Highlighting: “Signs and Wonders: 100 Haggada Masterpieces” By Adam S. Cohen. Koren Publishers Jerusalem. The Toby Press. Hardcover. 2018. ISBN: 978 159 264 484 1. $39.95.
No book in Jewish history has been illustrated more often than the Passover Haggadah—the story of the birth of a people. “Signs and Wonders: 100 Haggada Masterpieces” is the first work to survey the magnificent history of the illustrated Haggadah from the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, to the Modern period and contemporary times.
Focusing on the finest examples, the book reproduces each illustration in full color, alongside short descriptions that explore the meaning of the imagery, the achievement of the artist and the larger historical context in which the book was produced. Wonderfully written and stunningly designed, “Signs and Wonders” brings its masterpieces to life, presenting a rich panorama of Jewish art through the ages.
“This isn’t just an art book, it is a history of the Jewish imagination. At first you look at these pictures and see only the strangeness of a time beyond your own. But as you move through Cohen’s eloquent commentary, you enter the most immortal of stories, lived and celebrated in every generation up to ours. I was surprised to find myself moved beyond words.”
— Dara Horn, Author of “Eternal Life”
“With ‘Signs and Wonders,’ Adam Cohen has provided a magisterial survey of a venerable religious and artistic tradition. In chronicling the development of illustrated Haggadot manuscripts over the course of more than 700 years, he offers readers an insightful and deeply learned window into a vibrant art form.”
— Daniel H. Weiss, President, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Dr. Adam S. Cohen is associate professor in the department of the history of art at the University of Toronto, where he has served as the assistant director of the university’s Centre for Jewish Studies and has introduced courses on Jewish art. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including the forthcoming “Art and Architecture of the Middle Ages.” His research focuses primarily on medieval illuminated manuscripts, including the use of visual culture in the construction of identity and as a tool in Christian-Jewish polemics.
