THE ART OF PASSOVER The Holiday of Passover is based on the story of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. The name ‘PASSOVER’ comes from the ‘Passing over’ of the homes of the Jews during the 10th plague, the death of the first born. Passover is observed at a celebration called a Seder (which means “order”). THE ART OF PASSOVER program tells the story of this holiday using art objects as visual resources.

1. THE STORY OF PASSOVER: THE STORY OF THE EXODUS
(Exodus; 7-12)
The story begins in Egypt
The Pharaoh issued an edict to kill all the Jewish baby boys
Moses’ sister Miriam put baby Moses in a basket in the river
She put him where the Pharaoh’s daughter came to bathe
He was taken to the palace and raised in the Pharaoh’s house
Moses became very powerful in Egypt
He saw the Jews as slaves in Egypt
Moses killed an overseer when he saw a Jewish slave beaten
Moses went to the Pharaoh and said: LET MY PEOPLE GO!
Pharaoh wavered in his decision
One plague after another came to soften Pharaoh’s heart
The plagues were:
Rivers turned to BLOOD and all fish died (Dam)
FROGS (Tsfardeia)
LICE (Kinim)
FLIES (Arov)
DISEASE (Dever)
BOILS (Shkhin)
HAIL (Barad)
LOCUSTS (Arbeh)
DARKNESS (Choshech)
The KILLING OF THE FIRSTBORN (Makat Bechorot)--
For the last plague Jews placed blood on their doorposts
Their homes were ‘PASSED OVER’ during this last plague
The 10 plagues are recognized by Jews, Christians, and Muslims
Then Pharaoh allowed the Jews to leave Egypt
It was the night of the 15th of Nisan
Thus, today we remember slavery and celebrate Freedom
We have the HOLIDAY OF PASSOVER
Modern Jews often participate in the Seder
Various Seders have become popular
women's Seders
labor Seders
interdenominational Seders
people outside of Judaism have become interested in the Seder
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2. Exodus 12: 10-14
EXODUS 12: 10-14
Plaut, G. (1981) The Torah. New York: UAHC
Passover is based on a number of biblical citations
This one is among the earliest references in the Torah
It highlights how and why you shall eat
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3. PASSOVER SYMBOLS
Keller, S. (1992) (Ed.). The Jews. NY: Hugh Lauter Levin, Inc
Traditionally, Seder plates hold at least 5 Passover symbols:
Roasted Egg (symbol of temple sacrifice)
Maror (bitter herbs for the bitterness of enslavement)
Charoset (fruits and wine for the mortar used for bricks)
Karpas (a spring green to be dipped in salt water)
Zeroa (a roasted shank bone, symbol of the pascal lamb)
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4. TORAH NICHE AND WALLS-Dura-Europos, 3rd c.
Scheindlin, R. P. (1996). The Chronicles of the Jewish
People. New York: Michael Friedman Publishing Group, Inc
earliest known visual images from Exodus
The city was a fortified caravan town
Located on eastern frontier
It was at the edge of the sassanid (Persian) empire
It is now In Syria
many different religions lived there, including Jews
synagogue located adjacent to the walls of the town
Dura-Europos, means “fortress” of “Europos”
the name of the Emperor Seleuceus’ I native village
256 CE-Persians conquered and destroyed Dura-Europos
Survivors were deported and the city of Dura disappeared
people piled mounds of dirt against walls to defend town
Houses on the west wall were preserved for archaeologists
discovered nearly 1700 years later in 1920
4

5. MOSES-Dura-Europos, 3rd c.
Scheindlin, R. (1996). The Chronicles of the Jewish People
New York: Michael Friedman Publishing Group, Inc
3rd and 4th c. decoration went from facade to interior
It was common to all oriental countries of the empire
Rich epigraphical material was excavated
Strongly Hellenized Jewish community
Only the military attire shows Roman-style influence
The Greek influence remained dominant
That was in contrast to the Roman occupation
Greek influence is toward universal symbolization
Romans were interested in individualization
They used perspective and the illusion of 3-D space
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6. MOSES IN THE RIVER-Dura-Europos, 3rd c.
Scheindlin, R. P. (1996). The Chronicles of the Jewish People.
New York: Michael Friedman Publishing Group
Moses in a basket made of bulrushes
Pharaoh’s daughter rescues him
This painting is ‘read’ in sections
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7. MOSES LEAVES EGYPT-Dura-Europos, 3rd c.
Scheindlin, R. P. (1996). The Chronicles of the Jewish People.
New York: Michael Friedman Publishing Group
Adult Moses leads the Israelite slaves out of Egypt
Moses is shown twice and is enormous by comparison
His size is an indication of his great strength and power
Left: Army enters the water
Right: Egyptians drown in the Reed/Red Sea
Moses is in front of his people moving toward freedom
He walks through the dry sea opening
God’s open and guiding hands from above oversee all
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8. DAYYEINU-“Birds Head” Haggadah, Northern Germany, 13th c.
Sed-Rajna, G. (Ed.). (1997). Jewish Art. NY: Harry N. Abrams
1000 years later, this biblical story is a continuing saga
Now the story is told in “the Haggadah,” or “Telling”
It is told in the present tense, as if we were there
earliest surviving illuminated German/Ashkenazi Haggadah
Rabbi Meir of Rothenberg (1215-1293) permitted 2-D figures
No violation-2nd Commandment/not concrete or graven
They were not three dimensional (no depth)
pointed Jewish hats were required in early 13th c. Germany
the song “Dayyeinu”
Notice the “Hands of God” coming through the clouds
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9. CANTOR-“Birds Head” Haggadah, No. Germany, 13th c.
Sed-Rajna, G. (Ed.). (1997). Jewish Art. NY: Harry N.
Abrams
Cantor sings songs of praise
Note: “Hallelujah” in the Haggadah
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10. MAKING MATZO-“Birds Head” Haggadah-No. Germany, 13th c.
Sed-Rajna, G. (Ed.). (1997). Jewish Art. NY: Harry N. Abrams
The process of preparing the matzot for the Seder includes:
a. mixing the dough
B. perforating the unleavened bread so it won’t rise
C. passing the Matzah to the rabbi for inspection
(He is the one in the Jewish hat)
the process hasn’t changed much in the past 800 years!
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11. GOLDEN Haggadah-Barcelona, 1320
Narkiss, B. (1997). The Golden Haggadah. British Library.
Pomegranate Books
An Early and sumptuous Spanish Haggadot of the 14th c.
14 pages of miniatures, a text, and 100 Passover piyyutim
Passover preparations follow Biblical Miniatures
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12. GOLDEN Haggadah-Barcelona, 1320
Narkiss, B. (1997). The Golden Haggadah. British Library
Pomegranate Books
Background is decorated with patterned geometrical designs
Miniatures are painted only on the flesh side of the vellum
Miniatures are divided into four framed panels
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13. GOLDEN Haggadah-Barcelona, 1320
Narkiss, B. (1997). The Golden Haggadah. British Library
Pomegranate Books
Genesis and Exodus episodes from Adam to song of Miriam
Miniatures read from right to left and from top to bottom
Background is of burnished gold
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14. “SARAJEVO”
Haggadah-Spain, 14th
c. (Two views)
Narkiss, B. (1992).
Hebrew Illuminated
Manuscripts.
Jerusalem: Keter
Best-known Hebrew illuminated manuscript
reproduced twice in the last 75 years
Haggadah and the piyyutim text are heavily decorated
initial-words of ascending descending gothic letters
Elongated letters extend to the margins of the 9 images
dragons and grotesques in initial-word panels and margins
1894-Bosnian Sephardi child brought this book to school
father deceased, and family had to sell this heirloom
Thus, it reached the National Bosnian Museum in Sarajevo
manuscript probably brought to Italy from Spain in 1492
1609-Italy,censored by Giovanni Dominico Vistorini
Folio 30 (right):
Moses holds Tablets on Mt. Sinai, surrounded by Israelites
Joshua appears above then with another pair of Tablets
trumpet appears in the sky
The background is a diapered pattern in magenta
Folio 32(left):
A stylized façade of the Temple with three gates
The middle gate has a conched arch
Inside is the Ark of the Covenant
Cherubim wings cover the Ark and the Tablets of the Law
14

15. SEARCHING FOR LEVEN AND MAKING MATZOT-Rothschild Misc
Ferrara, Italy, 1450-70
Narkiss, B. (1992). Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts.
Jerusalem: Keter
Jews came to Italy in the 2nd century BCE
14-15th century-Jews flourished, primarily from banking
1475-charge of ritual murder brought against Jews of Trent
Miscellany-has religious secular texts animal fables
This Haggadah is among the religious texts
images describe preparations for Passover
elder hunts for hametz with a feather
He uses a candle for illumination
next a woman mixes dough for Matzah
She rolls it
a young man pricks the dough with a pointed implement
another uses a baker’s peel to place the dough in the oven
The artist uses vanishing-point perspective
The artist has a knowledge of anatomy
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16. HAGGADAH-Prague, 1526
Yerushalmi, Y. (1975)
Haggadah and History.
Philadelphia, Pa.: JPS
Johannes Gutenberg
invented-printing press,
Mainz, Germany 1450-54
He was from Strasbourg
two loans from Jewish
moneylenders funded his
invention
1475-Hebrew typefaces and
books came off the press
early stages of Hebrew books- manuscript form was retained
space was left for initial words to be hand-illuminated
last page -colophons made up of lines in gradually diminishing size
early Jewish printers thought their work a “holy” craft
they did it with painstaking and loving care
1526/27-Gerson Cohen designed and made the Prague Haggadah
it had woodcut borders and illustrations
These images were called “German Renaissance”
It was a blend of Italian Renaissance and German gothic style
It as bold borders, medieval and ornamental letters 60 woodcuts
It became the prototype for all printed Haggadah
This page begins the 2nd part of the Seder, after grace has been said
There is a picture of Elijah mounted on his donkey
He is the announcer of the Messiah’s approach
In the border is
Samson carrying the gates of Gaza
Judith holding the head of Holofernes
Adam and Eve eating the apple
letter shin is the initial of the artist’s name: Shahor
It is at the bottom to the left of the shield with the rampant lion)
A woodcut-Messiah entering Jerusalem is also in this Haggadah
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17. MESSIAH ENTERS JERUSALEM (Haggadah)-Amsterdam, 1723
“Next year in Jerusalem” is said at the end of the Seder
It says that in Jerusalem all will live together in peace
18th c. view of Jerusalem is as a medieval fortress
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18. VIEW OF JERUSALEM-Harman Schedel, Nuremberg,1493
Keller, S. (Ed.) (1992). The Jews. NY: Hugh lauter Levin
From Liber chronicarrum. Jerusalem in circular Form.
Woodcut. 7 7/16 x 8 7/8” (19 x 22.5 cm) Israel Museum,
Jerusalem
here King Solomon’s Temple is in the dead center of the city
Norman type forts (for warfare) at the top of each building
This artist drew what was familiar to him
He never saw Jerusalem
Schedel was a German scholar
he portrayed it in a typically medieval circular form
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19. HAGGADAH-Venice, 1609
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of Passover. NY: Hugh Lauter Levin
Ladino Edition. Ink on Vellum.11 1/8 X 7 5/8 IN.(28.3 X 19.4 CM)
Moldovan Family Collection
1609- 3Haggadot: Judeo-Italian, Judeo-German, Judeo-Spanish
highly innovative illustrations
1st composite of the stages of the seder and the 10 plagues
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20. A. Baking Matza-Shlomo Maduro, Sefer HaMinhagim, 1768
Kaniel, M. (1989). A Guide to Jewish Art. NY: Allied
Copperplate engraving from Johann Leusden
B. Baking Matza-woodcut, Venice, 1593
Kosofsky, S. M. (2004). The Book of Customs. San
Francisco: Harper Collins
C. Baking Matza-Philo-logus Hebraeo-Mixtus,
Leyden, Holland, 1699
Kosofsky, S. M. (2004). The Book of Customs. San
Francisco: Harper Collins
16th-18thc.-Prints to illustrate the Matza baking process
They were in a Book of Customs of the Jewish People
20

21. SEARCHING FOR LEVEN-Bernard Picart, 1725
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of Passover. NY:Hugh Lauter Levin
hand colored etching-bedikat hametz (Exodus 12:15)
fashionable Jewish home in eighteenth-century Amsterdam
cabinet contents-removed to look for crumbs
The son holds a candle
home clothing-depict social and economic factors
17th c. Holland-genre painting showed a particular moral
ethnographic illustrated works produced
These included anthologies of Jewish customs
Philologus Hebraeo Mixtus, 1663 was the earliest
Calvinist theologian Johann Leusden (1624-1699) created it
Leusden taught Hebrew at the University of Utrecht
Minhagim-Jewish Customs books were produced
The most notable is by Bernard Picart (1673-1733)
He was a French Protestant
He moved from Catholic France to Amsterdam
Picart moved in 1710 to find the freedom he lacked
He produced 600 illustrations for the Amsterdam publisher
The publisher was J. F. Bernard
The book is Ceremonies and Religious Customs of the
Various Nations of the Known World 21
15/16 th c.-Jews fled the Inquisition to the Netherlands
With religious and economic freedom, Jews prospered

22. THE SEDER TABLE-Bernard Picart, Bohemia, 18th c.
Kaniel, M. (1989). A Guide to Jewish Art. NY: Allied Books
Family is gathered for the Seder and the table is set
fire crackles in the fireplace
a holiday lamp hangs above the table
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23. WEIGHING AND DELIVERING MATZOT -Waltham, Mass, 1870
Korn, I. (1996). A Celebration of Judaism in Art. NY: Todtri
By the 19th century, matzah was made and sold in a bakery
It was sold by weight, in contrast to our 1 or 5 Lb packages
this engraving appeared in Leslie’s Popular Monthly
The American Jewish Historical Society published it
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24. PASSOVER SCENE-Moritz Oppenheim, Amsterdam, c. 1882
Parnes, S.(1994). The Art of Passover. NY: Hugh Lauter Levin
Moritz Oppenheim’s image of the Seder was frequently copied
It depicts the pleasures of Biedermeir domesticity
The tension of assimilationist German nationalism is shown
As it contrasts with Jewish tradition
Participants in this Seder wear contemporary clothing
This shows the variety of Jewish experience in the mid-19th c.
Image became a model of contemporary German Judaism
It was used to decorate many articles, such as
Hungarian Herend Seder dishes
etched glass goblets
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25. HAD GADYA SUITE-El
Lissitzky, 1919
El Lissitzky (1919/2004).
Had Gadya: The Only Kid.
Getty Research
El Lissitzky was born Lazar Markowich in Smolensk, Russia
As a Jew, he was not admitted to St. Petersburg art academy
He trained as an architect in Darmstadt
1916-the Jewish Ethnographic Society financed expeditions
Researched-Dnieper River wooden synagogues art
Lissitzky created a modern Jewish style
It combined Jewish folk art with a modern art vocabulary
his art served Jewish nationalism and the Russian Revolution
Created flag for the Red Square revolution on May Day, 1918
1919-Chagall invited Lissitzky to join the Vitebsk Art School
Lissitzky’s work became increasingly abstract
His aesthetic culminated in “proun”
Proun is A Russian acronym for “projects affirming the new”
1 of 10 illustrations from a portfolio illustrating Had Gadya
It is sung at the end of the seder service
It is not directly related to the text of the Haggadah
Song describes a goat consumed by a dog and others
Finally, God destroys the last assailant, the Angel of Death
Had Gadya is an allegory for oppression of the Jewish people
It is an Aramaic poem based on a German ballad
It is sung at the end of the Passover Seder
Lissitzky saw Had Gadya as an Song of Survival
Also, as the triumph of Good over Evil
1919-he created this series after the Bolshevik victory
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26. HAGGADAH-Zeev Raban, Israel, 1925
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of Passover. NY: Hugh Lauter Levin
Zeev Raban was born in Poland, the son of a merchant
He received a traditional Jewish and a secular education
studied art in Lodz, Munich, Paris, and Belgium
1906-met Boris Schatz, founder of the Bezalel Art School
Schatz hired Raban to teach sculpture and anatomy
Raban became director of the repousse department
He began to develop his own unique style
1929-the Bezalel school closed for lack of funding
Raban supported himself by working on commission
1949-designed tombstones for soldiers of the Haganah
Raban loved German Jugendstil French Art Nouveau
His passion for idealized orientalism remained strong
Emphasized decorative patterns borrowed from exotic lands
Israelites leaving Egypt placed in a frieze at the foreground
stylistically similar to Egyptian Assyrian paintings/reliefs
angel wrestling with Jacob modeled after Assyrian reliefs
recession of figures is from western tradition
angels in Jacob’s dream are from Assyrian winged deities
Raban represents The land of Israel with a dual nature
Israel is both biblical and cotemporary events
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27. HAGGADAH-Marc Chagall, 1987
Chagall, M. (1987). Chagall’s Passover Haggadah.
New York: Leon Amiel
1987-This Haggadah was published posthumously
It was drawn from Chagall’s biblical images of 1931-56
the order of the service is superimposed on Moses
He is pleading with Pharaoh to “Let My People go!”
Aaron is shown with the staff Breastplate of high Priest
He is behind Moses
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28. MIRIAM DANCING WITH THE WOMEN -Chagall, 1987
Chagall, M. (1987). Chagall’s Passover Haggadah.
New York: Leon Amiel
Chagall’s art combines fantasy, folk art, and cubism
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29. HAGGADAH COVER -Eretz Israel, Bezalel, c. 1920s
Keller, S. (1992) (Ed.). The Jews. NY: Hugh Lauter Levin
Bezalel School characteristics are displayed
They are the process of repousse and cabochon turquoise
Bezalel synthesized
European art trends
techniques of Eastern applied art
biblical or Jewish motifs
The Jugendstil approach strongly influenced their style
Ze’ev Raban was the Director of metalsmithing
He learned these techniques as a student in Munich
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30. FIRST SEDER-Reuven Rubin, Israel, 1950.
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of Passover. NY: Hugh Lauter Levin
Oil on canvas. 101/2 x 64 in. (26.7 x 162.6 cm)
The Rubin Museum Foundation, Tel Aviv
Reuven Rubin was born in Romania.
He studied in Europe and immigrated to Palestine in 1922
bright, expressive colors captured optimism of the settlers
1948: Rubin became Israel’s minister to Romania
He helped to arrange exit permits for many Romanian Jews
He painted this First Seder in Jerusalem in 1950
This painting is a return to the style of his earlier years
Walls of the Old City are visible Through the arch
bearded man is dressed as Eastern European Hasidim
Rubin holds his son, with his wife behind him
The other figures represent various Jewish communities
There are parallels to da Vinci’s “Last Supper”
Three open arches are similar to da Vinci’s open windows
both paintings are symmetrical
Both works have 6 adults adjacent to the central figure
white-robed man shows his palms up, portraying wounds
Clearly, Rubin intended this figure to represent Jesus
Rubin reminded the world that Jews suffered and died
They rose again to life in their own land
Yet this is a FIRST Seder, not a LAST supper
dreamlike quality is of a not-yet arrived peaceful future
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31. HAGGADAH-Ben Shahn, 1931
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of
Passover. NY: Hugh Lauter Levin
Printed Haggadah.
15 3/8 x 11 5/8 in.
(39 x 4.45 cm).
Courtesy of Mrs. Ben Shahn
Copyright Estate of Ben Shahn/
VAGA, NY 1993
Ben Shahn was born in Kovno, Lithuania
He came to the United States when he was eight years old
Kovno was a center of socialism
Shahn followed in his father’s footsteps
He became involved in social issues about discrimination
Shahn apprenticed in lithography
He traveled extensively
He settled in New York and later in Roosevelt, NJ
this Haggadah’s elements are juxtaposed for visual impact
They are not laid out in traditional visual sequence
In this image Moses has his staff upraised
He is confronting the serpent of the pharaoh’s magicians
He also addresses the last plague, slaying of the firstborn
Shahn uses flat color areas, patterning, shallow space
the Haggadah illustrates a fight against past oppression
Each generation is to think that it happened in our time
This is one of Shahn’s early works
It used a Jewish theme and his unique calligraphy
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32. “SURVIVOR’S” HAGGADAH-Germany, 1946.
Touster, S. (2000). A Survivors’ Haggadah Philadelphia: JPS
This Haggadah was created by survivors
It was for the 1st Passover after the liberation of the camps
April 1946-The Allied victory was celebrated in Munich
The U. S. Army of Occupation was the Third Army of Bavaria
It had an “A” insignia
the cover bears this mark printed early in 1946
Y.D. Sheinson, A survivor, created this Haggadah
He used woodcuts done by Miklos Adler, another survivor
At this post-WWII Seder, Jews of every variety celebrated
This Haggadah has extraordinary woodcuts
It accurately parallels Exodus and the Holocaust
this Haggadah was first published by Achida and Nocham
Later it became known as the “A” Haggadah
the Sheinson Haggadah took on another life
a new cover was emblazoned with the tricolor insignia “A”
an additional English title page and epigraph
Klausner’s two-page introduction in English
Sheinson calls for an end of dissension
He wants unity among the Jews
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33. PASSOVER SEDER-
Arthur Szyk, 1948.
Parnes, S. (1994). The
Art of Passover. New
York: Hugh Lauter Levin,
Inc.
Yeshiva University
Museum Collection. New
York, NY.
Arthur Szyk was born in Lodz, Poland.
He spent a brief time in Paris after World War I
He was in England at the beginning of World War II
In 1940, Szyk came to the United States
Szyk did political cartoons dealing with the Allied struggle
He addressed the plight of the Jews fleeing the Nazis
This work is consistent with his work of the 1930s
He shuns contemporary art and painterly abstraction
19th c. realism and medieval manuscripts were his antecedents
the illusion of 3-D reality to the most meticulous detail
Jeweled colors and fine detail created an elegant work
The features of the people are individualized
the work is small in size, adding to its preciousness
It is a nostalgic view through time to Poland of Szyk’s past
It presents a high point of culture
It depicts stability, family life, religious strength
Despite its realism, it is actually the artist’s private fantasy
The reality of the Polish shtetl was very poor
There was no wealth needed for the luxurious items shown
Examples: silver, rich garments, heaping platter of food
Not a specific moment in the Passover Seder
Szyk shows the meal and the recitation of the 4 Questions
Szyk captured the essence of the Passover Seder
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34. HISTORY OF MATZAH (Part I)-Larry Rivers, 1982-84
Barnavi, E. (Ed.) (1992). Historical Atlas of the Jewish People
NY: Knopf
1923-Larry Rivers was born Yitzroch Loiza Grossberg in NYC
He studied music initially
He was a professional jazz saxophonist before turning to art
Rivers presents the power of Matzah as a symbol
This triptych is acrylic on canvas
Matzah stands for more than the Exodus from Egypt
Matzah signifies the plight of the Jews through the ages
Matza symbolizes fleeing in haste in order to survive
Rivers begins this triptych with the Israelites in Egypt
Historic images pass dreamlike before the eyes of the viewer
These images are superimposed over the Matzah
This approach gives the work the feeling of a montage
this quality is heightened by transparent washes of color
By linking the symbol of Matzah with the Jewish experience
Rivers presents the enduring power of the Jewish tradition
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35. ORDER OF THE SEDER-David Moss, Rochester, NY,1987
Grossman, G. (1995). Jewish Art, China: Hugh Lauter Levin
Ink, gouache, and gold leaf on vellum. Original Haggadah,
collection of Beatrice and Richard D. Levy, Boca Raton
1980-Richard and Beatrice Levy commissioned David Moss
They wanted a handwritten illuminated parchment Haggadah
They wanted it for their personal Judaica collection
Moss studied text artistic traditions for 3 years
He searched for fresh insights
He sought meaning for contemporary times
He created a truly unique work
It has calligraphy, micrography, Papercuts, drawings
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36. SEDER PLATE-Spain, 1480
Snyder, J. (2004). the Jewish World 365 Days.
NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc
Jews probably settled in Spain under the Roman Empire.
412-711 CE: Jews were persecuted under the Visigoths
613CE King Sisebut: Jews must become Christians or leave
711CE-Muslim conquest of Spain
The result was that Muslim, Christian Jews lived together
11/12th c. known as The Golden Age of Jews in Spain
Plate has Hispano-Moresque decorations
Colors techniques are typical of lusterware pottery
Inscriptions on ceramics came from Islamic heritage
Spanish lusterware originated in Egypt in the 8th c. CE
Hebrew words are “Passover, matzah, bitter herbs, seder”
It contains numerous mispellings, including “matzah”
Unknown whether artist simply made errors
Or if plate was designed and decorated by a non-Jewish artist
British Museums manuscript shows matzahs on a similar plate
These matzot were stacked for distribution to the community
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37. SEDER PLATE, Italy, 1673
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of Passover. NY: Hugh Lauter Levin
Majolica ceramic has a tin base for an opaque white surface
It was produced in Italy since the fifteenth century
Yellows, greens, and blues show aspects of the holiday
This is one of a group of 28 majolica Passover plates
All are of similar shape
Each has a flange with cartouches of scenes and a text
The plates are from different places of origin within Italy
The plates range from 1532 and the latest 1889
The biblical scenes are from C. Kirchmayr engravings
1864: These Haggadah illustrations were published in Trieste
European Jewish people increasingly assimilated in l.19th c.
Yet they preserved ties to the past by collecting Jewish art
This provided them with an acceptable mode of connection
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38. SEDER PLATE-Germany, 1764
This incised plate has many folk images, done in a naïve style
Passover lamb in the center surrounded by an 8 sided figure
The four sons occupying separate segments
Included are a deer, a rooster, a duck/goose and snakes
Remaining welled area has Hebrew text
Bordered by a combination of images and text
Included are:
Jerusalem
God’s hand as a mighty sword
Various other iconographic images
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39. “EXODUS” SEDER PLATE-Lvov, 1800
Silver, parcel gilt, 9 1/2 x 13 1/2 in. (24.1 x 34.3 cm).
The Gross Family Collection
Grossman, G. (1995). Jewish Art. China: Hugh Lauter Levin
This illustration is from the Amsterdam Haggadah
The ten plagues are depicted around the rim.
Repousse is the process which created the image
The projecting image was hammered forward from the back
This technique created the bas-relief
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40. SEDER SET-Poland, 18/19th c.
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of Passover. NY: Hugh Lauter Levin
Rampant lions stand with mouths agape, holding cartouches
They convey robust energy through
The Cartouches bear blessings for the symbolic foods
Grillwork echoes the lions’ curves and their notched paws
This craftsman may have seen familiar similar images
Analogous lions exist on East European Hanukkah lamps
The whole set is crowned by the base for Elijah’s cup
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41. SEDER SET-Vienna, 1815.
Parnes, S. (1994).The Art of Passover. NY: Hugh Lauter Levin
19th c. Affluent Viennese Jews had 3-tiered Seder plates
The three tiers hold the three ceremonial matzahs
Small rings on the outer rail held a curtain
This curtain was intended to conceal the matzahs
Eagle shaped feet support the plate
Ceremonial containers are figures bearing vessels
Moses, the largest, stands in the center of the plate
Moses balances a holder for the Cup of Elijah on his head.
3-D human figures in Jewish ceremonial art is unusual
Many thought these figures violated the 2nd Commandment
Rabbi Sofer, 18/19thc. said the figures were not idols
He said that their dress established their identities clearly
A curiosity of dress is that:
Some figures have on slave loincloths
The females are in classic dress
Two men are shown in contemporary clothing 41

42. SEDER PLATE-Josef Vater, Vienna, 1900
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of Passover. NY: Hugh Lauter Levin
Blue white flowering vines/birds are a folk motif
This style characterizes Chinese and later Delftware
Six heart shaped segments surround he center Magen David
These segments were for the symbolic foods
42

43. SEDER SET- Bezalel, 1920s
Grossman, C. (1989). A Temple Treasury : The Judaica
Collection of Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York.
New York: Hudson Hills Press.
Silver, embossed, chased, engraved. Diam. 11 in. (27.9 cm)
Bequest of Judge Irving Lehman, 1945
The form and quotations specifically state its function
Each oval indentation holds a ritual food of Passover
The raised center holds a cup of wine
The quotations on the rim give the order of the Seder
The center has a concluding verse:
“Next year in the Land of Israel!”
43

44. TIERED SEDER PLATE AND
ELIJAH CUP- Friedrich Adler, 20th
c.
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of
Passover. New York: Hugh Lauter
Levin, Inc.
Silver, embossed and cut-out, glass
insert. Ht: 4 in. (10.2 cm); diam:
175/16 in. (44 cm).
Cup: Silver-plated, repousse and cut-
out, moonstones Height: 9 11/16 in.
(25 cm) diameter 6 1/16 in. (15.4 cm)
Collection of The Spertus Museum of
Judaica, Chicago, Il
Both motifs and forms influence ritual objects
The cup of Elijah was uncommon prior to the 20th c.
Friedrich Adler lived from 1870 to 1942
He trained at the Academy of Arts and Crafts in Munich
He worked in the Jugendstil (German Art Nouveau) idiom
he shifted to grid-like designs and sharp geometric motifs
He exhibited in 1914 with Walter Gropius (1883-1969)
Other modernists included were later with the Bauhaus
Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus in 1919
The Bauhaus wanted well-designed objects with simple forms
These objects could be mass-produced
The objects should reflect individual fine craftsmanship
Bauhaus aesthetic was: form follows function
Decoration kept to a minimum
The square form reflects The effects of industrialization
By the end of the 19th, matzah was mass-produced
Adler’s piece is square to accommodate this
Adler taught in Hamburg until the Nazis came to power
At that time, he was forced to leave because he was a Jew
He was deported to Auschwitz in 1942 and disappeared
44

45. SEDER SET-Ludwig Wolpert, 1930
Sed-Rajna, G. (Ed.). (1997)
Jewish Art. NY: Harry Abrams
Aesthetics of the Bauhaus pervaded much of the 20th c.
Their main ideas were that
Form follows function
Fine design should be mass-produced
Ornament banned
Wolpert applied these principles to Jewish ceremonial art
This set is based on earlier decorated Passover epergnes
He combined the visual effect with its essential functions
Three circular tiers join vertical ebony and silver mounts
They are notched to support the glass shelves
the mounts double as handles
Horizontal silver bands that separate each tier slide open
They reveal a space within which matzah can be placed
The Hebrew appears on the glass-lined silver goblet:
“I lift the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord”
This receptacle holds the wine for the Prophet Elijah
Glass dishes in silver bases hold ritual foods
Contrasting materials are the basis for this Seder Set
This Plate was too complicated for production
It was carefully replicated several times
45

46. SEDER PLATE-Terezin, 1944
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of Passover. New York:
Hugh Lauter Levin
In 1938, there were 122,00 Jews in Czech lands.
By 1942-26,000 immigrated to various places
Approximately 74,000 occupied Terezin
Terezin was established in October 1941
Terezin was a medieval fortress town in Bohemia
The Nazis designated it as a site for Jews
Privileged, famous, or elderly Jews also were sent there
Nazis concealed the extermination of European Jews
Terezin was a transfer point to extermination camps
An International Red Cross team investigated Terezin
This was done in July 1944
German Inscription:
“The Jewish Youth Movement to the Jewish council
of Elders, Theresienstadt, April 3, 1944”
46

47. MAKING HAROSET-Toby Fluck, 1975
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of Passover.
New York: Hugh Lauter Levin, Inc.
Toby Fluck was born in Czernica, near Lvov, Poland
During WWII: Her family was forced to Brody in the Ukraine
19th c: Jews of Brody were prominent in Haskalah
By the late 1930s, there were 10,000 Jews there
1942-Nazis established a ghetto in broody
It was the first since 1696 for the Jews of Brody
There were shortages of food and fuel
Typhoid fever claimed hundreds of lives
Nazis deported Jews to the Belzec death camp and Maidanek
Toby lost two sisters, a brother, and her father
Toby Knobel met her husband, Max Fluck, in a DP camp
They immigrated to America, and Toby began to paint
This work shows the ingredients tools to prepare Haroset
Brass mortar/pestle were normal in Polish kitchens
Still life paintings came from Egyptian tombs and Pompeii
This genre reached its height in 17th c. Netherlands
the subject is a bittersweet memory-literal and symbolic
Haroset is a delicious holiday treat
Haroset is served only at the Passover Seder
It symbolizes the mortar used by the enslaved Israelites
This painting recalls the tragic losses during the Nazi era
It tells of the sweet life with her family prior to that time
47

48. SEDER PLATE-Kerry Feldman, 1987
Grossman, G. (1995). Jewish Art, China: Hugh Lauter Levin
Hand-blown colored glass. Diameter: 17 in. (43.2 cm). Hebrew
Union College, Skirball Museum, Los Angeles.
Museum purchase by Jesse R. and Sylvia M. Gross in honor of
their grandchildren
A highly stylized modernist Passover Seder Plate
It is Made of glass
Five ritual foods are visually symbolized in simple images
The story from slavery to freedom is told
It begins with the four courses of the bricks of slavery
To the crossing of the waters
To the wandering in the desert
A vibrant sunburst may indicate the arrival in Eretz Israel
This image leads to new beginnings, as shown by an open egg
Four white spheres support the entire plate
These four white spheres also repeat the circular motif
This Passover Seder Plate reflects late 20th c. aesthetics
It highlights the rise of importance of glass
48

49. SEDER PLATE: FROM SLAVERY TO
FREEDOM-Lorelei/Alex Gruss, 1990
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of Passover.
New York: Hugh Lauter Levin, Inc
Lorelei and Alex Gruss are husband and wife team
They collaborate on inlaid ceremonial art
Lorelei went to Jerusalem from New York
Alex went to Jerusalem from Buenos Aires
They met and married in Jerusalem
E. European craftsman used carved inlaid wood for arks
Using carved inlaid wood for Judaica comes from this source
Wood inlay also often decorated the staves of the Torah scroll
In Sefardic lands, mother-of-pearl ivory decorated the Tik
Tiks often had 12-sides symbolic of the 12 tribes of Israel
The symbolism of the inlay materials heighten the composition
Wood tones proceed from dark to light
This parallels the Israelites going from slavery to freedom
A sun of 14-karat gold expresses the radiance of the Holy Land
Seder Plate’s theme is from a phrase in the Haggadah
In the phrase: “in every generation, each man must regard
himself as though he, himself, had come out from Egypt”
Each panel has One word from this Hebrew phrase inscribed
Individuals from various time periods juxtapose with the text
Redemption is expressed through these anachronistic elements
A Jew in a striped concentration camp uniform enters the land
This Jew’s uniform is emblazoned with a yellow star
Last scene depicts Jerusalem, relating to the final statement
This statement at the Seder is: “Next year in Jerusalem.”
Thus, the first and last panels are joined to show continuity
This is the cycle of Jewish history and experience
49

50. PASSOVER GOBLET-Warsaw, 18th c.
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of Passover. NY: Hugh Lauter Levin
Silver, gilt, embossed, engraved. 7 7/8 x 4 1/8 in. (20 x 10.5 cm)
Jewish Museum, Budapest
Hallmark: Warsaw (Rosenberg IV, no. 8119)
This goblet may have been used as a cup of Elijah
Around the rim is written:
“These are the 10 plagues with which the Holy One,
blessed be He, punished the Egyptians”
It may have been Elijah’s cup Because of its size and decoration
The upper section has 10 interlocking raised teardrops
Each teardrop portrays one plague in high relief repousse
The 10 plagues were often shown in illustrated Haggadot
This began with the Venice Haggadah of 1609
Jews first came to Warsaw in 1414 and were expelled in 1483
1796: Prussians gained control and Jews flocked to Warsaw
Its population grew dramatically in the early 19th century
Warsaw became Europe’s largest Jewish community
In 1939 there were nearly 400,000 Jews in Warsaw
1/17/1945- city was liberated and there were only 200 survivors
50

51. CUP OF ELIJAH-Michael Schwartz, 1989
Parnes, S. (1994). The Art of Passover.
NY:Hugh Lauter Levin
Cup: 9 1/2 X 3 3/4 (24.1 X 9.5 CM).
Saucer: 1 X 6 1/2 in. (2.5 X 16.5 CM)
Silver and 24K gold.
Private collection
Hebrew lettering is in the design of this Cup of Elijah
The inscription contains more than 700 letters cut by hand
It is a zemer dedicated to the prophet Elijah, Eliyahu Ha-Navi.
A Zemer is an ancient song of praise
The song has eleven stanzas and a refrain
The 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet become an acrostic
This acrostic came from the first 22 sentences of the song
This acrostic comes from the 1st letter of the 2nd word
The song refers to Elijah’s zeal in the defense of God’s name
The song also foreshadows the coming of the Messiah
Acrostic states Elijah brings peace between parents/children
Elijah will also settle all scholarly disputes.
1990-presented to Rabbi M. Schneerson for his 88th birthday
Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson was the Lubavitcher Rebbe
“From the day the Rebbe received this cup…. it never left
His presence for a moment, day or night,” said the artist
51

52. UNTITLED from the “MATZO BOX SERIES” -Adam Rolston, 1993
Grossman, G. (1995). Jewish Art, China:Hugh Lauter Levin
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas.72 x 72 in.(182.9 x 182.9 cm)
Private Collection. Courtesy of the Fawbush Gallery
1962: The artist, Adam Rolston, was born in Los Angeles
He is a graduate of Syracuse University
Rolston participated in many different exhibitions
What could be more familiar than this box of matzo?
It is much like the Campbell’s soup cans of Andy Warhol
It is similar to images of the Pop Art movement of the 1960s
However, post-modernist art adds irony to the image
At first glance, this looks like a normal, everyday matzo box
This is like the matzo box from the supermarket
Closer inspection shows that it’s larger than life
Long looking reveals that paint drips in various places
It is definitely not the mock-up for silk-screening the boxes
It is rather a painting of an icon familiar to American Jews
In reality, It’s so large it dwarfs most humans
The differences may at first seem slight
Consider the scale of a human to this overwhelming size
The differences are oh-so-dramatically different 52

53. THE MAXWELL HOUSE HAGGADOT
And so the Passover Seder ends with these words….
and then there is nothing more to say, except:
53

54. 54

55. 55

56. So, I hope I’ve made the
56

57. 57