The Karlsruhe Haggadah, 1796

Jews settled in Karlsruhe, Germany, not long after its establishment in 1715 by Karl Wilhelm, the margrave of Baden-Durlach, who called upon people to come there irrespective of their religious affiliation, promising them a variety of privileges. In 1733, 282 Jews were living in Karlsruhe. By 1800, their number had risen to 551, forming 7.6% of the total population. In 1900 the city had almost 108,000 inhabitants, 2577 of whom were Jews. The respective figures for 1925 were approximately 146,000 and 3,400.

In the period between the two World Wars, there were three Jewish community organizations in Karlsruhe: the main community, which had been established by the early Jewish settlers — the Orthodox Adass Jeschurun, whose founders had seceded from the main community in 1869, and the community of East-European Jews who had come to Karlsruhe in the beginning of the 20th century and after World War I.

Karlsruhe’s Jews, most of whom were economically secure – some of them playing a prominent role in the public, commercial and cultural life of the city – boasted a variety of religious, cultural, educational, charitable, social and other institutions and societies.

After the Nazis’ rise to power in 1933 many Jews emigrated. On October 28, 1938, all adult male Jews who were Polish nationals were deported to the Polish border. The wives and children of most of these men later on elected to join them.

During the Kristallnacht pogroms (November 9-10, 1938), Jews were arrested and maltreated. Many were sent to the concentration camp of Dachau. Jewish houses of worship were set on fire and Jewish homes and shops were broken into.

On October 22, 1940, 893 Jews from Karlsruhe and neighboring Durlach (which in 1938 was incorporated into Karlsruhe) were deported to and interned in Gurs in Vichy France.

In 1942-1945, about 390 Jews were deported to Auschwitz, Theresienstadt and other places. A number of Jews who were married to Aryans and were not deported, as well as some Jews who were hidden by Germans, survived the war in the city. In December 1945, the local survivors and Jewish returnees organized the Jewish community anew.[1]

Prominent spiritual leaders of Karlsruhe’s Jews included Rabbi Nethanel Weil, who studied with Rabbi Abraham Broda in Prague. He served the community from 1750 until his death in 1769, when he was succeeded by his son Rabbi Jedidiah (Tiah) Weil, who in turn was succeeded by Rabbi Asher Loew, a son of Rabbi Aryeh Leib Guenzberg, the author of response Sha’agat Aryeh.

Rabbi Nethanel Weil prevailed upon the Karlsruhe printer, L.J. Held, to open a Hebrew department in his print shop. The first Hebrew book the latter produced was Rabbi Weil’s Korban Netanel (1755), a commentary on the Rosh to the Orders of Mo’ed and Nashim. (Korban Netanel was eventually included in all Talmud editions which feature the Rosh.)

After the death of Held, Hebrew printing in Karlsruhe was continued by others. Over a period of 86 years (1755-1841) the Hebrew presses in Karlsruhe produced more than 90 publications in Hebrew and Judeo-German.[2] Included in these were several Haggadoth—all of which were printed within the short span of ten years—among them Haggadoth with a Judeo-German translation (around 1790), a Haggadah with a commentary (Marbeh LeSaper) by Rabbi Jedidiah (Tiah) Weil (1791), and the Haggadah of which a facsimile is presented here (1796).[3]

According to its title page, this Haggadah includes ״beautiful and pleasant illustrations״—but they are not found there.

The Haggadah text is accompanied by instructions in Judeo-German for the observance of the Seder and by the Judeo-German versions of the hymns Adir Hu…’ Echad Mi Yode’a and Had Gadya. The Judeo-German is printed in Ashkenazic mashait script.

The reader will notice that the word ״Rabbi״ is vocalized ״Ribbi״ (Ribbi Eliezer, Ribbi Akiva, etc.) This is not an error of vocalization. The reading ״Ribbi״ has a long tradition is Hebrew literature. Rabbi Simon ben Zemach Duran (14-15 cent.) remarks in his commentary on the Ethics of the Fathers (Magen Avot) that in olden times the reading had been Ribbi. This reading, which is still in vogue in various non-Ashkenazi communities, occurs in some Ashkenazi books as late as the 19th century.

The original copy of the Karlsruhe Haggadah, of which this is a facsimile, has been in the possession of the Bamberger family for about 150 years. It has had a checkered journey since it was printed in Karlsruhe. The Haggadah was in the possession of Rabbi Seligman Baer Bamberger, ״The Wuerzburger Rav״ (1807-1878), a forceful and staunch defender of German Orthodox Judaism in the 19th century. His son and successor, Nathan Bamberger (1842-1919), rabbi of Wuerzburg left the Haggadah to his son, Moses Bamberger (1886-1962), who took it to Copenhagen, Denmark. During World War II while Denmark was occupied by the Germans, and the Jews had to flee to Sweden in 1943, where they lived for 18 months, the Haggadah remained in Copenhagen. It came to the United States in 1956.

The Diskin Orphan Home of Israel is pleased to present a facsimile of the Karlsruhe Haggadah, 1796, as a Passover gift to its friends and supporters. We are all indebted to Rabbi Munish Weintraub, director of the Diskin Orphan Home, for his great efforts to have this Haggadah reproduced.

[1] The brief account of the history of the community is based on the study about the Jews of Karlsruhe in Pinkas HaKehillot, published by Yad Vashem.

[2] See H.D. Ber Friedberg’s chapter on the Hebrew printing in Karlsruhe in his Toledot HaDefus HaIvri (Antwerp, 1937) and Y. Vinograd’s Otzar HaSefer HaIvri, part 2 pp. 648-650.

[3] See Ozar HaHahaggadot (edited by Y. Yudlov) to be published shortly by the Institute for Hebrew Bibliography, Jerusalem.