July / August 2001 Vol. 33, no. 4

Torah Academy Students Visit the Lowy Collection at National Library

By Elly Leyman

Reprinted, with revisions, from the original article which appeared in the May 7, 2001, issue of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin.

Students of Grades 6, 7 and 8 of Torah Academy of Ottawa were recently treated to a special trip and presentation at the National Library’s Jacob M. Lowy Collection. The students enthusiastically greeted the opportunity of seeing the beautiful illustrated Passover Haggadot and other Hebraica, so eloquently presented by the curator, Cheryl Jaffee.

Jaffee encouraged both students and educators to participate and ask questions.

The spontaneous dialogue which ensued prompted her to remark, "It is a pleasure to hear such informed and interested students." Her descriptions of the texts’ historical eras and the backgrounds of their authors proved invaluable. The students were able to connect their Torah learning directly with the printed texts and manuscripts now before them.

Among those seen were the Haggadah Shel Pesach, Vienna 1928; the original illuminated manuscript, the Altona Haggadah, handwritten and decorated in Altona, Germany, 1763; and a facsimile of the famous Rothschild Miscellany, an impressive leather bound volume, with many texts, including beautifully written prayers, religious poetry and a Passover Haggadah. A Haggadah created by David Moss (New York, 1987) included unusually captivating illustrations which drew on traditions from centuries past and present.

It was delightful to watch the students’ interest as they gathered around the display, listening intently to the curator. They were captivated by colorful, intricate, and magnificent Hebrew calligraphic scripts and drawings. A favorite was the Moss Haggadah whose pages included paper cuts over solid hued paper depicting the Israelites as slaves in Egypt, with a back-to-back page depicting their freedom. Of unusual interest was a Mishnah text from a tractate of Talmud, Pesachim, printed in Venice in 1519 discussing the laws of Passover and the ma nishtanah (four questions). The limited copy of the Tzahal Haggadah (the Israeli Armed Forces) of 1949, especially drew the boys’ interest.

Invited to come back to view more areas of the collection, Torah Academy’s students and educators thanked Cheryl Jaffee and promised to return soon.

Author’s Note: The Jacob M. Lowy Collection was one of the top 3 private collections of rare Hebraica and Judaica in the Western Hemisphere at the time of its donation to the National Library of Canada in 1977. It was the product of some 50 years of dedicated acquisition, and is the single most valuable gift ever made to the National Library of Canada.