Name: the Ḥavurat Shalom Siddur Project
Bio: Ḥavurat Shalom is a small egalitarian ḥavurah in Somerville, Massachusetts. Founded in 1968, it is not affiliated with the major Jewish denominations. Ḥavurat Shalom was the first countercultural Jewish community and set the precedent for the national ḥavurah movement. Founded in 1968, it was also significant in the development of the Jewish renewal movement and Jewish feminism. Originally intended to be an "alternative seminary", instead it evolved into a "model ḥavurah." Founders and members of Ḥavurat Shalom have included Edward Feld, Merle Feld, Michael Fishbane, Everett Gendler, Arthur Green, Barry Holtz, Gershon Hundert, James Kugel, Alfred A. Marcus, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Jim Sleeper, Michael Strassfeld, and Arthur Waskow. Historian Jonathan Sarna has noted that among these members were "the people who would be leading figures in Jewish life in the second half of the 20th century.”
Website: https://www.thehav.org
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/havurat-shalom
Name: Aliza Arzt
Bio: Aliza Arzt is a Jewish educator and a member of Havurat Shalom in Somerville MA. She was liturgist in residence at the National Havurah Committee (NHC) in 2016. She is particularly interested in Hebrew and what we can learn from Hebrew words in the Tanakh and in tefilot (prayers). In her other incarnations, she is a home care speech therapist, potter, parent of young adults, and gecko keeper.
Website:
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/aliza-arzt
