A Non-Traditional Haggadah - The Black Panthers, Israel 1971

A Non-Traditional Haggadah - The Black Panthers, Israel 1971

A non-traditional haggadah published by the Black Panthers, published on the occasion of the hunger strike they held during Pesach at the Western Wall. Jerusalem, 1971. The authors of the Haggadah are some of the organization's founders and prominent activists in its early years: Reuven Abergel, Amram Abubutbul, David Levi, Rafi Marsianno and Yaakov Shalit. 

After an introduction about the organization and the purpose of its struggle to minimize the social gap between Sephardim and Ashkenazim and the rich and poor are many paragraphs which are based on the original Haggadah but worded differently to suit the Black Panther's ideology. In the style of the original text: 'Even if we were all wise etc' is the text: "They want to make us slaves in Israel but the Black Panthers will redeem us with the help of God...and even if through no fault of our own we are all criminals, we are all messed up, we are all discriminated against we are all bitter." In place of "The Torah spoke about four sons" is: "Golda spoke about two layers, one rich and one poor. One Ashkenazi - and even one Sephardi." Instead of the traditional text about the exodus from Egypt: "And they asked for our help and the help of the people to achieve our exalted goals and the Black Panthers will redeem us with a strong hand and an outstretched arm and with great fear in demonstrations and hunger strikes." Instead of "Go and learn what Laban the Aramite wanted to do" is the wording: "Go and learn what Lavan [lit. white] the Ashkenazi wanted to do to Yaakov Abutbol? For the government only decreed about the Sephardim. And Laban the Ashkenazi wanted to remove all the blacks from the government and send them to black work". The traditional text of "Dayeinu" was replaced by a text dealing with discrimination: "If they had taken us out of Morocco and given us three rooms it would be sufficient for us, if they had given us three rooms and not given us good education it would be sufficient for us" and more. At the end of the Haggadah are songs based on Chad Gadya and Echad Mi Yodea which deal with the group's ideology. [Who knows four? I know four, four brothers in criminal institutions... eleven were expelled from the army and from the neighborhood..."] and more. 

The Black Panthers is an Israeli protest movement of youngsters from the second generation of immigrants from the Arab countries. The movement was established in 1971 by young people from the Musrara neighborhood in Jerusalem in protest against discrimination and inequality against Sephardim since the beginning of the State. Its name was taken from a similar movement which was active in America at the same time.

[7] leaves, 28 cm. Photocopied paper. [It seems that all the haggadot the group produced were photocopied for the members]. 

Does not appear in the National Library. 

Fine condition.