Passover haggadah, General Transport Coy. R.A.S.C. 179, Caserta-Capua (Italy), Passover 1946.
Non-traditional haggadah with impressive illustrations. Excerpts from the traditional text appear alongside passages for reading and songs. The opening text reads: "This haggadah is offered to the members of our unit and the guests who recline with us, in hope that this Seder – our third on Italian soil – is our last one in a foreign land. Our hope – to return quickly to our homeland and build it as a home for ourselves and the masses of our scattered ones who yearn for it". It ends with "Hatikva."
This haggadah was printed for Palestine Transportation Unit 650, which was stationed in Capua in the Province of Caserta, Italy. Shortly before Passover 1946, Unit 179 was transferred from Treviso (in northern Italy) to Caserta as punishment for its involvement in clandestine immigration activities. The haggadahs that were printed for Unit 650 were adapted for Unit 179 with a sticker made from a strip of paper containing the unit’s identifying information.
31 pages, 14X18 cm. Good condition. Stains. Creases. A note written in pen on the front cover.
Provenance: Rimon Family Collection.