New York—Yeshiva University (www.yu.edu) and Koren Publishers Jerusalem (www.korenpub.com) recently announced that they have released the first two volumes in the Koren Magerman Educational Siddur Series, a new approach to tefilla (prayer) education in the school, home, and synagogue. The first volume, The Koren Children’s Siddur, is an innovative, illustrated prayer book intended for early elementary grades (ages 5-7), while the second, The Koren Ani Tefilla Weekday Siddur, was developed for the inquiring high school student and thoughtful adult.
Published in February 2014, the siddurim were first offered to educators at the iJED 2014 Jewish day school conference. Following a short trial period, during which YU and Koren received rave reviews from Jewish educators around the globe, the siddurim are now available for purchase by the general public.
In the introduction to The Koren Children’s Siddur, Koren Publisher Matthew Miller, explains that each volume of the educational siddur series was designed as both an educational resource for teachers and parents for each developmental stage of the day-school journey as well as a conventional siddur.
The Koren Children’s Siddur was designed to encourage and facilitate children’s engagement in the prayer experience. The siddur features visual cues on every page to guide teachers, parents, and students to a deeper understanding of the prayers; thought-provoking questions for educators and individual users; navigational icons to help familiarize students with the structure and choreography of the prayers; and a page-by-page educator’s companion that includes creative tips for use, in-depth explanations, and classroom worksheets.
The Koren Ani Tefilla Weekday Siddur stimulates an intellectual, visual, and emotional connection to prayer through an elegant translation of the prayers by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and a fascinating, multi-tier commentary by esteemed educator Rabbi Dr. Jay Goldmintz. Additional features include three different layouts for the amida (silent prayer)—full commentary, no commentary and blank space to direct one’s own thoughts, and continuous text—that allow users to maximize their concentration; narratives, quotes and stories that spark personal reflection; and a collection of “Frequently Asked Questions” on prayer from adults and students.
“Each of us comes to tefilla with different experiences and backgrounds, at different stages of our lives and our development, at different times of the day with different needs, moods, and desires. The prayer does not change, but the pray-er does,” says Rabbi Dr. Jay Goldmintz in the introduction to The Koren Ani Tefilla Weekday Siddur.
When completed, the series will consist of four developmentally-appropriate siddurim shepherding students throughout their school education and beyond. Siddurim for grades 3-5 and 6-8 are forthcoming.
For more information, please visit www.korenpub.com.
