First Humanistic siddur published in UK

The first Humanistic Jewish Siddur to be produced in the UK has been published.

Tefilotenu offers services for Shabbat with versions of the Shema, Amidah, Kaddish and other traditional prayers, including brachot (blessings), but with adapted language that avoids reference to a supernatural being.

While its title means “Our prayers” in English, it explains its idea of prayer to be a “reflective, communal practice rooted in ethical responsibility, shared experience, and cultural continuity”.

Its author, sociolinguist Martin Hasan Di Maggio, is a leading member of Humanistic Judaism UK (HJUK), which meets in Hampstead, and the online Spinoza Havurah.

“Completing the work feels quite monumental, as it started off as a hobby of sorts, but then I realised that people really needed a siddur like this,” he said.

He has preserved the cadence of the Hebrew text so that it can still be sung to traditional melodies.

“For a lot of people, the choice has been between keeping the beauty of the siddur and being honest about what they believe,” he says. “I don’t think that should be a choice. We can preserve the structure, the Hebrew, the music – and still speak in a way that reflects how we actually understand the world.”

Along with a translation into English, there is a transliteration of the Hebrew letters as well as explanations of the content.

Similar groups to HJUK exist in Israel, the USA and other parts of the Jewish world, linked by the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism.

Martin Di Maggio at Chanukah[Missing Credit]

But Di Maggio’s siddur notably describes itself as “Spiritual Humanistic” rather than “secular”.

“The label Spiritual Humanistic Judaism is a concept I am developing in response to growing demand and is distinct from Secular Humanistic Judaism, whilst still aligning with the values that SHJ holds,” he explained. “I believe that spirituality is something a lot of Humanistic Jews want and my siddur responds to that need.”

While the language is “non-theistic”, the introduction to the siddur states, “it is fully spiritual, valuing awe, gratitude, courage, love, grief, and joy as real dimensions of human experience deserving of our attention”.

Embracing ritual, it sees candle-lighting as “a sensory pause that welcomes Shabbat’s

gentleness. Kiddush anchors joy in gratitude. Donning a tallit is a meditation on clothing ourselves in cḥesed (lovingkindness) and cḥemlá (compassion)”.

His version of the Shema translates as “Hear, O Yisrael, we are all One and Our Purpose is One.”Rather than commanding the love of God, it says, “And we will love life…”

Tefilotenu: A Spiritual Humanistic Jewish Prayerbook for the Sabbath is available now in print from Amazon: amzn.eu/d/0fKdEUZF

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Topics:

Prayer

Siddur

Humanistic Judaism

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