Arthur Szyk, The Four Questions (detail), 1935. Courtesy of The Robbins Family Collection. Copyright © The Arthur Szyk Society, Burlingame, CA.
The Haggadah, the story of the Passover Seder, is the most widely-circulated piece of Judaica. Artist-activist Arthur Szyk's modernist illuminated manuscript, created in 1934-36, was used as propaganda in an effort to combat aggression, oppression, and injustice.
In this video, School Programs Manager Cara Buchalter, who works at The CJM developing educational resources, programs, and curricula for students and adults, explores the hidden meanings, censored images, and coded references in the Szyk Haggadah.
This video was originally published on The CJM's Facebook Live on April 5, 2020.
During The CJM's temporary closure, we're providing weekly live video presentations that explore Jewish culture, history, art, and ideas. Sit back, relax, and discover new stories every week!
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The Haggadah, the ritual text for the Passover seder, evokes the story of the exodus of the ancient Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. While myriad haggadot have been created from the tenth century to the present, the exhibition Arthur Szyk and the Art of the Haggadah (on view at The CJM Feb 13, 2014–Jun 29, 2014) highlights the unique and powerful story of The Szyk Haggadah (1940). Arthur Szyk (1894–1951), a Polish Jew keenly aware of current events, fused his two passions—art and history—into a visual commentary on the dangerous parallel between the Passover narrative and the alarming developments unfolding in Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
Arthur Szyk, The Four Questions (detail), 1935. Courtesy of The Robbins Family Collection. Copyright © The Arthur Szyk Society, Burlingame, CA.