Freedom and Slavery in the Sarajevo Haggadah

Abstract:The Sarajevo Haggadah has long been known to scholars as one of the earliest medieval Jewish manuscripts and to the wider public as a symbol of tolerance and hope. Despite its fame, however, one of the most compelling features in the illuminations has yet to be explained satisfactorily: the dark-skinned female figure in the picture that illustrates the family at the Passover Seder feast. In this article I offer an analysis of the figure, one that overturns liberal modern interpretations and points instead to a more contentious medieval context.