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The Washington Haggadah
The Washington Haggadah, pictured on the cover, is the centerpiece of the Library of Congress' collection of Judaic and Hebraic treasures. Dubbed The "Washington" Haggadah because of its current venue at the Library of Congress, it was completed and signed by master copyist Joel ben Simeon in January 1478. The Haggadah includes charming illustrations depicting elements from the seder ritual as well as scenes of the Exodus from Egypt. Lavishly illuminated panels and illustrations grace many of the pages of this small (6 inch by 9 inch) 38 leaf manuscript.
Little is known of the manuscript's early history. The first published notice of the Haggadah's presence in the Library of Congress appeared in the Report of the Librarian of Congress for...1928, where Semitic Division chief Dr. Israel Schapiro noted that the manuscript's "text...