📖 Prayers for Jewish Working Girls, by Lilian Helen Montagu (1895)
Contributed by
❧Prayers for Jewish Working Girls (1895) is a collection of prayers in vernacular English by Lilian Helen Montagu (1873-1963). The prayerbook was dedicated to the members of the West Central Girls’ Club, founded in 1893 by Lilian and co-led by her and her sister Marian Montagu. . . .
בִּרְכַּת עָם (תֶחֱזַקְנָה) | The People’s Blessing (a/k/a Teḥezaqnah), by Ḥayyim Naḥman Bialik (1894)
Contributed by
❧Before HaTikvah was chosen, Ḥayyim Naḥman Bialik’s “People’s Blessing” (בִּרְכַּת עָם, also known by its incipit תֶחֱזַֽקְנָה Teḥezaqnah) was once considered for the State of Israel’s national anthem. Bialik was 21 years old when he composed the work in 1894. It later was chosen as the anthem of the Labor Zionist movement. We hereby present the first ever complete English translation of this poem. . . .
גַּמָּדֵי לָיִל | Gnomes of the Night, a poem by Ḥayyim Naḥman Bialik (ca. 1894)
Contributed by
❧The poem “Gamodei Layil” (Gnomes of the Night) by Ḥayyim Naḥman Bialik, ca. 1894. . . .
White Day of Peace, a poem by Miriam del Banco for the Jewish Women’s Congress (World Parliament of Religion at the World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893)
Contributed by
❧A poem on interfaith tolerance during the Jewish Women’s Congress held at Chicago, September 4-7, 1893, part of the World Parliament of Religion at the World’s Columbian Exposition. . . .
Opening Prayer for the Jewish Women’s Congress, by Rachel Frank-Litman (World Parliament of Religion at the World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893)
Contributed by
❧The opening prayer of the Jewish Women’s Congress held at the World Parliament of Religion at the World’s Columbian Exposition as published in the Papers of the Jewish Women’s Congress: held at Chicago, September 4-7, 1893 (1894), p. 8. . . .
תפלה על המגפה שתעצר | Prayer for Cessation of the Disease Now Raging, by Rabbi Dr. Moses Gaster (1892)
Contributed by
❧A prayer for the end of a cholera epidemic written by Rabbi Dr. Moses Gaster in 1892. . . .
The Tabernacle, a poem by Rosa Emma Salaman (1891)
Contributed by
❧“The Tabernacle” by Rosa Emma Collins née Salaman was published in The Latter-Day Saints’ Millennial Star vol. 56, p. 688. . . .
Kuando el rey Nimrod (When Nimrod was King), a song relating the story of Avraham & the Furnace (ca. 1890)
Contributed by
❧The sephardic folk-song “Kuando el rey Nimrod” in Ladino with English translation. . . .
📖 תפלת בית אהבה (רפורמי) (Tefilat Beit Ahaḇah) A Book of Prayer for Jewish Worship, compiled by Rabbi Edward N. Calisch (1893)
Contributed by
❧A prayerbook compiled for Beth Ahaḇa, a Reform movement congregation in Richmond, Virginia. . . .
Prayer on the Centennial of the Inauguration of George Washington, by Rabbi Yaakov Yosef (1889)
Contributed by
❧The proclamation and prayer of chief rabbi Yaakov Yosef, on the centennial of President George Washington’s Inauguration . . .
שיר מזמור לפורים | Shir Mizmor l’Purim, an anti-Prohibition drinking song for Purim by Rabbi Sabato Morais (1889)
Contributed by
❧This “Shir Mizmor l’Purim” by Rabbi Sabato Morais (we think) was first published in The Jewish Exponent on 15 March 1889. It was preserved by Rabbi Sabato Morais in his ledger, an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. . . .
הַנּוֹתֵן תְּשׁוּעָה | A Prayer for the Kaiser, Nikolai Ⅱ Alexanderovich (1889)
Contributed by
❧This prayer for the well-being of the Kaiser (Emperor) Nikolai II and his family appears in the siddur Shir Ushvaḥah (1889) . . .
Prayer for the Recovery of Emperor Frederick Ⅲ, King of Prussia — by Rabbi Kaufmann Kohler (1888)
Contributed by
❧A prayer for the well-being, health and recovery of Emperor Frederick Ⅲ by Rabbi Kaufmann Kohler (Temple Beth-El, New York) published in “In Town: Praying for the Emperor,” The Jewish Messenger (4 May 1888), page 2. . . .
📖 (רפורמי) Morning Prayers, arranged by Rabbi Dr. Gustav Gottheil (Temple Emanu-El, 1889)
Contributed by
❧Morning Prayers was compiled by Rabbi Gustav Gottheil for the morning prayer service of his congregation at Temple Emanu-El, New York, in 1889. . . .
Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. Senate: Rabbi Henry Pereira Mendes on 24 April 1888
Contributed by
❧The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 27 April 1888. . . .
Task of the Ages, a hymn by Felix Adler (1888)
Contributed by
❧“Task of the Ages” is a short hymn by Felix Adler, first published in The Ethical Record vol. 1, no. 1. (April 1888), sheet music pages 2-3. . . .
Charity, a hymn by Felix Adler (1888)
Contributed by
❧“Charity” is a hymn by Felix Adler, first published in The Ethical Record vol. 1, no. 1. (April 1888), sheet music page 4. For an account of this hymn being sung, find The Journal of Industrial Education, “Autumn Festival of the Workingman’s School. Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1889.” vol. 4, no. 9 (May 1890). . . .
The Children’s Song, a hymn by Felix Adler (1888)
Contributed by
❧“The Children’s Song” is a hymn by Felix Adler, first published in The Ethical Record vol. 1, no. 1. (April 1888), sheet music page 5. . . .
Prayer on the Jubilee of Her Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, by Rabbi Dr. Nathan Marcus Adler (21 June 1887)
Contributed by
❧This prayer by chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Empire Nathan Marcus Adler is found in an order of service prepared for the celebration of Queen Victoria’s jubilee in 1887. . . .
A Child’s Prayer on its Birthday, by Frederick de Sola Mendes (1887)
Contributed by
❧“A Child’s Prayer on its Birthday” was written by Frederick de Sola Mendes and published in the anthology, The Jewish Home Prayer-Book (1887), page 130. . . .
A Child’s Prayer on its Parent’s Birthday, by Frederick de Sola Mendes (1887)
Contributed by
❧“A Child’s Prayer on its Parent’s Birthday” was written by Frederick de Sola Mendes and published in the anthology, The Jewish Home Prayer-Book (1887), pages 130-131. . . .
אֵל שְׁמֹר הַמַּלְכָּה | God Save the Queen, an adaptation of Hyman Hurwitz’s Hebrew translation of “God Save the King” for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Celebration (1887)
Contributed by
❧“God Save the Queen” is an adaptation of “God Save the King,” a work by an unknown author, first circulated in three stanzas during the reign of Britain’s King George Ⅱ, circa 1745. This Hebrew translation was published in a pamphlet circulated by New Road (Whitechapel) Synagogue in 1892 “on the 73rd Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Victoria,” an event attended by then chief rabbi of the British Empire, Rabbi Dr. Hermann Adler. . . .
The Menorah, a poem by Miriam del Banco (1886)
Contributed by
❧A poem on the meaning of the menorah. . . .
Prayer after the death of President Ulysses S. Grant, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (8 August 1885)
Contributed by
❧This prayer by Rabbi Sabato Morais after the death of President Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) concludes a eulogy published in the The Jewish Record on 14 August 1885, “General Grant: Substance of a Discourse Delivered Last Sabbath by the Rev. S. Morais.” A note in the preface to the article dates the eulogy to the preceding Sabbath, 8 August 1885. The article was preserved in a newspaper clipping found on page 338 of the Sabato Morais Ledger. . . .
📖 Hymns and Anthems Adapted for Jewish Worship, by Rabbi Dr. Gustav Gottheil (1886)
Contributed by
❧A hymn-book containing not only traditional Jewish hymns, but also others of Christian origin (“adapted for Jewish worship”). Upon it was based the Union Hymnal, which was subsequently adopted by Reform congregations in the United States. . . .
Thanksgiving Day prayer in honor of King Umberto Ⅰ of Italy upon the passing of a cholera epidemic, by Rabbi Sobato Morais (28 November 1884)
Contributed by
❧This prayer in admiration of King Umberto Ⅰ of Italy after the passing of a cholera epidemic was preserved on page 246 of the Sobato Morais Scrapbook (a/k/a, the Morais Ledger) in a clipping from the Philadelphia Inquirer on 28 November 1884, “The Church and Its Duty: Rev. S. Morais on the Limits of Politics in the Pulpit.” . . .
Prayer in Eulogy for Rabbi George Jacobs, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (18 July 1884)
Contributed by
❧This prayer in eulogy for Rabbi George Jacobs is found in conclusion to “In Memoriam. Address Delivered Last Sabbath by Rev. S. Morais” in the Jewish Record, 18 July 1884, a clipping of which was preserved on page 231 of the Sabato Morais Ledger. . . .
Prayer for the Centennial of Ḳ.Ḳ. Miḳveh Israel (Philadelphia), by Rabbi Sabato Morais (30 March 1883)
Contributed by
❧This prayer appears in conclusion to “A Summary of the Centenary History of the Mikve Israel Congregation, by Rev. S. Morais” published in the The Jewish Record on 30 March 1883, a clipping of which is found on page 200in the Sobato Morais Scrapbook (a/k/a, the Morais Ledger). . . .
דער נײער קאָלאסוס | The New Collosus, a paean to the Shekhinah/”Mother of Exiles” by Emma Lazarus (1883, Yiddish translation by Rachel Kirsch Holtman 1938)
Contributed by
❧This is the sonnet, “The New Collosus” (1883) by Emma Lazarus set side-by-side with its Yiddish translation by Rachel Kirsch Holtman. Lazarus famously penned her sonnet in response to the waves of Russian-Jewish refugees seeking refuge in the Unites States of America as a result of murderous Russian pogroms following the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881. Her identification and revisioning of the Statue of Liberty as the Mother of Exiles points to the familiar Jewish identification of the Shekhinah (the Divine Presence, in its feminine aspect) with the light of the Jewish people in their Diaspora. . . .
Rugăcĭune Pentru Regele | Prayer for the King [Carol Ⅰ, of Romania], by Rabbi Dr. Moses Gaster (1883)
Contributed by
❧A variation of the prayer Hanoten Teshua by Rabbi Dr. Moses Gaster, from his סדור תפלת ישראל: Carte de rugăciuni pentru Israeliţi (Bucureşti, Editor L. Steinberg Stampfel, Eder & Comp. Pressburg 1883), p.192. . . .
The Voice of the Lord, a poem by Rosa Emma Salaman (before 1883)
Contributed by
❧A poem, inspired by psalms, about a dangerous ocean storm or else the violent nature calmed during one of the nights and days of creation. . . .
The City of Light, a poem by Felix Adler (1882)
Contributed by
❧“The City of Light” is a poem written by Felix Adler. The earliest publication I could find for it dates to 1882, in Unity: Freedom, Fellowship and Character in Religion vol. 8, no. 12 (16 Feb. 1882), p. 477. . . .
The Feast of Lights, a poem by Emma Lazarus (1882)
Contributed by
❧“Feast of Lights,” from Poems of Emma Lazarus, vol. II (1888), pp. 18. . . .
Prayer for the United States on Thanksgiving Day after the Assassination of President James A. Garfield, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (24 November 1881)
Contributed by
❧This prayer for the government by Rabbi Sabato Morais, preserved in an undated newspaper clipping from an unknown newspaper, was offered on Thanksgiving Day (24 November) in 1881. It was preserved by Rabbi Sabato Morais in his ledger (p. 234, clipping 414), an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. (Many thanks to the Library of the University of Pennsylvania for helping to make this resource accessible.) We were able to date the prayer from the context offered by surrounding clippings that detailed the circumstances in which the prayer was given. Another clipping provided an outline of the sixty-first annual meeting of the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society (founded 1820, thus giving the date of 1881). With that date likely, references to activities in surrounding clippings began to make sense, especially the attention given to the relief work that year of the Alliance Israélite Universelle in eastern Europe. The Kiev pogrom of 1881 began during the spring that year. In the prayer itself, the year 1881 provides the necessary context for understanding Rabbi Morais’s references to the “hour of peril” and “the stability of the government” — the mortal injury to President James A. Garfield shot that summer and who died that fall. When this prayer was offered, Chester A. Arthur, was president of the United States. . . .
Prayer upon the death of President James A. Garfield, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (after 19 September 1881)
Contributed by
❧This prayer by Rabbi Sabato Morais after the death of President James Garfield is recorded in an undated newspaper clipping preserved on page 176 of the Sabato Morais Ledger. The clipping appears next to one printed in the Jewish Record on 30 September 1881, a few days prior to Yom Kippur that year. From the column borders similar to both clippings, the prayer appears to also have been published in the Jewish Record, possibly as part of a service in eulogy for the fallen president sometime soon after 19 September. . . .
Prayer for the Recovery of President James A. Garfield in the merit of the Founding Fathers, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (before 19 September 1881)
Contributed by
❧This prayer by Rabbi Sabato Morais during the lingering death of President James Garfield is recorded in an undated and unsourced newspaper clipping, “A Petition in the Synagogue. Rabbi Morais’ Fervent Petition Before the Mickve Israel Congregation” preserved on page 237 of the Sabato Morais Ledger. The prayer is unique in appealing in the merit of four of the Founding Fathers of the United States (the first three presidents: George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, along with Benjamin Franklin). . . .
Prayer for the Recovery of President James A. Garfield, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (4 September 1881)
Contributed by
❧This prayer for the recovery of President James A. Garfield after he had been shot and his wound infected was offered by Rabbi Sabato Morais and recorded in The Sunday Dispatch, “The Suspense of a Nation. A Thought and a Prayer” on 4 September 1881. It was preserved by Rabbi Morais in his ledger (p. 175, clipping 297), an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. (Many thanks to the Library of the University of Pennsylvania for helping to make this resource accessible.) . . .
Prayer for the Recovery of President James A. Garfield, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (26 August 1881)
Contributed by
❧This prayer for the recovery of President James A. Garfield after he had been shot and his wound infected was offered by Rabbi Sabato Morais and recorded in the Jewish Record, “Prayers for Our Sick President. Synagogue Mickvé Israel” on 26 August 1881. It was preserved by Rabbi Morais in his ledger (p. 174, clipping 296), an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. (Many thanks to the Library of the University of Pennsylvania for helping to make this resource accessible.) . . .
Prayer for the Recovery of President James A. Garfield, by Rabbi Leopold Rosenstraus (9 July 1881)
Contributed by
❧A prayer for the recovery of President James A. Garfield was offered at Beth El Hebrew Congregation (Alexandria, Virginia) by Rabbi Leopold Rosenstraus in a public service on 9 July 1881 after the president was mortally wounded earlier that month (2 July) in an ultimately successful assassination attempt. The prayer was published on the front page of The Hebrew Leader (15 July 1881). . . .
Prayer for the Recovery of President James A. Garfield, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (after 2 July 1881)
Contributed by
❧This prayer by Rabbi Sabato Morais for the recovery of President James Garfield after his being shot on 2 July 1881 is recorded in a newspaper clipping preserved on page 236 of the Sabato Morais Ledger, “‘A Nation Wounded.’ Opinions as Expressed in the Synagogue by a Prominent Rabbi.” The origin and date of the clipping is not indicated, however, the prayer was offered during the dedication of a synagogue in the then newly built Philadelphia Jewish Foster Home and Orphan Asylum on 12 June 1881 in Germantown. If you know the date of this synagogue dedication or the newspaper from which this clipping was taken, please leave a comment or contact us. We know a handful of prayers for President Garfield offered by Rabbi Morais over the course of the former’s lingering death, and this prayer seems to us to be the earliest of them, probably given sometime in July following the assassination, and recorded in the Philadelphia Inquirer or another newspaper. . . .
Prayer for Confirmation, by Rabbi Dr. Max Lilienthal (20 April 1881)
Contributed by
❧This “Prayer for Confirmation” was offered by Rabbi Dr. Max Lilienthal on Shavuot (20 April 1881), a manuscript copy of which it found its way into the collection of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio. Many thanks to the Jewish Women’s Archive for providing a copy of the manuscript through their website. . . .
הַתִּקְוָה | Hatiḳvah (the Hope), by Naphtali Herz Imber (1878)
Contributed by
❧The poem, Hatiḳvah, in its original composition by Naphtali Herz Imber, later chosen and adapted to become the national anthem of the State of Israel, with a full English translation, and the earliest, albeit abbreviated, Yiddish translation . . .
תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֺדֶשׁ נִיסָן | Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Nisan (1877)
Contributed by
❧The paraliturgical tkhine for the new month of Nissan read on the shabbat preceding the new moon during the blessing over new month. . . .
תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֺדֶשׁ אִיָּר | Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Iyyar (1877)
Contributed by
❧To the best of my ability, this is a faithful transcription of the תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֺדֶשׁ אִיָיר (“Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Iyyar”) which appeared in תחנות מקרא קודש (Teḥinot Miqra Qodesh, Widow and Brothers Romm, Vilna 1877). English translation adapted slightly from Techinas: A Voice from the Heart “As Only A Woman Can Pray” by Rivka Zakutinsky (Aura Press, 1992). –A.N. Varady . . .
תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֺדֶשׁ סִיוָן | Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Sivan (1877)
Contributed by
❧To the best of my ability, this is a faithful transcription of the תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֺדֶשׁ סִיוָן (“Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Sivan”) which appeared in תחנות מקרא קודש (Teḥinot Miqra Qodesh, Widow and Brothers Romm, Vilna 1877) before its adaptation in Shas Tkhine Ḥadashe (Ben-Tsiyon Alfes 1910), the source from which this translation was made. English translation adapted slightly from Techinas: A Voice from the Heart “As Only A Woman Can Pray” by Rivka Zakutinsky (Aura Press, 1992). –A.N. Varady . . .
תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֺדֶשׁ תַּמּוּז | Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Tamuz (1877)
Contributed by
❧This is a faithful transcription of the תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֺדֶשׁ תַּמוּז (“Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Tamuz”) which appeared in תחנות מקרא קודש (Teḥinot Miqra Qodesh, Widow and Brothers Romm, Vilna 1877) before its adaptation in Shas Tkhine Ḥadashe (Ben-Tsiyon Alfes 1910), the source from which this translation was made. English translation adapted slightly from Techinas: A Voice from the Heart “As Only A Woman Can Pray” by Rivka Zakutinsky (Aura Press, 1992). –A.N. Varady . . .
תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֺדֶשׁ מְנַחֵם אָב | Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Menaḥem Av (1877 and 1910)
Contributed by
❧This is a faithful transcription of the תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֺדֶשׁ מְנַחֵם אָב (“Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Menaḥem Av”) as printed in Shas Tkhine Ḥodoshe (1910) and תחנות מקרא קודש (Teḥinot Miqra Qodesh, Widow & Brothers Romm, Vilna 1872/3, 1877). English translation adapted slightly from Techinas: A Voice from the Heart “As Only A Woman Can Pray” by Rivka Zakutinsky (Aura Press, 1992). Using Shas Tkhine Ḥodoshe as her source, Moreh Zakutinsky probably had not seen the additional paragraph in the earlier printing. –A.N. Varady . . .
תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֹדֶשׁ אֶלוּל | Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Elul (1877)
Contributed by
❧To the best of my ability, this is a faithful transcription of the תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֺדֶשׁ אֶלוּל (“Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Elul”) which appeared in תחנות מקרא קודש (Teḥinot Miqra Qodesh, Widow and Brothers Romm, Vilna 1877). English translation adapted slightly from Techinas: A Voice from the Heart “As Only A Woman Can Pray” by Rivka Zakutinsky (Aura Press, 1992). –A.N. Varady . . .
תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מִבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֺדֶשׁ מַרְחֶשְׁוָן | Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Marḥeshvan (1877)
Contributed by
❧To the best of my ability, this is a faithful transcription of the תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֺדֶשׁ מַרְחֶשְׁוָן (“Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Marḥeshvan”) which appeared in תחנות מקרא קודש (Teḥinot Miqra Qodesh, Widow and Brothers Romm, Vilna 1877). English translation adapted slightly from Techinas: A Voice from the Heart “As Only A Woman Can Pray” by Rivka Zakutinsky (Aura Press, 1992). –A.N. Varady . . .
תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֹדֶשׁ כִּסְלֵו | Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Kislev (1877)
Contributed by
❧To the best of my ability, this is a faithful transcription of the תְּחִנָה לְשַׁבָּת מְבָרְכִים רֹאשׁ חוֺדֶשׁ כִּסְלֵו (“Tkhine for Shabbat Mevorkhim Rosh Ḥodesh Kislev”) which appeared in תחנות מקרא קודש (Teḥinot Miqra Qodesh, Widow and Brothers Romm, Vilna 1877). English translation adapted slightly from Techinas: A Voice from the Heart “As Only A Woman Can Pray” by Rivka Zakutinsky (Aura Press, 1992). –A.N. Varady . . .