Haggadah and history

the long version

This unusual and beautiful volume offers, for the first time, a panoramic view of the evolution of that most popular and beloved of Jewish classics, the Passover Haggadah, from the beginnings of Hebrew printing in the fifteenth century to the present day. The two hundred facsimile plates reproduce representative pages from rare printed Haggadahs in two of the world's outstanding Judaica collections: the libraries of Harvard University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. This visual history is complemented by Professor Yerushalmi's fascinating historical introduction and richly detailed plate descriptions. The result is a rare blend of scholarship and aesthetic appeal. Haggadah and History, however, is much more than a history of the Passover Haggadah. It is also a mirror of the last five centuries in Jewish history - as reflected in the Haggadah itself. As Professor Yerushalmi so eloquently demonstrates, to follow the Haggadah through history is to follow the historical course of the Jewish people who are its custodians. Thus geographical shifts in places of printing provide a microcosm of the worldwide migrations of Jews.