1944 — 5704 (1944). Original blank paper wrappers. 8vo. 64 pages. 21 cm. Reprinted in early 1944 for Jewish refugees in Switzerland with some additional notations. In Hebrew and German in parallel columns (with diacritic vowel marks under the Hebrew, and with Yiddish translation between Hebrew). Original 1938 title page, with verso 1944 German title page: Den jüdischen Flüchtlingen in der Schweiz; Zur Feier des [Pesakh]-Festes im Jahre 5704; überreicht vom Schweizerischen Israelitischen Gemeindebund. (For the Jewish Refugees in Switzerland; For the celebration of Pesakh in the year 5704; presented by the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities). Copyright by Lehrberger & Co. of Frankfurt. A European-published hagada from the darkest period of the Holocaust, produced specifically for those feeling the inferno. During 1943 and 1944, the extermination camps were working at a furious rate to kill the hundreds of thousands of people shipped to them by rail from almost every country within the German sphere of influence, and by the spring of 1944, up to 8,000 people were being gassed every day at Auschwitz (USHMM, 2012). Passover 1944 began on April 8, the day that the roundups of the Jews of Carpatho-Ruthenia and northern Hungary started. On April 14, the last day of the Holiday, László Endre & László Baky (German-installed heads of the Ministry of the Interior) and Eichmann made the official decision to deport all the Jews of Hungary. With ten illustrations; an early 19th century German Orthodox Haggadah originally compiled by Wolf Heidenheim in 1822. Published for German-Jewish refugees in Switzerland under the auspices of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities, founded in 1904 to help protect the general interest of Jews in Switzerland; during the second world war, the Federation helped support the refugee community in Switzerland: Prior to and during the Second World War, Switzerland gave refuge to about 23,000 Jewish refugees although the government decided that Switzerland would serve only as a country of transit. These Jews were protected during the Holocaust due to Swiss neutrality. The Jewish refugees, however, did not receive the financial support from the government that non-Jewish refugees received. Many more Jews were prevented from entering, effectively shutting the border. (Jewish Virtual Library; Switzerland). The publishers, Goldschmidt, issued an earlier printing in 1940 (listed in one library on OCLC), no copies of this issue (1944) listed in libraries on oclc. Subjects: Haggada shel Pesah. German-Jewish Refugees - Schweizerischen Israelitischen Gemeindebund. Holocaust. Previous Owner's name on front wrappers, with "Zurich 5" written underneath. Wraps lightly soiled, with small tear at bottom of backstrip; otherwise Very good condition. Rare and important. (HOLO2-104-15)
