Observe the Passover seder with new iPad app
"The Haggadah App" for the iPad guides observers of the Passover Seder through the important ritual.
“The Haggadah App” from Melcher Media offers an interactive look at the seder tradition that begins Friday.
For those who will observe the Passover Seder Friday night, a new iPad application can help guide you through the important Jewish ritual and teach you some things you didn’t know.
“The Haggadah App” ($7.99, Melcher Media) offers both the tradition of the ritual that commemorates the Israelites’ flight out of Egypt with new features to help users of the 21st century connect with the rich history of Passover.
“Many of us have been using the same copy of the Haggadah all our lives,” said Charlie Melcher, founder and president of Melcher Media, in a news release. “But today we celebrate, share and learn in new ways. So it’s time for a new Haggadah that both honors the old and celebrates the new.”
The app, released April 4, offers songs, lists, recipes, interactive commentary, history, beautiful art, games and coloring pages for children and more.
Using the app, you can plan the holiday, learn as a group about the history and explore versions of the Haggadah that you might not have seen before. It also features a contemporary, alternative approach to the seder, audio recordings of Passover songs and commentary and photos of rare illustrated manuscripts dating back to the 1300s.
"The Haggadah App" for the iPad features important historic manuscripts and art about the Passover seder.
Even if you’re not Jewish, the app is a good way to find out more about the symbolism involved in the seder that marks the beginning of the eight-day Passover holiday.
Described by developers as a “rich and beautiful multi-sensory experience,” “The Haggadah App” was developed in collaboration with a team of people steeped in the history of the Passover.
David Kraemer, the app’s primary author, is the librarian and professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Also contributing to the app with audio commentary about the art and meaning of the ritual are: Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of Clal, The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership; Sharon Liberman Mintz, curator of Jewish Art at the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary; Amichai Lau-Lavie, a founding director of Storahtelling.
For more information about Passover and the use and the importance of the Haggadah read The Oklahoman’s Life section on Saturday or see NewsOK.com/religion.
~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)
On Monday, NBC’s ‘The Voice’ to launch new voting app for Facebook
In this undated image released by NBC, judges, seated from left, Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton, who lives in Tishomingo;Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine are shown during a rehearsal for the second season of "The Voice," in Los Angeles. A new Facebook application will allow fans of NBC's "The Voice" to vote for their favorite artists through their Facebook profiles, now known as their timelines. AP PHOTO/NBC LEWIS JACOBS
A news release from NBC has details of a new Facebook app for the popular music competition show “The Voice”:
Beginning April 2, when NBC’s hit music competition series “The Voice” (Mondays, 7-9 p.m. and 8-9 p.m. Tuesdays, Central time and Tuesdays) goes live, fans of the show will be able to vote for their favorite artists via a new app that people can add to their Facebook timeline. The app, which enables people to share their viewing and voting with their friends, creates one of the first truly social voting options for any network competition series while providing a deeply engaging experience for fans.
Vivi Zigler, president, NBC Universal Digital Entertainment, and Justin Osofksy, director of Platform Partnerships at Facebook, announced the timeline this weekend.
“What better show to launch a new Facebook timeline experience with than ‘The Voice’?” said Zigler, “This app gives our already socially savvy fans another way to connect and share. From declaring their favorite artist to discovering friends’ preferences to interacting with more content, the app creates a fully social online voting experience.”
With the timeline app, fans will be able to show their support for their favorite teams and artists by casting their vote each week, connecting with their friends and other viewers, tracking their artists and seeing if they made it to the next round. The new app also will allow them to discover new content, including performance videos and blogs. Additionally, people using the Facebook app on their iPhone, iPad and Android devices will also be able to engage with “The Voice” timeline voting app.
“We’ve always watched and talked about TV shows with friends and family,” said Osofsky. “The Voice’s timeline app for Facebook will make it easy for people to do this online, enabling fans to vote for their favorite singers and share their votes with friends.”
“The Voice” returned Feb. 5 with celebrity musician coaches Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Oklahoma’s Blake Shelton and Carson Daly as host. Christina Milian joined this season as social media correspondent.
“The Voice” is a presentation of Mark Burnett’s One Three Inc., Talpa Content USA, Inc. and Warner Horizon Television. The series is created by John de Mol, who executive-produces along with Burnett, Audrey Morrissey, Stijn Bakkers and Lee Metzger.
For embeddable clips and full episodes, please visit NBC.com’s official show site.
Find the Voice on Facebook and or on twitter at @NBCTheVoice and #TheVoice.
~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com.)
