The Sarajevo Haggadah: A story of hope and survival across centuries
SACRAMENTO – It's a story about hope and survival: An ancient Jewish manuscript saved by different religious groups in the span of 600 years reminds us today about the power of the human spirit.
"It's a story that we need today, particularly in a polarizing America where many groups are hated for their identities," said Dr. Amra Sabic El-Rayess.
Dr. El-Rayess is an author and professor at Columbia University's Teachers College.
On this day at the university, a rare copy of the manuscript is on display.
Amra, a survivor of the Muslim genocide in Bosnia, leads a discussion about the importance of the Sarajevo Haggadah.
"What's unique about this story, in addition to the book itself, is actually the story of individuals who have come from different faiths -- in particular Bosnians Muslims, Bosniaks, who have saved it over the centuries," El-Rayess said.
The Sephardic Jewish manuscript, traditionally read during Passover, originated in Spain in the mid-14th century.
It would go on to survive the Inquisition, the Holocaust, and the Yugoslav wars.
One of those wars broke out in the early 90s in Bosnia and Herzegovina, forcing Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats to take cover or leave their country.
In the end, more than 100,000 people were killed in the Bosnian war – 80 percent of them Bosniaks – and 2.2 million were displaced.
Among the survivors of that war: the Sarajevo Haggadah, saved by a Muslim librarian who risked his life and hid the manuscript in a bank vault.
This would be the second time the manuscript would be saved by a Muslim scholar, the previous time being during Bosnia's occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II.
Selma Porča is another survivor of Muslim genocide in Bosnia and the executive director of the Congress of Bosniaks of North America. She says the story of the Sarajevo Haggadah is one that can unite people of all backgrounds and inspire mutual respect.
"I think we need to tell that story to remind people that it is our differences that can bring us together and make us stronger," Porča said.
Reverend Dave Lyman, an interfaith minister in Sacramento, echoes that sentiment – telling us the survival of the ancient manuscript is a reflection of the human spirit.
"It's seeing each other as human beings, seeing the divine in each other," Lyman said.
The Sarajevo Haggadah is considered one of the most valuable items of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is only displayed on special occasions, usually during Passovers.
"It's an absolute reflection of the truth of who human beings are."
