The Fourth World Haggadah, Joel Harris and Jack Schuldenfrei, WUJS, London 1970

5m Fourth World_0001The Fourth World Haggadah was published 50 years ago by the World Union of Jewish Students. It is an activist Haggadah, aimed at Jewish students of the late 1960s and early 1970s. It includes a full traditional Haggadah, with commentary by Joel Harris and a new English translation by Jack Schuldenfrei.

“This Haggadah is offered to the people of the Fourth World. You Jewish comrades who realize our struggle as the emergence from our exile. After a long sleep, we are awakening to the memory of our history and the sound of our language, beginning the struggle back to ourselves. Coming home. We are of the Fourth World: one revolution beyond the politics of the Third World, one vision beyond the present moment. This Haggadah is offered to you, notes for your feast: the roots of Torah and Talmud, the poems and proverbs and legends of those who came before us. And wide margins so that you may mark your own commentary to prepare for the night of liberation. ”

5m Fourth World_0002The World Union of Jewish Students is the international, pluralistic, non-partisan umbrella organization of independent Jewish student groups in 38 countries. It was founded in 1924 by Hersch Lauterpacht with Albert Einstein as its first President.  In 1970 it had offices at 59 Russell Square in London and then moved to 247 Grays Inn Road, where we, the Universities Committee for Soviet Jewry, ran the Soviet Jewry campaign from two rooms in the attic.

Here are some pages from the Haggadah:

 

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