The Fuerth Haggadah, 1741

״One should know that it is a Mitzva . . . to tell our children on this night about the exodus from Egypt . . . for this reason our Sages instituted the Haggadah to be read on this night. However . . . in our generation most people, especially women and children, do not understand it. . . We therefore undertook to translate the Haggadah . . . into German. . . .״

This is part of a lengthy Judeo-German statement printed on the title page of the Fuerth Haggadah, which was published in 1741. This Haggadah contains a complete Judeo-German translation of the original text as well as detailed instructions, also in Judeo-German, for the baking of the Mazzoth and the search for leaven.

The Haggadah, the original size of which is 12 x 7 1/2 inches, features a number of small woodcuts. They are, in order of their appearance: The Seder of the Sages at B’nai Brak; The Four Sons; Abraham Destroying his Father’s Idols; The Three Angels Visiting Abraham; Moses Slaying the Egyptian; Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh (the rod changing into a serpent); The Plague of the Frogs; The Passover Meal in Egypt; and finally, King David at Prayer.

Most of the pictures are imitations of the copper plate illustrations of the Amsterdam Haggadah of 1695, which were famous throughout the Jewish world and were widely copied by printers and manuscript artists.
The title page is adorned with the figures of Moses and Aaron, which appear also on the title pages of the Amsterdam Haggadah and of many other Haggadoth and Hebrew books. The picture at the bottom of the title page shows a deer; it probably alludes to the printer’s name.

The printer’s name is not mentioned on the title page nor anywhere else in the Haggadah. At the time of the publication of this Haggadah two Hebrew printers were active in Fuerth. Hayyim ben Zvi Hirsch* established a print shop in 1737 and directed it until his death in 1772. For some time his father, Zvi Hirsch ben Hayyim, took part in the management of the enterprise. Zvi Hirsch ben Hayyim had operated a printing press in Wilhermsdorf from 1712 until 1739, when he moved to Fuerth. There he printed a number of books, some in collaboration with his son, others on his own. Rabbi L. Loewenstein in his study on the Hebrew printing presses of Fuerth lists this Haggadah as a product of Hayyim ben Zvi Hirsch.

The beginnings of the Jewish community of Fuerth, Bavaria, West Germany, go back to the 16th century. The community first employed a rabbi early in the seventeenth century. Among Fuerth’s earliest rabbis was Rabbi Shabbetai Sheftel Horowitz, a son of Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz, the author of Shelah. The first Hebrew printing press in the city was established in 1691. During the eighteenth century the Jewish community grew and prospered due to the favorable attitude of the local authorities. In 1780 the Jewish population of Fuerth was 2,600. It remained fairly stable over the next seventy years. Most of the Jews were engaged in commerce. Until the first quarter of the nineteenth century the community was a center of Torah studies. A number of prominent rabbis served there, among them were Rabbi Aaron Kaidanover (1660-1667); Rabbi Samuel of Wovdislav (1691-1694) and Rabbi Josef Steinhart. The latter officiated from 1764 until his death in 1776. Many students flocked to his Yeshiva in the city.

In 1875 there were about 3,300 Jews in Fuerth. Later their number decreased because the city was losing its economic importance to neighboring Nuremberg.

In 1933 the number of the Jews in Fuerth was about 2,000. The Nazi era put an end to the community. Since the end of World War II a small community has existed in the city.

The Fuerth Haggadah, 1741, is the fourteenth Haggadah of cultural interest published in facsimile by the ORPHAN HOSPITAL WARD OF ISRAEL as a token of gratitude to its supporters. Rabbi Munish Weintraub, its director, has made special efforts to procure a copy of this rare Haggadah and to have it reproduced.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We wish to express our thanks and appreciation to Prof. Abraham, I. Katsh, President of The Dropsie Univesity, Philadelphia, PA, for having made this Haggadah from his private collection, available to us.
Our special thanks to Tovia Preschel, well-known scholar, writer and lecturer, for his ever-ready assistance and for his learned introduction.
We wish to thank the friends and supporters of the Orphan Hospital Ward of Israel, to which the entire income from this Haggadah will be devoted. We are looking forward with your help to be able to continue our sacred work to heal and rehabilitate unfortunate children

Orphan Hospital Ward of Israel
Leslie L. Kay, M.D., Chairman