Birthright releases Hagaddah

Birthright israel released its 2007 Passover Hagaddah, which is available for download on the organization’s Web site, www.birthrightisrael.comThe Hagaddah, titled “This Year in Jerusalem,” is meant as an outreach tool for birthright alumni. “Many Taglit-birthright israel participants return with a desire to sustain the connection with Judaism they found through their trip,” said Jay Golan, president of the birthright israel Foundation. “This Hagaddah serves as a resource for our alumni to themselves become a part of the Passover ritual, by virtue of their participation in it.” Taking some cues from “The Downtown Seder,” a production of New York-based Downtown Arts Development, Inc., the birthright Hagaddah focuses on both the traditional Passover story and modern implications, including commentary from World Trade Center memorial architect Daniel Libeskind, song lyrics from musicians Lou Reed and Billie Holiday, and excerpts of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel’s childhood seder memories in his book, “The Kingdom of Memory.”