Haggadah L’Chag Ha’Atzmaut – Haggadah for Independence Day by Dr. Yehuda HaCohen Meirov. Tel Aviv [1949] – First Edition. The Story of the Miraculous Events that Led to Israel’s Independence and the Establishment of the State of Israel in the Format of the Passover Haggadah. Printed by “Yefet” Tel Aviv. Extremely Rare.
At the beginning of the Haggadah, there is a picture of Binyamin Ze’ev Herzl, along with portraits of the leaders of Zionism, including Max Nordau, David Wolffsohn, Chaim Weizmann, and others, as well as an image of immigrants arriving in the Land of Israel. After a few passages of thanksgiving, the Haggadah opens with the question: “V’chi Yishalchah Bincha Machar” – And when your son asks you tomorrow, what were the reasons that led to the establishment of the state, thanks to whom and what brought about this wondrous transformation in our days and in our eyes?” To this, the revered David Ben-Gurion answers: “The people of Israel did not arise through one miracle but through many miracles.” The text then proceeds to recount the miraculous chain of events – the numerical superiority of the Arabs over the Jews at the outbreak of the War of Independence, the siege of Jerusalem, and the hunger, despite which the Jewish people managed to stand and ultimately triumph in the war.
The Haggadah lists the miracles one by one, starting with “The first miracle…” and continuing through “The ninth miracle.” These miracles include the internal conflicts among the Arabs, the panicked flight of Arabs from the land, the cancellation of the Partition Plan, the Soviet government’s vote in favor of establishing a Jewish state in the United Nations, the recognition of a Jewish state by nations as compensation for the Holocaust, the revitalization of the desolate land, the absorption of immigration, and the victory of the few over the many in the War of Independence. All of these stand in contrast to the gloomy predictions of the Hebrew press in the 19th century, which barely gave any hope for the return of the Jews to their land (including citations from the Hebrew press of the 19th century). The “Halleluyah” section is linked to the date of the first Zionist Congress, which took place on Rosh Chodesh Elul 1897.
The Haggadah concludes with the line: “Even if we were all wise, all understanding, (“אפילו כולנו חכמים, כולנו נבונים) all knowing the chain of events, it is a commandment for us to tell and retell the establishment of the State of Israel and how this great miracle took place.”
The first edition was published without a mention of the year. According to the National Library’s records, this Haggadah was published in 1949 with the second title page printed on page 9, as seen in the Haggadah before us. (In 1955, a second edition was published with the year noted, and the title page was printed on page 7).
48 pages. Ink inscription on the cover and some hand-painted blue coloring on the lower part of the cover. Light stains on the cover. Condition: Good – Very Good.
