16/04/2024
Last week, I attended a book launch for a new Hagadah that I was part of creating. This isn't just another Hagadah. This could be the next "Maxwell House" Hagadah.
Six years ago, my friend Eitan was fit and active. He was limitless - living life as a husband and father of four, business owner, Crossfit instructor, volunteer paramedic and a teacher of Torah classes in his community.
That was until he had a sudden stroke. Since then, he has limitations. His hemiparesis limits the use of his muscles on the right side of his body and he experiences pain and neural fatigue. He also lost access to his memory - he cannot retrieve what he learned nor remember life experiences pre-stroke. He lives with aphasia - an under-appreciated language disorder impairing his ability to put his thoughts into words.
Through years of recovery, Leora Ashman and Eitan Ashman established an organization כוח איתן Koach Eitan Eitan, and this Hagadah is their latest initiative.
In recent years, the thought of sitting at the Passover seder was daunting. Interacting with so many people around the table, all the reading and talking, this was the stuff he used to love to do - but now speech was his nemesis and it was overwhelming. Feeling frustrated and ashamed, he preferred to skip his own seder table to escape to the comfortable solitude of his bedroom upstairs.
With the help of Rabbi Johnny Solomon, Eitan recovered his will. With purpose and drive, Together with his wife Leora, they decided to create a Hagadah so everyone can find their place at the seder table - no matter their dis/ability. They turned to me to provide insights and tips to craft the Hagaddah to be the most engaging, accessible and appealing to broad audience of people with communication challenges. I was taken by Eitan and Leora - their purpose and passion, and the Hagadah became a meaningful project for me too. The result is a remarkable Hagadah for Eitan and Leora and their family - and for every seder table.
People of all ages and abilities will appreciate the clean design, bite-size insights and the broad range of contributing voices. Most of all, this Hagadah can transform your seder to become an accessible and inclusive experience for everyone around the table.
Everyone deserves to feel, this is where I want to be. This is the seder for me.
This Hagadah will help you make it happen.
“Empowering Seder Conversations - Passover Haggadah” by Eitan Ashman, edited by Leora Ashman, Urim Publications (also available on Amazon.com)
👉 Comment “seder” and I’ll send you 13 tools to turn your table into the place where everyone belongs - Uri Schneider
