🆕 הגדה לפסח (אשכנז) | Haggadah for Pesaḥ — nusaḥ Ashkenaz with unique additions from across the Jewish world (edited, translated by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer, 2025)
Contributed by: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut)
A Passover seder haggadah containing the traditional form of the text as well as other lesser known forms from across Jewish history and the Jewish world. . . .
סדר מעריב לתשעה באב | Seder Maariv l’Tishah b’Av, compiled by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
Contributed by: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut)
A full prayerbook for the maariv service on Tishah b’Av, compiled by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer from resources shared through the Open Siddur Project. . . .
מי שברך לשלום המדינה | Mi sheBerakh for the Peace of the State of Israel, by the Masorti Movement in Israel
Contributed by: the Masorti Movement in Israel, Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
This prayer for the peace of the nation, first published in the siddur VeAni Tefillati (second edition, page 133), was circulated by the Masorti Movement in Israel on social media on 1 August 2024, amidst increased anxieties over impending retaliatory strikes by Iran and its proxy armies in Lebanon and elsewhere. . . .
Schedule for the Reading of Psalms corresponding to the Weekly Parascià and on other special days, according to the Roman Rite
Contributed by: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
An English-language adaptation of the Roman rite psalm system for all days when Torà is read, to be recited while the Torà is being taken from the bimà. All Hebrew words are transcribed in accordance with the traditional Italian Hebrew phonological system, in a slightly modified Italian orthography. . . .
איידי! סיליבראמוס | Айде! Селебрамос | Ayde! Selebramos — a Ladino adaptation of Mordkhe Rivesman’s “Oy Khanike” by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
Contributed by: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
An original Ladino adaptation of the song “Oy Khanike” (derived from the Yiddish poem of the same name by Mordkhe Rivesman) also known in English as “Oh Chanukah” or in Hebrew as “Y’mei ha-Ḥanukka.” I’m aware that the custom of spinning tops was not originally a Sefaradi one. So sue me, I was looking for something to rhyme with “libertaḏ.” I’ve included the Rashi script, the Aki Yerushalaim orthography, and (as an added bonus) the Cyrillic transcription used by the Jews of the Balkans. . . .
Yā Ḥanukka[t] | יָא חַנוּכָּה | يَا حَنُكَّة — a Judeo-Arabic adaptation of Mordkhe Rivesman’s “Oy Khanike” by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
Contributed by: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
An original Judeo-Arabic adaptation of the song “Oy Khanike” (derived from the Yiddish poem of the same name by Mordkhe Rivesman) also known in English as “Oh Ḥanukkah” or in Hebrew as “Y’mei ha-Ḥanukka.” With thanks to Mazen Haddad for his help with the Arabic! Some notes: 1) Case endings and nunation, which would (in colloquial dialects) often be skipped or dropped, are transcribed in brackets. 2) The word “sufnāj” is a Moroccan Arabic dialectal word which is the agent noun for sfenj, a traditional type of North African doughnut. . . .
Qedushta Additions for the Public Repetition of the Amidah on Sigd, adapted from the original liturgical texts by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
Contributed by: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
This is a Hebrew adaptation of the poems traditionally recited by the Beta Israel community for the festival of Sigd, altered and adapted to fit the traditional qedushta form of poetic Amidah additions. The texts of the first few prayers were rewritten substantially and combined with relevant verses so as to fit in the strict form of the magen, mehaye, meshalesh, and El Na. After this, the qiqlar is slightly edited to fit a couplet rhyme scheme, while the silluq (the freest of the genres of qedusha piyyut) is almost entirely preserved — the only change being several verses whose placement is postponed so as to better lead into the qedusha as a silluq should. Regarding translations, the silluq largely uses my original translation with slight alterations (replacing the clunky use of ‘God’ as a pronoun with a gender-neutral THEIR, translating the Agaw passages into Latin rather than English to preserve general comprehensibility while clarifying that this is a different language), while the rest of the poems are different enough for their translation to largely be from scratch. These would be recited with the Ark open for all the piyyutim, as one would on the Yamim Noraim, ideally using melodies from the Sigd liturgy. . . .
💬 Alternate Haftarah for Yom ha-Atsma’ut (Jeremiah 30:1-22)
Contributed by: Yirmiyah ben Ḥilkiyah haKohen, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
The thirtieth chapter of Jeremiah is exceedingly appropriate for Yom ha-Atsma’ut, considering its emphasis on returning from exile and the importance of self-rule. It strikes me as one of the most Zionist (with a capital Z) chapters in the entirety of Neviïm. . . .
💬 קְרִיאוֹת לִימֵי ט״וּ בִּשְׁבָט | Torah and Haftarah Readings for the New Year’s Day for Trees, selected by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
Contributed by: the Mesorah (TaNaKh), Yeḥezqel ben Būzi haKohen, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
Torah and Haftarah readings for Tu biShvat selected by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer. . . .
📜 תוספות לקריאות התורה לשבת כלה (אחרי החתונה) | Additions to the Torah Reading for Shabbat Kallah (after the wedding)
Contributed by: the Mesorah (TaNaKh), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
There are all sorts of customs associated with weddings in Judaism. But one custom that has been practiced for a long time and deserves a comeback is the additions to the Torah reading for Shabbat Kallah. Shabbat Kallah, the Shabbat in the “Sheva Berakhot” week after the wedding, is in many Sephardic communities preferred over Shabbat Ḥatan, the aufruf Shabbat before the wedding. And in all sorts of communities across the Jewish world, there have been customs for specific readings for Shabbat Kallah, treating it as a Special Sabbath in its own right. Traditionally this special maftir and haftarah would recited by the groom (along with an Aramaic translator interpolating for the maftir). The maftir is from the story of Abraham’s servant tasked with finding a wife for Isaac, and the haftarah is from the book of Isaiah and compares a groom and bride to the relationship between God and Israel. . . .
📄 סדר מימונה | Seder Mimounah
Contributed by: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
A Mimouna packet including havdalah, a Moroccan-rite birkat ha-ilanot, traditional study texts, and yehiretzonot. . . .
הגדה לסדר פסח | The Passover Seder Haggadah, tropified by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
Contributed by: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
A version of the Pesaḥ Haggadah with full cantillation. . . .
💬 קְרִיאוֹת לִימֵי הַוָּתִיקִים (לאומי או בינלאומי) | Torah and Haftarah Readings for Days Recognizing Military Veterans, compiled by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
Contributed by: the Mesorah (TaNaKh), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
This is a Torah reading (divided into three aliyot) and a Haftarah reading to be recited for such holidays. The aliyot are from Shoftim, describing the rules for just warfare and treatment of those in need. . . .
אדיר הוא | Awesome One: an Alphabetical English Interpretation of the piyyut Adir Hu, by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
Contributed by: Unknown, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
Adir Hu, a classic Pesaḥ song if ever there was one, is a part of Seder tables all over the planet. Its alphabetical list of God’s attributes, combined with its repeated pleas for a return to Jerusalem, make it a classic, to the point where the traditional German farewell greeting for Passover was not “chag sameach” or “gut yontef” but “bau gut” – build well. This interpretation, while not a direct translation by any means, has the same rhythmic pattern and alphabetical structure, giving a sense of the greatness of God. . . .
תפילות ימי החל | ࠕࠐࠉࠋࠅࠕ࠰ࠉࠌࠉ࠰ ࠄࠇࠋ | Israelite-Samaritan Prayerbook for Weekday Evenings & Mornings (2015)
Contributed by: Uri DeYoung, Benyamim Tsedaka, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
An Israelite-Samaritan prayerbook for evenings and mornings (not a complete Israelite-Samaritan prayerbook). . . .
ברכת המזון לסעודת טו באב | Birkat Hamazon additions for the Feast of Tu b’Av
Contributed by: Anonymous, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
Supplemental prayers for the Birkat Hamazon on Tu b’Av. . . .
ברכת המזון לשבת א׳ דנחמתא (נחמו) | Birkat haMazon additions for Shabbat Naḥamu
Contributed by: Anonymous, Aharon N. Varady (translation), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
Supplemental prayers for the Birkat Hamazon on Tisha b’Av, Tu b’Av, and Shabbat Naḥamu. . . .
בִּרְכַּת הָאִילָנוֹת | The Blessing of Flowering Fruit Trees in the Spring Season in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
Contributed by: Jacob Chatinover (translation), David Seidenberg, Unknown, Aharon N. Varady (translation), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
When the spring (Aviv) season arrives, a blessing is traditionally said when one is in view of at least two flowering fruit trees. In the northern hemisphere, it can be said anytime through the end of the month of Nissan (though it can still be said in Iyar). For those who live in the southern hemisphere, the blessing can be said during the month of Tishrei. . . .
תפילה על מת בהמה או חיה מחמד | Prayer on the Death of a Beloved Animal, by Aharon Varady (1994)
Contributed by: Aharon N. Varady, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
A prayer for a beloved animal first compiled in English by Aharon N. Varady for Nethaniel Puzael, his family’s cat, in 1994. . . .
💬 The Rainbow Haftarah by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, translated by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (1993)
Contributed by: Jack Kessler (trōpification), Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation), Arthur Waskow, Elat Chayyim Center for Jewish Spirituality, the Shalom Center, Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
A declaration in 1993 by Rabbi Arthur Waskow in response to the impending danger of global warming and other ecotastrophes brought about by the callous harm of human industry and land use decisions. Translated by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. . . .