Post, baby:

https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-743507

And, hot off the press, parody haggadah #5! AKA This Haggadah is The Way: A Star Wars Unofficial Passover Parody:

https://tinyurl.com/thishaggadah

Lots of media, coming soon, believe you me!

Now where were we? Ah yes, while we still have your attention, TheKnish.com has a lively presence here:
https://www.facebook.com/Theknishcom-383079135160649/

We’ll be back.

We promise.

Before you leave, have a taste: