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.