The Movement for Reform Judaism

The most radical one of all must have been the first edition which came within a year of the establishment of the West London Synagogue. Subsequent editions came every decade or two but each tended not to depart too far from its predecessor (though one imagines that even seemingly inconsequential changes were nevertheless the subject of much controversy).

The first five editions were, to be precise, the prayer books of the West London Synagogue even though other synagogues may have used them. The sixth edition, however, was published in 1931 after a gap of thirty-three years and was noticeably different in both structure and content. The editors explicitly intended the prayer book to be for “our own and allied congregations,” presumably recognising the wider use of the fifth edition that it replaced. They sought “to meet the needs of the present age, by modifying and omitting where this has been deemed advisable, by reintroducing some ancient prayers, and by adding others entirely new.”

I still remember the sixth edition from my childhood. In fact the seventh edition didn’t appear until 1977, some forty-six years later (though there was a supplementary update in 1952). Although it still offered continuity with its predecessor, it was effectively a completely new prayer book containing not just the main daily and Shabbat services but an extensive study anthology and other material for use at home. From inception, the seventh edition took eleven years to produce! The main reason, according to Rabbi Hugo Gryn, that it took such “an inordinately long time,” was that it was “produced by a committee.” Fierce battles raged among the rabbis during the editorial process and even once it was published some congregations took many years to let go of the sixth edition and resign themselves to using the seventh.

By comparison, it is only eight years since work on the latest (eighth) edition began and copies are now ready for distribution to synagogues later this month. The consultative process has also been quite different, involving the feedback from congregations across the Movement following use of various draft versions. In the end, in Radlett we have been using the final draft of the new Siddur every Shabbat for nearly two years. Still, it will be very exciting to have the proper, hardback, full siddur with more than just the Shabbat services in it, the real successor to the old book rather than an interim draft.

Eight years ago the Assembly of Rabbis appointed a small Editorial Committee on which I have served. I don’t know if our ‘battles’ have been less fierce than those of the one that Hugo Gryn chaired for our current prayer book. Certainly the consultative process has been fascinating. Over dozens – perhaps hundreds – of issues have to be considered and decisions have to be made. Some seem insignificant yet someone else feels passionate about them. And whatever decision the Editorial Committee makes, one person will feel a sense of triumph and someone else feels defeated. What I found so heartening in Radlett, however, was a real sense of excitement. Even the draft was perceived as a real step forward from the much-loved current edition. Most notable were the choice and flexibility offered by the new format for variety and different styles of service. Over these past two years the transliteration has become easier to ignore for those who read Hebrew and continues to be appreciated by those who do not. And those who like to delve beyond the prayers, have enjoyed the extensive notes and explanations on the page.

One welcome feature of the final version that many will not yet have experienced is the use of two-colour printing. Just as with the draft, the new siddur offers much more flexibility for services than the old one did (where a limited number of service options had been pre-determined by the editors). A consequence of this is that there is more ‘skipping forward’ during services. Although at Radlett we have got better at it over the last two years using the draft, the page-turning and getting the balance of page announcements so that people don’t get lost, against turning the service into a ‘bingo game’ of page numbers interrupting our prayers, are still a challenge. Following feedback from the use of the draft, in our new siddur some prayers (those insertions or prayers that are often missed out) have been moved and many of those that remain will be printed in blue. This will make it easier to spot where a prayer continues without the service-leader interrupting it. There are also other icons and symbols that indicate where separate paragraphs are still part of the same prayer or where there are parallel reflective materials on the theme of a particular prayer available elsewhere in the book.

As well as this exciting section of ‘reflective prayers and readings’ there are many other parts of the siddur that most people will not have seen as they were not part of the draft (which only contained the draft Shabbat services). There is an impressive new study anthology that will serve us for many years. (It does contain some old favourites but much new material as well.) The Psalm anthology is back, but now with an index that suggests thematically when we might find particular Psalms helpful or comforting. Daily services, Pirkei Avot, Home Services such as Friday night candle-lighting and Havdallah, a greatly expanded section of life-cycle prayers, various prayers for the calendar of the year or other community prayers to be inserted into services are all included.

As well as the standard cloth-bound congregational (red) and personal copies (blue), the deluxe and also a smaller ‘compact’ version will all be available this month. All these editions have not just one but two ribbons to mark your place! A properly-bound large-print version will also be available later in the year. Our new siddur really is an astonishing liturgical achievement and a prayerbook to last a generation and with a whole range of educational support materials, workshops, and some fantastic new music resources coming soon, this really is an exciting time in our movement’s history. After eight years of preparation, I’m very much looking forward to the first time we use it as a congregation. At the same time, I must admit that I’m also looking forward to praying with it regularly and getting to know it to the point where it starts to feel a little less new.

Rabbi Paul Freedman has been the Rabbi of Radlett & Bushey Reform Synagogue since 2004.