A Passover Haggadah, retelling the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt, guides families every year through their Passover Seder. A Passover Haggadah faithfully renders the entire text of story, prayer, and song, with commentary by Elie Wiesel. Expertly interwoven, Wiesel's commentary (recalling memories of his own boyhood Seders and reflecting on Israel's place in the modern world) may be read aloud, along with the traditional text, in whole or in part. Drawings by Mark Powdal add joyous, fearsome, and poignant moments to the reader's experience throughout. At the beginning, just before the recitation of the Kiddush, one illustration depicts a contemporary Seder table whose length stretches into a path crossing a huge picture of the desert of ancient Egypt. The scene in the book is the beginning of the journey, the table is the destination, and, with this beautiful Haggadah, the story continues among us. --Michael Joseph Gross


From Library Journal
The Passover Haggadah is a set form of benedictions, prayers, psalms, and commentary recited at the Passover seder. Numerous English-language and English/Hebrew Haggadot are available for home use, including Let My People Go: A Haggadah (Macmillan, 1973), also illustrated by Podwal but no longer in print. So how is this Haggadah different from all others? Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Holocaust survivor Wiesel's wise and compassionate commentary, poetic interpretations, lively retellings of ancient legends, and personal reminiscences, along with Podwal's powerful line drawings (only seen as sketches), make this a very special edition indeed, and one to be treasured for years to come. Highly recommended.- Marcia Welsh, Guilford Free Lib., Ct.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
With this Passover Haggadah, Elie Wiesel and his friend Mark Podwal invite you to join them for the Passover Seder -- the most festive event of the Jewish calendar. Read each year at the Seder table, the Haggadah recounts the miraculous tale of the liberation of the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, with a celebration of prayer, ritual, and song. Wiesel and Podwal guide you through the Haggadah and share their understanding and faith in a special illustrated edition that will be treasured for years to come. Accompanying the traditional Haggadah text (which appears here in an accessible new translation) are Elie Wiesel's poetic interpretations, reminiscences, and instructive retellings of ancient legends. The Nobel laureate interweaves past and present as the symbolism of the Seder is explored. Wiesel's commentaries may be read aloud in their entirety or selected passages may be read each year to illuminate the timeless message of this beloved book of redemption. This volume is enhanced by more than fifty original drawings by Mark Podwal, the artist whom Cynthia Ozick has called a "genius of metaphor through line." Podwal's work not only complements the traditional Haggadah text, as well as Wiesel's poetic voice, but also serves as commentary unto itself. The drawings, with their fresh juxtapositions of insight and revelation, are an innovative contribution to the long tradition of Haggadah illustration.


Language Notes
Text: English, Hebrew


About the Author
Elie Wiesel is the author of more than thirty books, including Night, A Beggar in Jerusalem, Twilight, Souls on Fire, Sages and Dreamers, and most recently, The Forgotten. He is the recipient of the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize.

ANNOTATION

Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel graces the miraculous tale of the Haggadah with his inspired, poetic interpretations, reminiscences, and instructive retellings of ancient legends that interweave past and present. The keepsake edition is further enhanced by over 40 of Mark Podwal's ingenious and inventive drawings, filled with fresh juxtapostions of understanding and revelation.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

With this Passover Haggadah, Elie Wiesel and his friend Mark Podwal invite you to join them for the Passover Seder — the most festive event of the Jewish calendar. Read each year at the Seder table, the Haggadah recounts the miraculous tale of the liberation of the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, with a celebration of prayer, ritual, and song. Wiesel and Podwal guide you through the Haggadah and share their understanding and faith in a special illustrated edition that will be treasured for years to come. Accompanying the traditional Haggadah text (which appears here in an accessible new translation) are Elie Wiesel's poetic interpretations, reminiscences, and instructive retelling of ancient legends. The Nobel laureate interweaves past and present as the symbolism of the Seder is explored. Wiesel's commentaries may be read aloud in their entirety or selected passages may be read each year to illuminate the timeless message of this beloved book of redemption.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal - Marcia Welsh, Guilford Free Library, CT

The Passover Haggadah is a set form of benedictions, prayers, psalms, and commentary recited at the Passover seder. Numerous English-language and English/Hebrew Haggadot are available for home use, including Let My People Go: A Haggadah (Macmillan, 1973), also illustrated by Podwal but no longer in print. So how is this Haggadah different from all others? Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Holocaust survivor Wiesel's wise and compassionate commentary, poetic interpretations, lively retellings of ancient legends, and personal reminiscences, along with Podwal's powerful line drawings (only seen as sketches), make this a very special edition indeed, and one to be treasured for years to come. Highly recommended.

BookList - George Cohen