Joel ben Simeon

Joel ben Simeon, also known as Feibush Ashkenazi (died c.1492) was a 15th-century Jewish scribe and illuminator who worked in Germany and Northern Italy. ^[1] He was active from c.1445. ^[2] He is best known for the manuscript today known as the Ashkenazi Haggadah.

Simeon is among the most famous scribal artists to come from the region of Germany. Migrating to Italy, he brought his native illuminating techniques. ^[3]

Life

Joel ben Simeon resided in Cologne (where Jews were expelled in 1424) or Bonn. Around the middle of the century he moved to northern Italy, where he travelled between cities to work his trade. He died around 1492. ^{[4] [3]}

First Nuremberg Haggadah, illuminated by Joel ben Simeon.

Works

• First New York Joel ben Simeon Haggadah ^[5]
• Second New York Haggadah, (JTS cat. no. 37), 1454 ^{[3] [6] [7]}
• Ashkenazi Haggadah ^[8]
• Londoner Haggadah  [ de; he ]
• Washington Haggadah (LC Hebr. Ms 181), 1478 ^{[9] [10]}
• First Nuremberg Haggadah ^[11]
• First Parma Haggadah ^[12]
• Rothschild Weill Mahzor ^[13]
• Murphy Haggadah ^[14]
• Vienna Siddur-SeMaK ^[15]
• London Ashkenazi Haggadah ^[16]
• Maraviglia Teffilah, 1469 ^[17]
• Piskei R. Asher ben Yehiel ^[18]

References

1. Gutmann, Joseph (1970). "Thirteen Manuscripts in Search of an Author: Joel ben Simeon, 15th-Century Scribe-Artist". Studies in Bibliography and Booklore. 9 (2/3): 76–95. ISSN   0039-3568. JSTOR   27943417.
2. Kogman-Appel, Katrin (2023). "Joel ben Simeon". Encyclopedia of Jewish Book Cultures Online. doi:10.1163/2772-4026_EJBO_SIM_031629 . Retrieved 2025-12-28.
3. Mann, Vivian B.; Jewish Museum (New York, N. Y. ) (1989). Gardens and ghettos : the art of Jewish life in Italy. Berkeley : University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-06824-7.
4. Kogman-Appel, Katrin (2016-01-01), "Joel ben Simeon: Looking at the Margins of Society", Intricate Interfaith Networks in the Middle Ages, History of Daily Life, vol. 5, Brepols, pp. 287–314, doi:10.1484/M.HDL-EB.5.112706, ISBN   978-2-503-54429-8 , retrieved 2025-12-29
5. "The First New York Joel ben Simeon Haggadah". Center for Jewish Art. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
6. "Second New York Joel ben Simeon Haggadah". The Center for Jewish Art. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
7. "Between Words and Pictures: Medieval Illuminated Haggadot from the JTS Library" (PDF). Jewish Theological Seminary. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
8. Joel ben Simeon; Eleazar ben Judah; Goldstein, David; British Library, eds. (1985). The Ashkenazi Haggadah: a Hebrew manuscript of the mid-15th century from the collections of the British Library (Facsim. ed.). New York: H.N. Abrams. ISBN   978-0-8109-1819-1.
9. Landsberger, Franz (1948). "The Washington Haggadah and Its Illuminator". Hebrew Union College Annual. 21: 73–103. ISSN   0360-9049. JSTOR   23503689.
10. Joel ben Simeon (1478). "The Washington Haggadah". Library of Congress (in Hebrew).
11. "First Nuremberg Haggadah". Center for Jewish Art. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
12. "The First Parma Haggadah". Center for Jewish Art. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
13. "Rothschild Weill Mahzor". Center for Jewish Art. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
14. "Murphy Haggadah". Center for Jewish Art. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
15. "Vienna Siddur-SeMaK". Center for Jewish Art. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
16. "London Ashkenazi Haggadah". Center for Jewish Art. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
17. "The Maraviglia Teffilah". Center for Jewish Art. Retrieved 2025-12-29.
18. "Piskei R. Asher ben Yehiel". Center for Jewish Art. Retrieved 2025-12-29.