Washington Haggadah

Washington Haggadah
Folio 16a from the Washington Haggadah. There is a custom that a man points to his wife when mentioning maror based upon the verse Ecclesiastes 7:26 “Now I find woman more bitter than death.”
Artist	Joel Ben Simeon
Year	January 29, 1478
Medium	Parchment

The Washington Haggadah (Hebrew: הגדת וושינגטון‎) is a Hebrew-language illuminated manuscript haggadah created by Joel ben Simeon in 1478. He was a specialist illuminator of haggadot, who seems to have worked in both Italy and Germany, and whose style shows influences from the contemporary art of both countries. It is significant as it shows the vibrancy of Jewish art during the medieval period, scenes of daily life, and also highlights positive interfaith relations so often forgotten throughout this time.^[1]

The book was given to the United States Library of Congress in 1916 by Ephraim Deinard as part of the Third Deinard Collection. Originally referred to as Hebraic Manuscript #1, it has since been referred to as the Washington Haggadah in honor of the city.^[2] In 2011, the haggadah was on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for some months.^[3]