The Szyk Haggadah

By Arlene Stolnitz

The Haggadah (Hebrew: הָדָּגַה, "telling;" plural: Haggadot) is a foundational Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. According to Jewish practice, reading the Haggadah at the Seder table fulfills the mitzvah incumbent on every Jew to recount the Egyptian Exodus story to their children on the first night of Passover (Wikipedia).

Who doesn’t remember the Maxwell House Haggadah of bygone days?

A staple in American Jewish homes, it was one of the most widely used haggadot of its time. Its unique popularity for generations sparked my interest. My curiosity led me to an exploration of haggadot through the centuries.

I already knew of the collection of my friend and teacher, the esteemed rabbi and biblical scholar, Mark Levin, of Prairie Village, Kansas. Rabbi Levin owns a large collection of well-known haggadot. He often speaks of famous haggadot, but the only one I ever l knew of was the Sarajevo Haggadah (1350), because I had read Geraldine Brooks’ novel, “People of the Book” with my book club.

In my research, I learned of many famous haggadot — The Golden Haggadah (1300), The Birds’ Head Haggadah (1300), The Rothschild Haggadah (1450), The Vilna Haggadah (1920), and many others leading up to the many contemporary haggadot of modern time.

Each one has a story of its own, which, if interest prevails, might be topics for my future articles in Federation papers.

While reading about these haggadot, one sparked my interest and seemed familiar. I recalled seeing the beautiful blue velvet cover on one haggadah in my father’s collection when I was growing up. Given to him as a gift, it was the Szyk Haggadah (pronounced “shik’) but, alas, it was only a reproduction of an early edition!

The Szyk Haggadah was created in pre-WWII Germany and was illustrated by Polish-Jewish artist Arthur Szyk in the manner of illuminated manuscripts of earlier time.

This quote by Szyk seemed to speak to me of the essence of his work. “I am resolved to serve my people with all my art, with all my talent, with all my knowledge.”

I started wondering just who Arthur Szyk was and why he was so influential in his time.

Born in Lodz, Poland, Szyk lived in London at the outbreak of World War II. He had experienced antisemitism firsthand when living in Poland in the ’30s. Szyk recognized the danger to the Jews of Europe and used his art to fight fascism, antisemitism and bigotry. His illustrations and caricatures in political art became well known for their portrayal of the brutality of the Nazis. These illustrations were widely seen in popular magazines of the ’30s, such as Time and Look. He was a staunch advocate for Israel as a homeland for Jews.

In the mid ’30s, he began the most important work of his life, his illustrated Haggadah. “Art is not my aim; it is my means,” Szyk stated.

It was clear to Szyk that the Nazis were the “new Egyptian taskmasters” bent on the annihilation of European Jewry. One article spoke of the original manuscript with swastikas painted on Egyptians and snakes attacking the Israelites. The Egyptians were portrayed as military leaders. However, prior to publication, the artist painted over all the swastikas in response to his publisher’s refusal to deal with the pressure of the controversy it would cause.

No swastikas are seen on any of the early editions or original artwork, undoubtedly painful for Szyk. There are some rare lithograph reproductions made prior to his revisions that support his use of Nazi symbols.

Today, with our current challenges, we can look at the Szyk Haggadah with renewed interest.

Every year we read the same story, and I find asking myself the same question: “What lessons have we learned?”

Arlene Stolnitz, the “Jewish Music” contributor to Federation papers for the past eight years, has started a new series focusing on Judaic Folk Art. It will appear in Federation newspapers on an irregular basis. Stolnitz, a native of Rochester, New York, is a retired educator and lives in Venice, Florida.