Noam Zion
Noam, now emeritus at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem (1978-2022), studied both
philosophy and rabbinics at Columbia University, Hebrew University, JTSA and Hartman
Institute.
His popular publications promote Homemade Judaism – empowering families to create their own
pluralistic Judaism during home holidays – Pesach, Hanukkah and Shabbat.
His multidisciplinary educational study guides focus on family conflicts.
His academic research is devoted to the intellectual history of philanthropy, to Talmudic
approaches to marriage, and his latest book is Sanctified Sex: The 2000 Year Jewish Debate on
Marital Intimacy (JPS, 2021)
A Different Night, Classic Edition
The original Family Participation Haggadah. First published in 1997, this book is a “customizable” haggadah — it enables you to fashion a seder that works for any age and interest level.
The layout makes it easy to use: each spread has traditional brachot (with translation and transliteration) on the right; the left-hand page has commentaries, stories, and all sorts of discussion-starters.
This is not your “Uncle Fred, now it’s your turn to read a paragraph” kind of book. It’s also not a “read every page” book. You start with the “bare bones basic” seder, then add what you want from each section. The free Seder Planner that ships with each purchase will help you to do that.
What makes a great haggadah? What makes a great seder? Haggadahs-R-Us has been answering that question since 1997, mostly with two haggadot by Noam Zion. The Family Participation Haggadah: A Different Night broke the mold of the American seder in 1997. It’s a full traditional haggadah, but no Maxwell House, no “Uncle Fred, it’s your turn to read a paragraph.” It starts with a “Bare Bones Basic” seder, the 30 minutes of stuff you have to do. But for each part, it offers short texts you can use to start lively discussions. And 20 versions of the Four Children, spanning 500 years! In 2007 we added A Night to Remember: The Haggadah of Contemporary Voices — similar idea, but lavishly illustrated and full of voices that are living or recently living, activities for a children’s seder, or a seder focused on women’s issues, poetry, great stories, Israel & Holocaust, and more.
P.S. This is not a supermarket. We only sell stuff that we have used and love. A Different Night and A Night to Remember each come with a Seder Planner to help you pick the pieces that will make your seder lively and memorable, and different every year. And we offer large discounts if you buy 2 or more, even larger for 10 or more.
