Museum Musings Archive

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From The Szyk Haggadah, 20th century

Why is this Haggadah different from all other Haggadahs?

Pesach is coming! Pesach is coming! How do I know? It's not just because it's Adar and when Adar comes (by the way, “Be Happy,”) we know that Pesach cannot be far behind. It's also because Bubbie’s and assorted area supermarkets are filled to the rafters with all sorts of Passover staples and delights. As we approach the festival of Pesach, feelings of anticipation… and anxiety... abound. How will thirty family members fit around the seder table? Where will thirteen houseguests (children, grandparents, nieces, nephews, sisters, brothers-in-law) sleep? How many creative Pesachdik vegetarian, vegan and protein-filled recipes can I conjure up? And how can our seder be meaningful to the traditionalist and entertainment to our newest seder attendee, the toddler? Over the years our family has spent a lifetime of seders with all varieties of haggadot while trying to fulfill the mitzvah of retelling the tale of imagining ourselves as slaves in Egypt. We started with a Passover Haggadah illustrated by Leonard Baskin, and compiled by the Central Conference of American Rabbis; and then we moved to the Rabbinical Assembly’s Feast of Freedom. We have also used  Noam Zion’s, A Different Night. In addition to these, we peppered each seder with readings from some of the hundreds of versions of haggadot on the market today.

The idea was to make our seder meaningful, to ask the important questions, to hear some interesting reflections, to retell our family stories each year... and try to have our chicken soup and kneidlach before midnight! We used a variety of other haggadot for readings and contemplation. Different family members were given a second haggadah from which they interjected their own interpretations of whatever section of the seder we were reading. Our additional haggadot included: Let My People Go, illustrated by Mark Podwal, with a forward by Abba Eban, and introduction by Theodore Bikel; The Family Seder, A Traditional Seder for the Modern Home; Shalom of Safed Haggadah; Kibbutz Passover Haggadah; Large Print Haggadah (Jewish Heritage for the Blind;) My Very Own Haggadah, (for children); The Exodus Haggadah: From Tyranny To Freedom-A Celebration, (in co-operation with the National Conference on Soviet Jewry); A Night to Remember: The Haggadah of Contemporary Voices by Noam Zion (which our family currently uses as its main Haggadah); The Passover Haggadah: Legends and Customs; Haggadah: A Secular Celebration of Pesach; The Joyous Haggadah (for children); Sammy Spider’s First Haggadah (for children); The Agam Haggadah; Haggadah for the Liberated Lamb, (essentially for vegetarians); American Heritage Haggadah; The Archeological Passover Haggadah; The Bird’s Head Haggadah, pop-up version; The Land of Israel Haggadah; The Shalom Seders, compiled by The New Jewish Agenda; The Santa Cruz Haggadah; The Passover Haggadah, with comments by Elie Weisel and illustrated by Mark Podwal; Passover, prepared by "Jew Belong"; and finally, three family haggadot creatively compiled by friends: one by Rich Walter, one by Marjorie Ingall, and one by Michael Mollow, z”l”.

And so, each year our seder has been: a little different, a little more inspiring... and a little longer.

Some seders are small; some large. Some have children and adults participating. Some have homogeneity of ages. Some participants are sitting at their first Seder table. Some attendees are not Jewish; some are exploring, curious; some are members of interfaith families; and some are sentimental traditionalists, leading seders with the same Maxwell House Haggadah that they grew up with... and everyone and everything in between. We know that our creative juices need to run on overtime to make this year the best, the most meaningful seder of all. Many of my friends, as noted, were faced with a dilemma… how to make Pesach and the sedarim resonate with the diverse people seated at their tables. That tableau is part of the multi-faceted population that comprises “The American Jewish Family” today. These family sedarim endeavor to be true to the purpose of the traditional sedarim of yore, and also to honor our ancestors. Yet, we also must consider and reflect the reality of our family demography and the complex political and cultural era we inhabit – and the concurrent issues of society with which we all grapple. By finding the right Haggadah, by empowering the “children” in your group to create skits, to invent games, to write songs, poems, use haiku, and to pose their own “four questions” – (all this can be accomplished by preparing ahead,) we attempt to “speak to” our often diverse group of seder guests. These are strategies to successfully design the modern, evolving seder in a pragmatic, yet evocative way. The goal: to distill the essence of the seder, and at the same time, to retain its essential elements that can resonate with all ages and backgrounds. The goal: Discussion. Discussion. Discussion.

In addition to the variety of haggadot mentioned... and there are so many more, it is useful, and important to prepare ahead – to explore texts dealing with Pesach’s big ideas, to learn from and with leading scholars, in preparing how to consider and wrestle with the the complex issues of our past history. At the same time, as we note parallels in our contemporary fragmented world, we can use the haggadah as a template to explore current concerns with questions that have no easy answers: issues of war and peace, democracy or tyranny might be among the talking points in the seder. The Hadar Institute of New York, whose President/CEO is Providence native, Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, provides important essays in Hadar’s booklet, Internal Redemption. These essays by Hadar scholars can inspire us, as seder leaders and participants, to elevate the seder dialogue to another level. Also, The Hartman Institute, based in Israel, has just published a Haggadah Supplement for 5784, especially geared to the complex issues facing us in these difficult days. (It can be downloaded.) And of course, our own Temple Emanu-El, right in our backyard, offers classes, workshops and more, all led by its inspiring clergy and other professional staff, to help prepare you for Pesach, including leading and participating in a seder. 

The Abraham and Natalie Percelay museum of Temple Emuanu-El is home to two copies of one of the most recognized haggadot in existence known as the “Szyk Haggadah,” The text is traditional but its illustrations are anything but. Arthur Szyk, born in Lodz, Poland in the late nineteenth century, was famous for his anti-Axis illustrations and caricatures during World War II. This book’s illustrations took the form of illuminated manuscripts and medieval miniatures. He dedicated his work to democracy and freedom and he said of his work; “Art is not my aim: it is my means,” and “I am but a Jew praying in art.” His works were praised as among the most beautiful books that man has ever produced. The Szyk Haggadah shown here, was a gift to the Percelay Museum in loving memory of Samuel Rosen by his family. Examine it closely in the museum and explore Arthur Szyk’s interpretations of the Passover story. If anyone has some interesting seder ideas to share, we'd love to know. If you have created your own family haggadah and you would be willing to loan it to the museum, we would gladly display it in our museum cases for a special Pesach exhibit.

Whatever haggadah you may choose, how long or short your seder might be, or however you choose to observe your rituals, remember that you are fortunate to be surrounded by family, loved ones and community. You are continuing the long and beautiful heritage of your ancestors, as you create new traditions for future generations.   Dor l’Dor.

May we all have the מזל   to celebrate Pesach again in the year to come --in good health, and in peace.

Hag Pesach sameach...and happy planning! 

--Ruth Page, Museum Director

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