Szyk Haggadah

Szyk's visual commentary on the ancient story of Passover uses the vocabulary and format of an illuminated manuscript; each of his 48 full-page watercolor and gouache illuminations contains the traditional text of the Haggadah (in Hebrew calligraphy), which is clarified and interpreted by the images and symbols on the same page.

(Szyk did take the partial step of painting out the more obvious political references, such as the swastikas on the armbands of the ancient Egyptians who oversaw the Hebrew slaves.

Upon official release of the 1940 vellum edition, which was limited to 250 numbered copies and sold for US$500, The Szyk Haggadah was cited by The Times of London as "worthy to be placed among the most beautiful of books that the hand of man has produced".

The Haggadah was dedicated to King George VI of the United Kingdom, who received one of the first copies.

In 2011, Ungar collaborated with Abrams Books to publish trade copies of The Szyk Haggadah (Historicana, 2008) in hardcover and paperback.