The center of every seder meal is the Haggadah. Some choose traditional, while others do something personalized within their family or community. Then there are those who enjoy a satire seder.
While the spoof Haggadah is not new, each year there’s a booming crop of creative texts to consider for your seder. Here are two Haggadahs to check out.
This Haggadah is the Way: A Star Wars Unofficial Passover Parody
“This Haggadah is the Way: A Star Wars Unofficial Passover Parody” is Martin Bodek’s fifth Haggadah. He is also author of “The Emoji Haggadah,” “The Festivus Haggadah,” “The Coronavirus Haggadah” and “The Shakespeare Haggadah.”
“This is for lovable dorks,” Bodek, a technologist by day and writer on Jewish interest topics by night, told the Journal. “I aim to target every demographic imaginable with each of my creations, and this fifth child needs love and attention too.”
As a pop-culture enthusiast, “This Haggadah is the Way” was next on Bodek’s list of things he enjoys that no one had tackled yet. “I rewatched every movie for the 87th time, and I was off to the races,” Bodek said. “I had already seen the original trilogy exactly 137 times, and the rest of the films at least 26 times each, so I was well versed with the entire mythos.”
He then “shoehorned, crammed, wedged, jimmied, wrangled and squished every quote, scene, legend, storyline, character, meme, and plot into the Haggadah text that I could.” This includes the 10 questions (one of the author’s favorite parts), the four Padawan and the 15 plagues.
Bodek claimed his endeavors are not just silly for silliness’ sake. “I want teenagers to want to join their families at the seder table … it’s hard for them, I get it,” Bodek said. “It’s also hard for the unaffiliated sometimes to be drawn to the table. What I do is intended to urge them back for a little enjoyment, and family bonding.”
“In every generation our enemies rise up to destroy us, but The Man Upstairs frustrates their plans.” – Martin Bodek
The author said to remember the core message of the Haggadah. “In every generation our enemies rise up to destroy us, but The Man Upstairs frustrates their plans,” he said. “It’s palpable this year in a very real way. Together, we will again.”
The Spoof Seder Haggadah: A Passover Parody of Mel Brooks Parodies!
“The Spoof Seder Haggadah: A Passover Parody of Mel Brooks Parodies!” is Dave Cowen’s sixth Haggadah. After positive responses to his Haggadahs parodies on Jewish-American comedies like “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” he wanted to continue exploring that vast tradition.
“Mel Brooks is one of the most beloved parody artists himself, as well as an influence on much other Jewish humor, so he seemed like a perfect subject to appeal to a wide audience,” Cowen, who has written for The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Points In Case and Haggadot.com among others, told the Journal.
Cowen said he did his best to lightly weave in a few current topical issues facing our community in 2024/5784 in ways that bring us together, despite our potential differences. “If you’re looking for a way to have a lot of fun, but also engage a little with what’s going on, this could be for you,” he said.
Crafted in the form of a play, “The Spoof Seder Haggadah” transforms the traditional Passover experience into a theatrical event. It includes references and characters from the “2000 Year Old Man” sketch (which also has a “5784-Year-Old Mother” character), “Spaceballs,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Blazing Saddles,” “History of the World” Part 1 and 2 and more.
“My favorite part might be ‘The Producers’ parody,” Cowen said.
In “The Producers,” a down-and-out producer and his new accountant put on the worst play possible. The successful movie, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder – who won an Oscar – inspired a successful musical starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, who won a Tony.
“There is a fun sketch where the two generations are surprised to find out that they have different beliefs about who should be the new contemporary target of the parody of the song ‘Springtime For Hitler,’ which is now ‘Karpas For …’”
Cowen believed even seder guests who aren’t as familiar with Mel Brooks’ work will enjoy his Haggadah. “Each section of the seder is set up with brief exposition, so readers will have no trouble enjoying and laughing along with the sketches,” Cowen said. “Hopefully, through that process of connecting with the almost 100-year-old icon’s work, generations can come closer together too.”
Whatever Haggadah you use, have a meaningful seder and a Happy Passover!
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