A Survivors' Haggadah [Hardcover]

Yosef Dov Sheinson (Author), Saul Touster (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2000

In the winter of 1945-1946, Holocaust survivors in displaced persons camps around Munich created an extraordinary illustrated haggadah in preparation for the first Passover after liberation. For five decades this unique book was all but forgotten. Now JPS is proud to issue a facsimile edition, previously translated into English and published by the American Jewish Historical Society only as a limited edition. This is a haggadah written for and truly dedicated to the She'erith Hapletah, the Saved Remnant, "the few who escaped." Interwoven with the traditional Passover liturgy are two stories: that of the deliverance from Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Holocaust story of those Jews who survived Hitler. Bold illustrations vividly associate the biblical Exodus with the liberation from Nazi horror.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Holocaust survivors in Munich created an extraordinary haggadah used during the first Passover after liberation, the "A" Haggadah . . . [this edition of] A Survivor''s Haggadah . . . includes an English translation with the original Hebrew and Yiddish text...immediately and powerfully engages the reader."—Jewish Reporter

(Jewish Reporter )

"This fascinating portrait of survival in the face of extermination deserves a special place at the seder table."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

(Publishers Weekly )

Language Notes

Text: English, Hebrew, Yiddish (translation)
Original Language: Hebrew, Yiddish

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: The Jewish Publication Society; Revised edition (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0827606869
• ISBN-13: 978-0827606869
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,493,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Haggadah

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that deserves a special place at every seder table, April 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Survivors' Haggadah (Hardcover)

I saw a copy of this beautiful book at a friend's seder and was immediately struck by Miklos Adler's dramatic woodcuts. The book's cover image as well as one interior piece of a Nazi guard taking a boy from his mother were the two I found most moving. Saul Touster has written a wonderful introduction and provides interesting commentary on the original haggadah throughout the book. If you missed Pesach this year, be sure to purchase a copy for next year. This book should be a part of every family's seder.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Survivor's Haggadah -- A Critical Piece of the Shoah, May 13, 2007

By 

Folsom Bookworm (Folsom, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Survivors' Haggadah (Hardcover)

This haggadah was recommended to me by a child of survivors on the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The haggadah is beautifully illustrated with haunting, black and white wood cuts and written in Yiddish and Hebrew. An English commentary is on the facing pages. Unless you are proficient in Yiddish and Hebrew, this might not be the haggadah you use at Passover. However, it could be an invaluable addition to your celebration.

This haggadah gives critical insight into the condition of displaced persons after the war, how the misery of the Jews continued even after Hitler. But it also testifies to the courage of people who, though perhaps somewhat doubful of G-d, nevertheless celebrated their first Passover in freedom. Well worth your time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth owning, but not a traditional Haggadah, April 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: A Survivors' Haggadah (Hardcover)

This Haggadah is described by the original author as a "musaf" (supplementary material), rather than as a Haggadah. While I personally would not use it as a complete Haggadah for Pesach, I give the book a 5 out of 5 - and I would give it more if I could - because it is an absolutely wonderful piece of literature. I cannot imagine anybody reading even a single page of it and not being moved. It has a very informative (30+ page) introduction about the post-Holocaust situation of the surviving Jews. It is also full of wonderful poetry and artwork, created by victims both during and after the Holocaust, that brought tears to my eyes. Even if this book is never used as a Haggadah, I think that every Jew should own it.

For those who want a traditional Haggadah - this isn't it! However, the Survivors' Haggadah can definitely be used for supplemetary material by EVERYONE. For those who are not concerned with having a traditional Haggadah, but who want to have a meaningful and relevant Passover experience, or for those who simply want a good read, this book will definitely be of interest to you as well.

In the Survivors' Haggadah, there were a few conserved elements from the traditional Haggadot, such as the four questions (though not the answers to them), and a few key phrases, such as: "In every generation they have risen against us and tried to destroy us..." and "In each generation, we should regard ourselves as if we ourselves came out of Egypt." This haggadah does not contain the blessings for the wine, the explanations for the Paschal lamb or why we eat matzah, or any mention of the ten plagues. It contains a great amount of new material relevant to the Holocaust that is not present in traditional haggadot. It also contains modified versions of several recognizable parts of the traditional Haggadah text, but the meaning of the modified version is usually quite different from that of the traditional text. For example, the answer offered for why we eat bitter herbs is: "Because we were intoxicated by the incense of Diaspora ... Because we did little to help ourselves and reestablish our destroyed homes and country." The message of this Haggadah's version of the four sons is not the telling of the story of Passover, but the insistence on the right to a homeland. Some blessings that are addressed to G-d in the traditional Haggadah are addressed to the Allied Forces in the Survivors' Haggadah. The most difficult reading in this Haggadah, for me, was "Dayenu", which is presented as a list of atrocities that G-d allowed to be carried out against the Jews, rather than a list of things we thank G-d for. Though this reading made me feel very uncomfortable (and irreverant!), it gave me insight into the survivor experience that years of Hebrew school and personal study did not provide.

I feel I am richer for having read "A Survivors' Haggadah.". I cannot stress enough how much I love this book.