An elegant accompaniment to a holy feast.
A colorful, multicultural Haggadah.
This new Haggadah (a Jewish text for guiding the annual Passover seder meal) was commissioned by New York City’s historic Central Synagogue in honor of Rabbi Angela Buchdahl. The work, translated by Rabbis Janet Marder and Sheldon Marder and edited by Rabbi Sarah Berman, is dedicated to the erev rav, the “mixed multitude,” and is meant to reflect the cultural richness and ethnic diversity of Judaism. As the introductory material states, “Central Synagogue’s goal in creating this Haggadah is to help everyone at our seders find authentic connections to the Pesach story and its themes.” Including traditional texts and modern additions, this Haggadah is strikingly augmented by the work of Indian Jewish artist Siona Benjamin. Her colorful, often dazzling contributions to this volume enliven the Haggadah with profound visualizations of the seder themes; for instance, she uses the shape of a seder plate, adorned with a mandala, to represent the 10 plagues of Israel. The explanatory text in the Haggadah is universal in voice and restrained in tone. In rare cases, the text can be seen to reflect contemporary issues (“We cannot look away from the plight of those who languish under the rule of modern-day Pharaohs”), but for the most part it feels timeless and, as the seder closes, poetic (“Egypt is now, Egypt was then. / We live it, we leave it, again and again”). Short questions ending each section serve to guide conversation and challenge participants to find the meaning of Pesach in their own lives (“How do you feel free?”; “What is sustaining you at this time?”). Many Haggadot aim to enlighten and educate guests at the seder meal, recognizing that the gathering may include a wide variety of people of different ages, experiences, and backgrounds; this particular example does so expertly.
An elegant accompaniment to a holy feast.Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9780881236798
Page Count: 128
Publisher: CCAR Press and Central Synagogue
Review Posted Online: March 25, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
