Several politicians have called the war that started on October 7, "Israel’s Second Independence War." Israel, for the first time in over 50 years, perceives itself as fighting for its very existence. So what is the message that we bring to the seder table this year? How do we find meaning in the haggadah in times of existential war?

We will look at how scholars have altered haggadot to tailor to Jews in times of conflict. Specifically, we will explore haggadot made for British soldiers in WWII, soldiers fighting in Israel's War of Independence, and kibbutznikim in the 1940s and 1950s.