What the kibbutzim understood—and why it matters more after October 7 than ever before

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	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Rewrite the Haggadah What the kibbutzim understood—and why it matters more after October 7 than ever before Madlik Disruptive Torah Mar 26   READ IN APP   Most people think the Haggadah is a book you read. The kibbutzim thought, and still think it is a book you write. In the past two years, the Kibbutzim have not forgotten their tradition… An Archive of a Living Judaism I have been infatuated with the Kibbutz Haggadah for many years and this is not the first time I have prepared for seder with these Haggadot (which I collect) spread before us. But this year I was actually able to catch up with Eran Yarkoni, CEO and Anton Marks of the Shittim Institute at the JCC of Manhattan during their multi-state traveling exhibition Haggadah of Hope. Shittim has an archive of over a million cultural artifacts—texts, songs, rituals, and Haggadot—created by Israeli communities over the last century. Founded to preserve and cultivate Jewish-Israeli culture, the Shittim Institute does something rare: It treats tradition not as something to protect… but as something to activate. And nowhere is that more evident than in the kibbutz Haggadah. A Judaism That Writes Itself In this week’s episode of Madlik, we explore what I’ve come to call Yahadut Yisraelit—a homegrown, organic Judaism that emerged in the kibbutzim of the 1920s and 30s. These were not traditionalists. They were pioneers—halutzim—building a society from scratch. And they understood something radical: If you are building a new world, you don’t just inherit rituals. You rewrite them. As Eran Yarkoni, CEO of the institute explains: “The main thing… is to continue the story. To say we are the people who—we are part of a long chain that started 3,000 years ago and continuing.” “We are creating the new Haggadah for a new Passover… and may we be worthy of freedom and of the weighty obligations it places upon us.” In Every Generation—Literally The traditional Haggadah tells us: “In every generation, one must see oneself as if they left Egypt.” But the kibbutzim didn’t just read that line. They illustrated it. In Miriam Bartov’s illustration from Kibbutz Gvaram (1950)— (above) —we see figures holding matzah, bridging eras. Biblical figures become pioneers. Memory becomes identity. This is not commentary. This is visual theology. They Didn’t Just Rewrite the Text—They Redrew It One of the quiet revolutions of the kibbutz Haggadah is this: They didn’t just rewrite the text. They re-illustrated the story. Hand-drawn. Local. Communal. In one of your exhibition panels, a single illustration connects: Egyptian pyramids A walking chain of generations A ship of Ma’apilim arriving in Israel No explanation needed. The message is unmistakable: There wasn’t one Exodus. There are many. Exodus Is Happening Now As Anton Marks puts it: “This idea of Yitziat Mitzrayim isn’t a metaphor. It’s real… it’s something that’s now… something that’s continuous.” In Kibbutz Urim (1949): “Pharaoh, that is Farouk… said, I will pursue, I will overtake…” Ancient myth becomes modern history. And then, something even more expansive. In Kibbutz Nir Am (1964): “In every human struggle for freedom, we were there… in every exodus from Egypt, of all peoples and all generations.” The story becomes universal. What Is Different This Night? The Mah Nishtana becomes something entirely new. In Kibbutz Erez (2024): “On all of our Seders, we sit among neighbors and on green lawns. On this night, we are displaced.” No abstraction. Just reality. Blessed Are You… the Farmer… and the Doer The blessings of the Seder, revealing how kibbutz communities reimagined traditional brachot as opportunities to express their own values, labor, and lived reality. Rather than only blessing God in abstract terms, early kibbutzim chose to honor human action and contribution. Blessings shift from heaven… to human hands. After October 7—Everything Converges This is where the exhibition becomes something else entirely. Not history. Not culture. But testimony. From Kibbutz Erez (2024): “Thanks to the good people who took us in… even far from home.” “Some of us survived that Shabbat… yet our minds remain in chains… This year, we have only one wish: that all the hostages come home.” From Kibbutz Nir Oz (2024): “The book is being written now. The task is ours.” The Illustrations Hit Differently Now Go back to the images. The chains. The journeys. The transitions. They are no longer symbolic. They are lived. What once connected: Egypt → Babylon → Israel Now connects: Home → displacement → return Next Year The exhibition ends where every Seder ends: Next Year. But even that is rewritten. “To our return to Nirim… to the home we have always loved.” The Final Insight The kibbutzim didn’t reject tradition. They did something far more powerful. They made it responsive. They turned the Haggadah into: a text you can edit a ritual you can update a story you are responsible for So this year, the question isn’t: What happened in Egypt? The question is: What story are you writing now? For a link to all previous Madlik Passover related content click here. Click here for this episode’s Sefaria Source Sheet where I include bonus audio of Eran Yarkoni and Anton Marks providing a guided tour. To donate to The Shittim Institute and to support their efforts click here. The Haggadah After October 7 Geoffrey Stern Episode   Like Comment Restack   © 2026 Geoffrey Stern 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe