Judaism
United Synagogue publishes new Singer's Siddur
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the siddur is the 'only prayer book' congregants need
July 27, 2023 11:13
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the siddur is the 'only prayer book' congregants need
July 27, 2023 11:13The United Synagogue (US) has published a new edition of the Singer’s Siddur, with an introductory essay by Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis.
The new publication expands on the last edition, released in 2006 by the then chief rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks.
US congregations have used the classic Anglo-Jewish prayerbook for more than a century.
While the last edition of the book came with a green cover and its predecessor red, this reverts to an earlier blue shade.
It features expanded festival prayers, a detailed guide by Dayan Ivan Binstock of the London Beth Din to minhag Anglia - the liturgical and ritual practice of Anglo-Jewish communities - and the updated version of the Prayer for the Royal Family with reference to King Charles.
Binstock’s guide answers the kind of question that might perplex even seasoned shulgoers, such as which haftarot to recite in a leap year.
Sir Ephraim said: "This new, enlarged version of our authorised daily prayer book not only maintains the widely acclaimed style and scholarship of the previous version but also now includes all the prayers, Torah reading and haftarot for festivals.
“With the exception of the High Holy Days, this is now the only prayer book that one needs. I am certain that it will continue to guide and inspire our communities for many years to come.”
The Singer’s first appeared in 1890 - the year when all restrictions for every position in the British Empire, except for monarch, were removed for Jews.
Reflecting on this period, US president Michael Goldstein said: “For the first time, Victorian Jews had a siddur with English rubric and translations which gave them immense pride. And since then, the Singer’s Siddur, in its various editions, has been a defining text of our community’s identity and minhag Anglia.”
Each new edition, he said, has built on the determination of the Reverend Simeon Singer “to provide, in each generation, a siddur which is as user-friendly as possible”.