It is well established that my family is as dorky as it gets when it comes to languages and linguistics, and Passover has emerged as a great time to exercise your dorkiness when it comes to these matters. It’s easy to find haggadot in a variety of languages, plus, many of the songs we sing on Passover (Who Knows One, Had Gadya, In the Middle of the Night) have been translated into other Jewish languages, and you can easily find these versions online.
Last night my dad insisted on doing bedikat hametz using an Italian haggadah (“Benedetto Tu, Eterno, Dio Nostro, Re Del Mondo, che ci santificasti con I Tuoi precetti…â€) and I’m looking forward to singing Ken Supiese y Entendiense, which is the Ladino version of Who Knows One. If you’re looking to spice up your seder with some songs from Jews around the world, try out the Jewish Heritage Online Magazine, the Jewish Language Research Website, and the Jewish National and University Sound Archives.
Also, check out the plaintive Had Gadya heard below, sung in Ladino. (Hat tip Jewminicana.)
seder
Pronounced: SAY-der, Origin: Hebrew, literally “order”; usually used to describe the ceremonial meal and telling of the Passover story on the first two nights of Passover. (In Israel, Jews have a seder only on the first night of Passover.)
