“No one must know or they’ll kill us and destroy the book.”

April 6, 2023 10:19 AM

The Sarajevo Haggadah has been kept in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina off and on since the late 19th Century. It is a medieval Hebrew codex, made to be read at the Passover Seder, and is beautifully illuminated, with a focus on the story of Joseph. The Haggadah has inspired plenty of art, including The Sarajevo Haggadah: The Music of the Book, by Bosnian composer and accordionist Merima Ključo, here performed with the CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra (with a panel discussion afterwards), which itself drew inspiration from Geraldine Brooks novel, The People of the Book. Brooks recounted the history of the Sarajevo Haggadah, and its incredible rescue by Islamic scholar Dervis Korkut during World War Two in a 2007 New Yorker article called The Book of Exodus.
posted by Kattullus (6 comments total)

(yes I realize this post is a bit late)
posted by Kattullus at 10:19 AM on April 6, 2023

This is beautiful and amazing. I knew nothing about this, but this book has escaped destruction so many times across the centuries (including, noted in one link, being given a reprieve during the Italian Inquisition and its purging of Jewish writings)...

Thanks so much for posting this. I hate when I make a post with a bunch of favorites and no comments, and I really got a lot out of this. Thanks!
posted by hippybear at 3:10 PM on April 6, 2023 [4 favorites]

There's a bit of lede burying in that New Yorker article. Much of it turns out to be about a young Jewish girl that Dervis Korkut, the man who helped to hide the Haggadah, wound up sheltering from the Nazis and what happened to both of them afterwards. It’s a pretty amazing story and spans many years and many hardships. It's a pretty intense story, so CW, possibly, for some readers.
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 6:41 PM on April 6, 2023 [3 favorites]

Seeing the 14th century illustrations in a book that would normally seem so mundane (generations of Jewish children have been bored witless waiting for the meal to actually start!) is such a treasure. The contrast with what I saw in our very modern haggadahs at Seder tonight is striking.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 8:33 PM on April 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

Many years ago, I randomly stumbled across a replica (I forget the word they used) of it in a gallery in California, and it is beautiful with such a haunting story. Thank you for posting this.
posted by canine epigram at 9:04 PM on April 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

I love everything about this. The fact that it continues to survive through all the regions it’s been in have been through - especially without any significant Jewish presence during times where Jewish erasure was standard - is just astounding.

If you’re looking for a good read, The People of the Book is very good.
posted by Mchelly at 5:51 AM on April 9, 2023 [1 favorite]